The latest circulation figures for regional newspapers make grim reading for everyone who wants the local press to succeed.

With news available for free online, circulation levels for daily and weekly local newspapers throughout the UK have continued to show a worrying decline, according to new official statistics.

The average circulation figures for the second half of 2016 for daily and weekly newspapers in and around Gloucestershire are as follows:

Gloucestershire Echo 8,124, down 17.1 per cent year on year

The Citizen 8,771, down 19.9 per cent

Hereford Times 19,747, down 7.8 per cent

Western Daily Press 15,544, down 11.4 per cent

Stroud Life 9,091, down 23.8 per cent

Stroud News and Journal 7,555, down 6.1 per cent

Worcester News 7,130, down 9.2 per cent

Wilt and Glos Standard 6,799, down 8.6 per cent

Gloucestershire Gazette 8,094, down 9.4 per cent

Punchline believes it is vital for everyone to support the local press.

Among the many benefits of a strong local press is its ability to perform a vital function in holding local leaders to account and shine a light on local issues.

They provide jobs and income for not only for journalists and photographers but for a wide range of businesses such as newsagents, printers and delivery firms.

If the day finally comes when local papers aren't published any more, and news is available only online, no doubt we will miss them.

What can local newspapers do to stem the fall in circulation? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk 

Picture credit: pixabay

Readers' comments:

Mike Lawrence: "Among the many benefits of a strong local press is its ability to perform a vital function in holding local leaders to account and shine a light on local issues."

If they did that, rather than kowtowing towards the local council at all times, then the rates payers, as they we called when the local papers did hold the council to account and asked the questions that needed to be asked, would buy them

In the days many years ago when the local council ran the local bus service (that was the norm then), the Southern Even Echo reviewed the Southampton Corporation bus time table for the year but put it under the fiction section!

Big row - annoyed councillors on every street corner, it seemed. Big discussions and, lo and behold, the reliability improved.

Here we have the canal project, roads, services of all kinds. But no campaigning press and declining sales thereof. Cause and effect?