THE PRESIDENT of the Newspaper Society said local newspapers were as relevant as ever, despite a regular fall in sales figures.

David Fordham is visiting publishing centres across the UK as part of national Local Newspaper Week this week.

Since starting his career in 1971 as a sales administration assistant with Cambridge Newspapers, through to his current role as chief executive of Iliffe News and Media, Mr Fordham has seen great changes and challenges throughout the local news industry.

Mr Fordham said: “There have been all sorts of changes in production methods and improvements in systems and making processes more efficient. The internet is the biggest recent change, it is perceived as a threat but it is also an opportunity, something that we should embrace.

“The fact remains that such changes as the internet allow us 24/7 transmission of news, but people still rely on local newspapers as their primary source of information that affects them.”

Mr Fordham said while sales figures of local newspapers may be down, ‘pass-on’ rates of newspapers are higher than ever, and the industry is improving.

“I believe we have come through the worst, and the climate is definitely improving. Everyone’s still finding it difficult and we are up against figures that were considerably lower 12 months ago but we are seeing a ‘flattening out’ of numbers.

“Local independent news is absolutely critical and a vital part of all local communities that is held in great affection by the readership. Local newspapers have more unique content than unlike national papers, because they are more highly focused on issues relevant to their readers.”

Mr Fordham has spent the last ten weeks visiting 40 sites around the country, responsible for the production of about 800 local newspapers. “This tour is something I’ve been aiming towards since I took the position. This is my way of concluding my year as president of the Newspaper Society, and to get out and meet publishers, share their thoughts and feedback, and on the whole there is definitely an improvement in confidence and optimism.”