Whitefield calls for scrapping of online public notice plan

Feb 3 2010 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge

KAREN Whitefield insists that the Scottish Government should withdraw their controversial public notices plan after suffering parliamentary defeat.

A two-hour Holyrood debate on the wisdom of moving such adverts from newspapers to the internet resulted in a 76-48 defeat for the SNP administration, with MSPs of all other parties voting that the proposal be scrapped.

Ms Whitefield recently chaired a Holyrood inquiry into Scotland’s local media industry and will be producing recommendations, with consultation on the Bill due to end next week.

The Airdrie and Shotts MSP believes that placing public notices online will disadvantage local residents as well as harming the papers serving those communities.

She said in the Holyrood debate: “I do not object to Government proposals to use websites to advertise public information notices, but the internet alone is not sufficient.

“By their very nature, websites will be viewed only by those actively seeking information whereas at present, information about planning is accessed by people who buy their local paper for a variety of reasons.

“They may stumble across a planning notice, road closure notice or proposal to close a school while looking, as my granny avidly does every week, at the hatches, matches and dispatches.

“By advertising that information in a local newspaper, councils ensure that a far greater number of people will view it and have the option of acting on it.”

She added that the loss of public information advertising revenue from newspapers would be “worrying for a number of reasons”, saying: “Local newspapers are important employers, but even more fundamental is the issue of democratic accountability and access to information.

“Good local newspapers are there to campaign on the issues that matter most to their readership and to the communities they serve, and I support them in that.

“I ask the Government to withdraw their plans for the Scottish statutory instrument and to work with us to enable easy access to vital public information and secure the future of local papers.”

Ms Whitefield’s views were echoed in the Parliamentary chamber by Hugh O’Donnell, the Liberal Democrat Central list member, who highlighted a potential “serious safety risk”.

He said: “These statutory notices on speed restrictions, stopped roads and road works are vital if people are to be protected.

“Being buried away in the depths of a website will not make vital safety information readily available to those who need it most – particularly the elderly who tend to use the internet less.

“If we are to avoid the risk of more traffic and pedestrian accidents, relevant information must remain in local newspapers; the SNP government must drop this particular dead donkey.”