The traditional business model for local news is increasingly unviable. Research conducted by the Press Gazette which found that more than 240 local newspapers closed between 2005 and the end of 2011 is testament to this.

At the end of 2013 Trinity Mirror closed the Liverpool Post, and earlier this month it announced that the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle, which has a free weekly circulation of over 45,000, will close.

The significant decline in newspaper advertising revenue also looks set to continue, with almost £400 million forecast to be lost from the UK market by the end of this year alone.