When former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his resignation as an MP, he chose the local Camden New Journal, recalling an era when local papers were central to communities. As Andy Burnham plans to devolve powers and tax revenues from Westminster to England's regional mayors, his vision lacks a robust local media sector to hold officials accountable.

In the 1980s, over 1,600 local newspapers employed tens of thousands of journalists who tracked council committees, court cases, and local services. The digital revolution devastated regional media: print advertising revenue plunged by more than two-thirds between 2007 and 2017, and readers migrated to Facebook and WhatsApp. By 2022, the three dominant UK publishers employed only about 3,000 journalists, down from 9,000 in 2007. By 2025, one in 10 UK local authority districts — covering 4.4mn people — were "news deserts" with no dedicated outlet, according to the Public Interest News Foundation.

The BBC operates 39 local radio stations and from 2027 commercial stations must carry mandatory local news, but new online outlets often struggle financially. Research links strong local media to higher election turnout, and during the 2024 urban riots, trusted local journalists countered misinformation. Authorities including Nottingham, Liverpool, and Tees Valley faced financial issues that stronger scrutiny might have caught earlier. The Starmer government launched a £12mn local media action plan, but reviving local journalism must be integral to Burnham's devolution strategy.