LOCHGELLY really deserves the title of Scotland's most improved town.
The announcement on Tuesday was hoped for by the members of Cowdenbeath Area Committee but councillors were wary of possibly losing out at the last moment.
However, there should have been no worries. The work done in the town centre over the past five years has been outstanding and the dark days of having dilapidated buildings at The Cross are consigned to history.
With more good things set to happen at the area around the former St Andrews Church building things will get even better and the organisations that have been spearheading things, such as Ore Valley Housing Association, deserve the utmost credit.
Winning the award has put the spotlight on the town and there could be plenty of further spin-offs from this success.
Meanwhile a move by the Westminster Government is seen by the publishers of the Times, Newsquest, as a pernicious threat to a free press in the UK- the introduction of Section 40 ?(punitive costs) of the Crime and Courts Act?.
The Government has launched a consultation on the Section - which if it goes ahead will potentially lay open all newspapers to punitive costs should anyone choose to challenge a court story that is published.
The key to its unfairness lies in that even should a title win the case - ie there is no case to answer - they would still be liable to pay the complainant's? legal? costs.
This could potentially seriously undermine a newspaper's sustainability and will encourage more people to claim as they carry no risk to themselves.? The impact this could have on reporting in Britain is obviously serious?.??
?The Government? has launched its consultation which ends on January 10. ?The volume of responses will lend weight to their deliberations.
Newsquest will be contesting this threat to the newspaper industry and is urging its employees to take part in the consultation.
We would urge our readers to do like wise go to:?? https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-leveson-inquiry-and-its-implementation
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