Overview
- The government proposal, part of a wider review of the licensing regime in England and Wales, would remove the statutory requirement to publish alcohol licensing notices in local newspapers.
- Hundreds of local titles are rolling out a unified 'Defend Your Right to Know' front-page half wrap on October 30, with many daily papers to follow on November 3 alongside homepage takeovers.
- The campaign urges Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Business Secretary Peter Kyle to abandon the plan, warning it would reduce local transparency and community engagement.
- Newsquest says notices currently run in print, on local news websites and on the Public Notice Portal developed with support from the Google News Initiative.
- The Reading Chronicle editorial criticises a shortened four-week consultation window and calls for public responses by the reported midday deadline on November 6.