Free city paper facing closure after funds cut

Published on Wednesday 10 December 2008 10:35

A NEWSPAPER that has served its community for more than 30 years may soon be printing for the last time – unless last-minute funding can be secured.

North Edinburgh News – a freesheet and online paper – has had two major sources of finance pulled in the last year, leaving its future hanging in the balance. The latest cut has seen more than half its remaining finance being withdrawn.

Editor Mary Burnside said: "This 53 per cent cut to our, now, only source of funding means the end for the project unless another funding package can be found.

"In the meantime, all staff will be issued with redundancy notices, and we will look at winding up this community newspaper, which has been around for more than 30 years."

The title lost funding from the Edinburgh Community Newspaper Trust at the beginning of the financial year through a series of council-led cuts.

Since then, it has been "struggling to survive", and a final blow came last month after 38,000 was removed from its Fairer Scotland Fund allocation.

Ms Burnside said: "I've been here for over 19 years, and in that time myself and the board have seen the paper survive many a crisis – but this is the worst."

The paper is one of many community organisations in the North Edinburgh area now facing an uncertain future due to a shortage of funding.