Local News Fund Steering Board: Recruitment Advert
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is looking for up to eight industry experts and leaders with experience of the local media sector to join a Steering Board for the Local News Fund.
Introduction
This recruitment advert by DCMS is intended for individuals who wish to apply to the Local News Fund Steering Board. The advert includes information about the Local News Fund, and the role of the board in the grant allocation process. It outlines expectations and time commitments, and details on how to apply.
About the Local News Fund
The multiyear Local News Fund worth £6 million in 2026 to 2027 and up to a further £6 million in 2027 to 2028, was launched as part of Amplify: Local Media Action Plan, to help ensure the long-term provision of high-quality local news, supporting local media to continue innovating towards a digital and sustainable future and thereby stemming closure of titles and journalist redundancies.
£6 million of the fund will be distributed in 2026 to 2027, with the majority to be distributed to local media outlets in print, online, radio or TV according to the outcomes of a centrally-managed competitive bidding process.
Appointment description
- Programme: Local News Fund 2026 to 2028
- Department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
- Location: virtual or hybrid
- Sectors: media, press, journalism
- Number of vacancies: up to eight members including a chair
Local News Fund Steering Board
The purpose of the Local News Fund Steering Board is to play an advisory role in providing independent expertise and objective advice to DCMS in the decision-making process for distribution of funding under the Local News Fund. This includes a role in setting the bidding and eligibility criteria for the Local News Fund. In convening this board, DCMS aims to benefit from a wide range of experience of the local media sector and related industries. This will help to ensure value for money in the distribution of funding and that the best bids are selected for Local News Fund grants, for the benefit of local media and the communities that they serve. .
Prospective bidders will need to meet specific qualifying criteria, central to which will be that the provision of local news is a primary purpose of the organisation, and which will be agreed by the board before the fund opens for bids. Funding can be used to invest in the tools and software required for sustainable digital innovation. The rest of the fund in its first year will be subject to a separate bidding process, reserved for other third parties which are developing the tools and initiatives from which the whole industry could benefit.
Eligible local media outlets and other third parties will be able to bid for grants to support financial sustainability and digital innovation in the industry. Each bid will be considered on its own merits, but examples of the type of projects which might be funded could include:
- developing or purchasing adtech tools to increase revenues from online advertising or subscription/reader revenues - helping ensure users are served with less intrusive and more useful advertising, using data analytics to improve understanding of readers and how to nudge them towards paying for news
- developing better website architecture and multimedia tools to reach new audiences - unlocking new content formats, developing apps, communicating with readers across multiple different environments in audio, video and newsletters
- developing and using AI in responsible ways to drive efficiencies in the news room - sourcing stories or identifying notable trends from large datasets, speeding up non-editorial processes such as transcription or subtitling, adapting stories to a particular local context, or streamlining back office functions
- enabling more collaboration in the industry - developing and scaling up shared advertising exchanges to better leverage the collective reach of local media, or content sharing platforms to enable local publishers to open up new revenue streams and drive traffic to their websites, or tools and platforms which simplify and centralise journalists’ access to public records
Local media outlets and third parties will bid for grants through a process administered by the Government Grants Managed Service (GGMS), which will also be responsible for a first assessment of bids. The Steering Board will then provide its advice to DCMS on recipients alongside the GGMS assessment, before DCMS makes the final decision.
Further details on the bidding process including eligibility and bidding criteria will be made publicly available after the steering board has been appointed.
Time commitment
Successful candidates will be expected to prepare for and attend meetings on approximately a monthly basis, with a peak in activity expected during July, August and September 2026.
In addition to approximately 12 meetings annually, allowance should also be made for preparation time beforehand. Time commitments for the financial year 2026 to 2027 are broken down as follows:
- Steering board introduction session: June 2026
- Approximately 10 further panel meetings: July 2026 to March 2027. An approximated average of 2 to 4 hours preparation time per meeting.
Essential criteria
- A proven track record working in or studying the local media industry, digital innovation or business management and consultancy.
- An understanding of the current challenges facing local media, based on firsthand experience or academic study. An understanding of how digital innovation, industry collaboration and business development can aid the sector’s financial sustainability.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with a proven ability to communicate and collaborate.
