Leading publishers of regional news have have written to the Transport Secretary after a new threat to public notices emerged in the form of a Government-commissioned report recommending the abolition of the requirement for transport notices to be advertised in local newspapers. The News Media Association (NMA), which represents the industry, has written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. The new threat to public notices comes after Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said Government understood the role public notices play in local newspapers and was “working closely to ensure that we protect that.” The local media sector and scores of MPs have expressed grave concerns over proposals to remove planning notices from local papers, which would leave millions of people disenfranchised, undermining local democracy.