Anyone who doubts whether the voice of local newspapers is heard in the national corridors of power would do well to note a fun story in this week's Brentwood Gazette.
It reveals how a recent full Cabinet meeting was interrupted by a familiar ring-tone on Communities and Local Government minister Eric Pickles' mobile: John Philip Souza's Washington Post March.
The response from Prime Minister David Cameron was reportedly: "What does the Brentood Gazette want now?".
Pickles often gets calls from his local paper on Tuesday mornings, deadline day for the Northcliffe weekly. And he has personalised ringtones for all sorts of people – with Souza for the Brentwood Gazette, and Beethoven's Ode To Joy to signal a call from one of his more Eurosceptic colleagues.
More on this story from the Brentwood Gazette here.
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