Trusted local news titles like as the Manchester Evening News try to sit right at the heart of local life.
Our journalists want to hold authority to account on your behalf, covering the courts and council meetings so you know what’s going on in your local area. And, we champion your interests through campaigning and appeals which deliver real results for local communities.
An important but less talked about part of our offering is public notices.
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These are advertisements, placed in the main by local authorities like councils, which tell you about things such as planning applications or changes to traffic regulations in your area. If a local bar wants to extend its opening hours, you’ll find out about it through a public notice in the pages of your local newspaper.
Sometimes, public notices can generate controversy and get everyone in the community talking about an issue which will affect their lives, such as plans for a large new development. That’s just as it should be in a healthy democracy.
Today, we are delighted to introduce the new Public Notice Portal (PNP). It's a website built following extensive consumer research, discussions with local authorities and central government.
The project has also benefited from technical expertise and £1 million funding from Google. Fully searchable by postcode and type of notice, the portal uses maps to show you exactly where notices that affect you are located with pinpoint accuracy.
Users can sign up to receive notifications about particular types of notices, or notices relating to a specific geography, providing a highly personalised service. The portal is completely free to use.
But, it's still in beta phase and has not yet been rolled out across the whole industry. Instead, it is being tested in key areas such as Greater Manchester before the full launch.
We expect the portal will in time provide comprehensive coverage of all the public notices being published in the UK, right across the industry’s 800 local news websites.
During the beta phase of the project, you have the opportunity to have your say about this transformative technology.
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