- Ability to remain objective with a commitment to equality of opportunity.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of assessing bids or grants.
- We are also seeking to ensure a diverse and representative board membership, with members with relevant experience selected from across the country, and so this will be factored into the selection process.
Recruitment timeline
- Opening date: Friday 8 May 2026
- Application deadline: 23:59pm Monday 25 May
- Interview dates: week commencing 1 June and week commencing 8 June 2026
How to apply
All candidates are required to:
- provide a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- provide a short supporting statement in the attached application form (750 words maximum)
Please send both your CV and application to localnewsfund@dcms.gov.uk by 23:59pm Monday 25 May.
Selection process and interviews
Interviews are expected to take place in the week commencing 1 June 2026 and the week commencing 8 June 2026.
The interview panel will include two DCMS senior civil servants, and a DCMS non-executive board member.
Equality and diversity
We encourage applications from individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the UK. This is an important part of the UK government’s agenda of representation from the length and breadth of the country and all sections of society.
Reasonable adjustments
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for this role. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.
Some examples of common changes are:
- ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats
- allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way
- giving additional detailed information on the selection/interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves
- allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters
Remuneration and allowances
This will be a paid position. DCMS will pay each panel member £218 for each meeting they undertake as a panel member, as well as an hourly rate for preparation time for each.
Privacy notice
Who is collecting my data
This website (“Website“) is run by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (“we”, “us” and “DCMS”).
DCMS is the controller for the personal information we process, unless otherwise stated.
Purpose of this privacy notice
This notice is provided to meet the obligations set out in Article 13 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).
It explains how we will use your personal data as part of our legal obligations with regard to data protection.
The DCMS personal information charter explains how we deal with your information and how you can ask to view, change or remove your information from our records.
What is personal data?
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable living person (a ‘data subject’).
A data subject is someone who can be recognised, directly or indirectly, by information such as:
- a name
- an identification number
- location data
- an online identifier
- data relating to their physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity
These types of identifying information are known as ‘personal data’.
Data protection law applies to the collection, use and storage of personal data.
Why are we collecting your personal data?
Data from Steering Board applicants
DCMS is conducting open recruitment to appoint members of the Local News Fund Steering Board. DCMS will process the names, addresses and email addresses provided by bidders.
Data collected during this recruitment will be processed by DCMS to:
- manage applications for the purposes of recruiting the panel
- maintain contact during the recruitment period
What is the legal basis for processing my data?
Our legal reason for collecting and processing this personal data is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR:
It is necessary to perform a public task - to carry out a public function or exercise powers set out in law, or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law.
Who will your data be shared with?
Steering Board applicants’ data
All data collected from applicants (including names, supporting statements and CVs) will be shared by DCMS with the interview panel for the recruitment campaign.
The interview panel will include:
- Two DCMS senior civil servants, and an external non-executive director
Data is shared only for the purposes of running the recruitment process and selecting a panel.
It will be held by DCMS for recruitment management and contact purposes during the period.
How long will my data be held for?
- Successful applicants: length of employment plus 2 years
- Unsuccessful applicants: 12 months
Will my data be used for automated decision making or profiling?
We will not use your data for any automated decision making.
Will my data be transferred outside the UK?
We will not send your data overseas.
What are your data protection rights?
You have rights over your personal data under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation and provides a full explanation of your rights on its website.
DCMS will ensure your rights are upheld when processing your data.
How do I complain?
Data Controllers: dcmsdataprotection@dcms.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ
Email: dpo@dcms.gov.uk
If you’re unhappy with the way we have handled your personal data, please write to the Department’s Data Protection Officer or Data Protection Manager.
How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
If you believe your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.
You may also contact them for independent advice about data protection, privacy, and data sharing.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
- Website: www.ico.org.uk
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Any complaint to the ICO is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.
For wider queries about the competition, contact localnewsfund@dcms.gov.uk
Changes to our privacy notice
We may make changes to this privacy notice. When we do, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change.
If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know.
Last updated: 8 May 2026