Today is the start of the 13th annual Local Newspaper Week. We look at what News Shopper means to our readers and the communities we serve.

Local newspapers are the bread and butter of local communities.

Without them, public bodies could never be held to account and ordinary people would not be able to have their say on the issues which matter to them most.

Charities and fundraising for worthwhile causes would be lost if they did not have the support of the local press.

They depend on us in the same way we rely on our readers to tell us what they want to read.

Whether it is the latest planning application by a land-grabbing developer, a criminal who should be named and shamed or a cancer sufferer campaigning for drugs funding, local newspapers such as News Shopper are continually at the beck and call of their readers.

Local newspapers have had a torrid time of late with cost-cutting measures leaving many victims to the harshest economic climate in a generation.

Questions were raised in some quarters as to whether local newspapers had any value any more.

But thanks to hoards of loyal readers, these have been answered with an emphatic yes.

VIEWPOINTS

Bromley police’s borough commander Chief Superintendent Charles Griggs says local newspapers are essential in maintaining the identity of the community.

He said: “I am a real supporter of the News Shopper, that's why I'm backing Local Newspaper Week.

“I find it a useful source of information, you would be surprised how much I use it to find out what is going on across the borough.

“I think it is a proven, effective way of communicating positive community safety messages and informing residents of what we are doing to make the place where they live safer.

“The paper also plays a part in influencing how residents feel about their local police.

“The News Shopper website has grown in the past year.

“Reporters are quick to respond and articles appear within an hour of an incident occurring.

“On my days off I view it to see what’s happening on the borough. I particularly enjoy reading the blogs - some have been a useful source of information, enabling police to guage the strength of community feeling in response to a high profile incident, others have just been amusing.

“I’m frequently accused of ‘blogging’ myself as some of the comments are supportive of police. I assure you I don’t. When I eventually leave Bromley, I may join in.”

News Shopper recently ran a seven-week series raising awareness of St Christopher’s Hospice in Lawrie Park Road, Sydenham, which relies on the help of local media to generate around £9m a year.

Chief executive Barbara Monroe said: “Local newspapers play a significant role in helping us to promote our services and activities in the area.

“The News Shopper recently ran an excellent seven-week feature series on St Christopher’s Hospice.

“In this age of ever-expanding new media, we value the role of the local media in supporting local charities and businesses, by raising awareness in the local communities we serve.”

Gravesham Council leader Councillor Mike Snelling believes the digital age is changing how news is reported.

He said: "Politicians place a great deal of store by the opinions expressed by local newspapers.

"From a council point of view they are very valuable, were else do local people get their news?

"With the advance of the electronic age the publication figures suggest less of the population are reading local newspapers.

"Statistically the evidence is that youngsters in particular rely on other means to get their news.

"Websites like News Shopper are very valuable in attracting a younger audience."

Swanley Town Council leader Councillor Robert Woodbridge says local papers are a fundamental part of communities.

He said: "I think local newspapers are absolutely vital to bring all the local news to the local people and to let people know what's going on in their locality.

"They're good for advertising for local businesses so people know where to go to find stuff.

"Local papers are the eyes and ears to let the people know what's going on."

Read more about Local Newspaper Week at the Newspaper Society website.