BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead has said it is “difficult” to see how the corporation could buy local news from the regional press in a quota system.

Press industry body the News Media Association is currently in discussions with the BBC about how the corporation can buy content from the regional press. Culture Secretary John Whittingdale this morning told the Society of Editors conference he welcomed such a move, as the debate around next year's renewal of the BBC charter continues.

Fairhead spoke at the same conference in the afternoon about “growing concern that, whatever the cause, a democratic deficit may be starting to emerge” in terms of local media coverage.