Proposals to scrap the requirement for planning notices to be placed in local newspapers would come at the “worst possible” time for the sector, which has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A number of regional newspapers and websites owned by Newsquest and Archant have this week carried the same editorial urging readers to oppose the proposals, which contribute an estimated £10m to the sector each year.

The Government published the Planning for the Future white paper in August, setting out ways it could modernise the planning process including by removing the requirement for local authorities to print statutory notices in local newspapers in a shift to more online spaces.