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<p>The Government is committed to supporting local newspapers as vital pillars of
our communities. We are in regular contact with local news publishers to understand
the financial pressures they face, and we are mindful of particular concerns about
rising printing costs, brought about primarily by higher energy prices, as well as
by the increasing cost of raw materials including newsprint.</p><p>Last month, the
government introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which provides a price reduction
to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including newspaper
printing sites, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.
We are engaging with the sector to monitor the impact of this support, mindful of
the review of the Scheme which will consider how best to offer further support to
customers who are the most vulnerable to energy price increases.</p><p>We are also
taking other action to support the sector, including in the digital sphere, where
many newspaper publishers face significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable
digital business models. Our plans for a pro-competition regime for digital markets
will, among many other things, help to rebalance the relationship between news publishers
and online platforms. We have also provided tax reliefs and innovation funding to
the sector. And the BBC Charter Mid Term Review will evaluate how the BBC and Ofcom
assess the market impact and public value of the BBC in an evolving marketplace and
how that relates to the wider UK media ecology, including with regard to the local
news sector. We will continue to consider all possible options in the interest of
promoting and sustaining the sector.</p><p> </p>
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