Just over three years ago then Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt met with a good deal of skepticism when he announced plans for a largely privately-funded network of local TV stations to be launched across the UK.

For many the idea that communities which were barely supporting daily newspapers could suddenly provide enough advertising to keep a TV station going was laughable.

But in the coming weeks Local TV will become a reality across Britain as the first 19 stations go live in cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle.