Since 2001 UK newspaper circulation has halved and over 200 local newspapers have closed their doors since 2005. With a rapidly changing media world, news reaches people through many new channels, and existing publications have often had to compete with digital media.

Terms of reference published today outline how the Cairncross review will investigate the overall state of the market, threats to financial sustainability, the role and impact of digital search engines and social media platforms, how content and data flows are operated and managed and the role of digital advertising.

Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said:

Although the internet has been an immense force for good, it has torn apart the established order and raised real questions about the sustainability and profitability of traditional journalism.

Dame Frances Cairncross will bring her experience in journalism and academia to tackle these issues with a view to examine the press and protect the future of high quality journalism.

Dame Frances Cairncross said:

Having spent much of my working life as a journalist, and seen how the digital revolution has changed both the fortunes of newspapers and the opportunities for distributing news, I am excited to be undertaking this review.

This is both a challenging and an exciting time for the press, both locally and nationally, and I hope the review will clarify both ways to ensure the future of high quality journalism and the options for public policy.

Dame Frances Cairncross will be supported by a panel of experts which includes experts in the fields of journalism, academia, advertising and technology. The panel will act in an advisory capacity, with the review’s final report and recommendations being determined by and issued in the name of the chair. The panel includes: Peter Wright, Matt Rogerson, Ashley Highfield, Geraldine Allinson, Mimi Turner, Douglas McCabe, Stephen Woodford, Akshat Rathi, Polly Curtis, and Azeem Azhar.

As well as identifying challenges, the review will make recommendations on what industry and government action can be taken, with a final report expected later this year.

Note to editors:

Dame Frances Cairncross is a former economic journalist, author and academic administrator. She is currently Chair of the Court of Heriot-Watt University and a Trustee at the Natural History Museum. Dame Frances was Rector of Exeter College, Oxford University; a senior editor on The Economist; and principal economic columnist for the Guardian. In 2014 she was made a Dame of the British Empire for services to education. She is the author of a number of books, including “The Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution is Changing our Lives” and “Costing the Earth: The Challenge for Governments, the Opportunities for Business”. Dame Frances is married to financial journalist Hamish McRae.

Advisory panel members:

Jo Adetunji

Jo Adetunji is a journalist and Deputy Editor at The Conversation UK, a comment and analysis website that delivers evidence-based, accessible journalism by experts from universities across the UK and Europe. The Conversation aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the public via a newsroom of editors. Jo has worked in more traditional media as a reporter for The Guardian, covering stories from UK knife crime to live blogging the Arab Spring, and has also written for The Independent. She recently contributed to Philanthropic Journalism Funding in the UK, a report commissioned by the European Journalism Centre, and was an interviewer for the latest round of the Journalism Diversity Fund. She holds a degree in the History of Art from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

Geraldine Allinson

Geraldine is the Chairman of the KM Media Group, part of Iliffe Media. KM is a Local Multimedia business that serves the people and organisations of Kent through Newspapers, Radio, Online and more recently local TV. The company employs award winning journalists and has highly trusted brands within its stable of products. Through online, print and broadcast KM reaches over 1 million people each week. Geraldine has been with KM Media Group since 1993 and became its Chairman in 2006. Prior to this she worked for Northcliffe Newspapers and the Midland News Association. She is currently a Non-executive Director at the PA Group (parent company of the Press Association), Director of the Radiocentre and a Director of the News Media Association (NMA). Previous industry positions include: President of the Newspaper Society, Chairman of the Independent Publishers Forum and the Weekly Independent Newspaper Association.

Azeem Azhar

Azeem runs Exponential View, a newsletter looking at how our world is changing in the face of the accelerating pace of technology. This is built on the back of 20 years as an entrepreneur, corporate innovator and journalist. He is currently senior adviser to the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Accenture, focusing on frontier technologies. Azeem advises Harvard Business Review, the Huxley Summit and several founders of disruptive technology firms. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

Polly Curtis

Polly Curtis joined HuffPost UK in August 2017 as Editor-in-​Chief with 17 years of media industry experience. Immediate prior to joining HuffPost, Polly was director of media for British Red Cross during a time that included the organisation’s largest emergency response in decades, as they operationalised after the Manchester bombing, London Bridge and Finsbury Park attacks and at Grenfell. Prior to her position at British Red Cross, Polly was digital editor at The Guardian, where she led digital plans for the Scottish referendum, the EU referendum and the 2015 election as well as the live coverage of some of the biggest breaking stories in recent times. She has a background as a news editor and reporter, having served as the Guardian’s deputy national editor, Whitehall correspondent, education editor and health correspondent.

Ashley Highfield

Ashley Highfield is CEO of Johnston Press plc, one of the largest local media groups in the UK, and owner of the i newspaper. He has worked in high levels in companies including Microsoft – where he was UK Managing Director (Consumer & Online) – and the BBC, where as executive board director for New Media & Technology, he was responsible for the development and launch of BBC iPlayer. During his tenure there he oversaw a growth in the BBC’s online presence from 3.5m to 17m users. In June 2015 Culture Secretary John Whittingdale named Ashley as one the advisory board members tasked with working on the renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter, which led to the local democracy reporter initiative. In October 2015 he was appointed Chairman of the News Media Association for a two year period. He has previously served on the boards of William Hill plc and the British Film Institute in non-executive roles.

Douglas McCabe

Douglas is a leading expert in tech and publishing media. He analyses supplier strategies and forecasts consumption, revenue and marketing expenditure. He is a former director of Fish4, the online advertising portal, and was director of sales development and market insights at Waterstones. Douglas holds a degree from Stirling University.

Akshat Rathi

Akshat Rathi has worked for both established publications and new media startups. He is a reporter for Quartz, covering science and energy, and previously worked for The Economist and The Conversation. His work has also been published in The Guardian, The Hindu, and Nature. He holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Oxford.

Matt Rogerson

Matthew Rogerson is the Head of Public Policy at Guardian Media Group​ (GMG)​. Matthew joined​ GMG in 2013 following 5 years at Virgin Media​,​​ where he worked on a range of issues, including responses to the Digital Britain report, the Government’s Communications Review, and broadband policy. Matthew’s work at GMG covers areas such as press freedom,​ media plurality​, digital advertising and brand safety, and the changing nature of digital news. Before ​working in the private sector, Matthew worked as a parliamentary researcher.

Mimi Turner

Mimi Turner is Founder of brand strategy consultancy Mimi Turner Associates and has more than twenty years experience in print and digital publishing. Mimi has been instrumental in growing some of the UK’s biggest digitally disruptive media brands including the Lad Bible, GIVEMESPORT and Vice Media, and has developed a deep understanding of millennial and Gen Z audiences. She is a board advisor to TRUTH, the media agency using blockchain technology to provide transparency in the advertising supply chain, and is an advisor to online video platform Suggestv, which helps publishers build brand context through video. Prior to transforming the Lad Bible, Mimi spent three years working for Richard Desmond as Group Director of Communications of Express Newspapers, Channel 5 and OK Magazine, and was also Sales and Marketing Director of The Health Lottery. Mimi spent over a decade in journalism with the Hollywood Reporter and began her career writing about science and technology for the Sunday Times and the Times.

Stephen Woodford

Stephen was appointed CEO of the Advertising Association in September 2016. Having held management roles in three agencies (Leo Burnett, WCRS/Engine and DDB/adam&eveDDB), Stephen currently chairs youth marketing agency Livity, a social purpose-driven business that seeks to transform young peoples’ lives, especially from BAME backgrounds. He was recently Chairman of Lexis PR and a founder and director of U, a challenger to conventional banks. Stephen is a past President of NABS and serves on the board of the History of Advertising Trust. He was IPA President (2003-05) where he led both their first ethnic diversity initiative and transformed its professional qualifications for new industry entrants, which over 15,000 people have now sat and passed.

Peter Wright

Peter Wright has been Editor Emeritus of Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, MailOnline and Metro, since 2012. He was Editor of The Mail on Sunday 1998-2012. He is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Complaints Committee, and the News Media Association Legal, Policy and Regulatory Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company Nominations Committee. Previously he was a commissioner and later director of the Press Complaints Commission (2008-14) and the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee (2004-8). He sat on the Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee Review (2014-15).

The Defence Secretary’s intervention follows the decision by the Scottish Government last month to create new income tax bands and increased tax levels, which will see personnel in Scotland worse off than the rest of the UK.

The Defence Secretary has reassured servicemen and women that he would look to mitigate against the negative impact of Scottish taxes. Up to 8,000 service personnel are set to be hit by the tax rise.

On 21 February 2018, the Scottish Parliament ratified their income tax rates and thresholds applying to Scottish taxpayers. As a result those earning more than £26,000 will pay more tax in comparison to their counterparts in the rest of the UK.

Scotland plays a key role in the defence of the UK and its contribution is set to increase. Some, 1,400 submariners will move to HM Naval Base Clyde by 2020, creating the new single home of the entire UK Submarine Service. Army numbers are also increasing with the return of troops from Germany.

An additional 400 personnel will move to RAF Lossiemouth as it adds a fourth Typhoon squadron and prepares to receive the entire UK fleet of nine submarine hunter Poseidon P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft from the early 2020s.

The Official Receiver provides an update on employment within the Carillion group in liquidation.

A spokesperson for the Official Receiver said:

Secure ongoing employment with new suppliers has been found for a further 305 employees who work on facilities management, defence and construction contracts.

Regrettably we have been unable to find ongoing employment for a further 78 employees who will leave the business later this week. Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service will provide them with every support to find new work.

Discussions with potential purchasers for Carillion’s remaining contracts are continuing.

Further information:

• in total, to date 8,521 jobs have been saved and there have been 1,536 redundancies as part of the liquidation. Close to half (46%) of the pre-liquidation workforce have now found secure ongoing employment
• this information does not include contracts where an intention to purchase has been entered into but has not yet formally occurred
• approximately 7,300 employees are currently retained to enable Carillion to deliver the remaining services it is providing for public and private sector customers until decisions are taken to transfer or cease these contracts
• further information about rights in redundancy is available on gov.uk
• to be notified of future updates from the Official Receiver please register to receive an email alert

Published 12 March 2018

Thank you for your feedback

An innovative dual camera system which can spot both road workers speeding through construction sites and road users who illegally drive through cones has been hailed a potential life saver.

This winning system, the first of its kind, is housed in one vehicle, and is currently being extensively tested across motorways and main A roads managed by Highways England. It is one of the winners at the prestigious Highways England Health, Safety, and Wellbeing awards.

The awards, open to Highways England and its supply chain, attracted 115 entries across six categories. The nine winning entries announced ranged from initiatives to improve the mental health and wellbeing of staff to improving the safe loading of lorries.

In the first trials, in the West Midlands, a 50 per cent month-on-month reduction was recorded in road workers driving 10mph above the signed limit through sites. And in Essex the number of roadworks incursions reduced by more than 80%.

The camera system – developed by Carnell Support Services and Kier Highways – was one of two winners in the Health & Safety Innovation category at Highways England’s inaugural Health, Safety and Wellbeing awards ceremony.

Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England said:

It’s well known that safety is our first imperative and I am delighted that these awards highlight that. The camera system, for example, will ultimately save lives. This project and the other winners show how innovative ways of thinking will make things safer for those working on and using our strategic road network and these awards also highlight the mental health and wellbeing of staff is as important as feeling safe in the workplace. I look forward to seeing more achievements in years to come.

In addition (to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Awards) there was a special overall Chairman’s Award. This is a discretionary award chosen from the winners of all the categories in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Awards. The Chairman’s Award was awarded to Clancy Group, for their Work Related Safety Programme.

Highways England chairman Colin Matthews said:

I am delighted that colleagues in Highways England and partner organisations are finding ways to reduce injuries on our roads. Congratulations to Clancy Group whose success in making the roads safer for their drivers can be widely replicated by others.

The nine winners were:

1: H&S Innovation – two winners

Carnell Support Services and Kier Highways for SAFETYcam

Highways England’s Incident Prevention Team – Vehicle Load Security working with the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL)

An initiative to improve the awareness and understanding around safely securing loads on lorries or for customers transporting large goods. Highways England’s Incident Prevention Team developed Police Load Security Training in partnership with the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) to help them better understand load security enforcement and how to help educate lorry drivers.

