One in five say they will be insolvent by next year. These local crises add up to a national catastrophe that’s about to explode, says the Guardian columnist John Harris
There is a growing a problem with awareness and accountability of local governance, and I think a lot of it has been caused by the decline of local journalism. Local residents now have little to no real knowledge of what is happening in local councils, at every level, because there is so few places it is reported. An uninformed electrocute can’t make informed decisions at local elections, and a such the rot begins to set in.
My own area used to have multiple local newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Now there is only one paper standing, and a couple of “zombie” outlets bought out by media megacorps that are technically still standing but outputting nothing but advertising and syndicated fluff pieces with no local connection.
The BBC are continuing to make cuts to their own local news coverage also which will only worsen the problem.
There is a growing a problem with awareness and accountability of local governance, and I think a lot of it has been caused by the decline of local journalism. Local residents now have little to no real knowledge of what is happening in local councils, at every level, because there is so few places it is reported. An uninformed electrocute can’t make informed decisions at local elections, and a such the rot begins to set in.
My own area used to have multiple local newspapers, magazines and radio stations. Now there is only one paper standing, and a couple of “zombie” outlets bought out by media megacorps that are technically still standing but outputting nothing but advertising and syndicated fluff pieces with no local connection.
The BBC are continuing to make cuts to their own local news coverage also which will only worsen the problem.