After a two-hour Holyrood debate, MSPs voted 76 to 48 against a proposed new law, announced in December, which would allow cash-strapped councils to place public information notices (PINs), including details of road closures and planning applications, on a new internet site or portal, as an alternative to the print media.

The move, backed by councils in a bid to trim costs by £2.5million a year, is part of the draft Local Authority Public Information Notices (Electronic Publications] Order, to be introduced at Holyrood with a deadline for consultation of February 12 with “an intention to obtain Scottish Parliamentary approval as soon as possible thereafter”.

Borders MSPs Jeremy Purvis (Lib Dem) and John Lamont (Con), along with South of Scotland Lib Dem list member Jim Hume, backed the call by Labour culture spokeswoman Pauline McNeill for the SNP administration to withdraw the order.

Her motion comfortably beat an amendment from Scottish enterprise minister Jim Mather, which noted the consultation over PINs and said his government was “committed to listening to all views and, in particular, those expressed by the Scottish Parliament”. He announced he intended holding a summit for local newspaper on how to remain profitable through the digital revolution.

South of Scotland list MSP Christine Grahame (SNP) supported Mr Mather.

“The ongoing consultation came about following representations from Cosla [Convention of Scottish Local Authorities] and the Scottish Government responded to that in December by setting out the options,” said Ms Grahame.

“As was highlighted in the debate, the newspaper industry, locally and nationally, has been in steady decline for decades as digital media have grown.

“It is important to stress that no final decisions have yet been made, but there is a duty on government, locally and nationally, to ensure value for money in public service delivery. It is Scottish local authorities who have decided, in the current economic climate, there is a need to reduce advertising costs.

“Local newspapers play a vital role in our communities and this has been reflected in the comments by Scottish ministers. The industry is changing and I am pleased to see that in the Borders, local newspapers are demonstrating an eagerness to embrace the new media age. Nonetheless, it would be disingenuous to suggest that the decline in the print media industry is a result of a consultation begun last December by the Scottish Government. The challenges to the future of local newspapers are considerably more complicated than that.”

Mr Purvis said: “I hope the proposal is now dropped. There is significant concern that this could reduce the sustainability of local newspapers which people rely on heavily for local news and information.

“In the Borders, in particular, local newspapers provide the best way for public notices to be disseminated to the widest audience.