2: Road User Safety Achievement – two winners

Clancy Group for the Clancy Work Related Road Safety Programme.

Over 12 months, this driving programme saw a 20% reduction in insurance claims, a 20% improvement in driver performance score and a 3.6% reduction in fuel use per vehicle due to safer and more fuel-efficient driving practices. All drivers are proactively engaged in the Fleet Safety Management and Compliance Programme which is run by a dedicated team and supported by the Clancy Group Board of Directors.

Highways England Marketing team supported by George & Dragon (Advertising Agency) for the Vehicle Checks campaign.

The Vehicle Checks campaign identified the second largest cause of serious accidents can be attributed to drivers not carrying out basic vehicle checks in advance of long or significant journeys. Customer insight demonstrated a 15% increase in consumer awareness to performing vehicle checks.

3. Project of the Year (supply chain only) – one winner

Balfour Beatty Skanska Joint Venture for the M25 J30/A13 Corridor Relieving Congestion Scheme.

A targeted approach by the joint venture to improve health safety and well-being has resulted in a workplace where everyone can take responsibility for their own and their colleagues’ health, safety and wellbeing. The team’s efforts are also reflected in the schemes excellent all round safety statistics with a zero Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) when the project finished.

4: Graduate/Apprentice of the Year – two winners

Amelia Kirwan – Highways England’s Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention Team.

Amelia Kirwan joined Highways England in November 2016 as a Project Manager Apprentice. Amelia was recognised for her approach to work and her passion to learn and expand her knowledge. She is seen as a real asset for the team and recently was successful with her application for a temporary role in the team.

Jessica Dunn – AECOM – Proactive approach to promoting good mental health.

Jessica, who is a graduate engineer in AECOM’s Strategic Highways team in Chesterfield, has undertaken various initiatives to tackle mental health stigmas and support at a local and national level for AECOM. These include working with colleagues to include wellbeing into weekly safety stand downs, liaising with local authorities and charities to provide line manager training and Lunch & Learn sessions in the local office, and campaigning for mental health first aiders to be provided in every office.

5: H&S Wellbeing Initiative – one winner

Graham Construction Ltd – CONNECT.

CONNECT, a programme to drive employee wellbeing, has significantly reduced staff turnover and increased employee engagement against all performance measures. This was achieved through initiatives such as in areas including personal diagnostics, personal coaching and mindfulness training. During 2018-19 Graham will invest over £1m during 2018/19 to roll the programme out to all employees.

6: H&S Performance – one winner

Mway Comms.

Following the death of a subcontractor in July 2015, Mway Comms put in place an action plan to improve the culture and support within the company. For two years Mway Comms implemented a progressive health and safety (H&S) Improvement programme that involved a new H&S system, an in-house H&S advisor and a commitment from managers, supervisors and operatives to comply with policies and procedures. In 2017 Mway Comms had zero RIDDOR’s, (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) making its Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) zero.

For further information about the Health, Safety and Wellbeing awards, visit our website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Burial for Private Thomas Edmundson

A burial service will be held on Wednesday 14 March at Perth Cemetery (China Wall), Belgium, for Private (Pte) Thomas Edmundson. Pte Edmundson was killed in action during the first world war while serving with the Durham Light Infantry.

His remains were discovered near the town of Zonnebeke and were identified using DNA testing.

He will be buried with full military honours on 14 March.

The service has been organised by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and will be attended by British Defence Staff, members of the family, regimental representatives from the Rifles Regiment and local dignitaries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be providing the headstone.

Burial Service for 2 Soldiers of the First World War

A burial service will be held on Thursday 15 March at Orchard Dump Cemetery, France, for 2 soldiers of the first world war.

Their remains were discovered during excavation work near the town of Gavrelle. One soldier belonged to the Durham Light Infantry; intensive research and DNA testing has been carried out but unfortunately, to date, his identity has not been established The other soldier served with the Bedfordshire Regiment, but it has not been possible to identify him.

They will be buried with full military honours on 15 March.

The service has been organised by the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre and will be attended by British Defence Staff, regimental representatives from both The Rifles and Royal Anglian Regiments and local dignitaries. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will be providing the headstones.