This page explains who owns Civic Affairs, how we are funded, and why you can trust our editorial independence. Read on for the full picture – and if you ever have a question about our ownership or funding, the team named below is here to answer it directly.
Who owns Civic Affairs?
Civic Affairs is owned by Sliema Media Limited, a company registered in Malta (company number C 84217). The editorial focus is exclusively on the United Kingdom, with no external shareholders influencing our coverage.
Sliema Media Limited’s registered office is Level 3 Tower Business Centre, Tower Street, Swatar, Birkirkara BKR 4013, Malta. Although the operating company is based in Malta, every editorial decision – from story selection to sourcing and publication – is made by our UK-based editorial team and guided solely by our journalistic mission: to report on UK civic affairs, public policy, local government and the institutions that shape everyday life. No outside investor, political party or lobbying group holds a stake in the company, and no editorial shareholder has any say in our content.
How is Civic Affairs funded?
Civic Affairs is funded through display advertising, affiliate links, commercial partnerships, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships, content licensing, and event or media partnerships. Every piece of commercial or sponsored material is clearly labelled so you can always tell it apart from independent editorial content.
Our revenue streams include:
- Display advertising – standard ad placements on our site, all subject to our advertising policy.
- Affiliate links – when you click a link marked ‘Affiliate’ within a story and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. This never affects the price you pay or our editorial judgement. Full details are in our Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure.
- Sponsored content – articles, guides or videos paid for by a partner but produced under our editorial guidelines. These are always tagged “Sponsored” and governed by our Sponsored Content Policy.
- Newsletter sponsorships – commercial mentions in our newsletters, clearly marked.
- Content licensing – we sometimes license our reporting to other publishers under standard commercial terms.
- Event and media partnerships – paid collaborations with conferences, webinars or research bodies.
Commercial relationships never determine what we cover or how we cover it. If a partner or advertiser is unhappy with a story, that is their right – but it will never change the story itself.
How this works in practice
Suppose you read an article on our site about local council procurement practices. In the text, there is a link to a software provider that offers procurement tools, marked with a small “(Affiliate)” label. If you click that link and sign up, Civic Affairs may receive a referral fee – but our reporting on the council’s practices remains independent. The same article might also be funded in part by a sponsorship from a public-sector training organisation, clearly labelled “Sponsored” at the top. Neither the affiliate relationship nor the sponsorship had any influence on the story’s angle, sources or conclusions. We apply that same separation to every piece of content.
Who ensures editorial independence?
Our Editor-in-Chief, William Ashby, is ultimately accountable for all editorial decisions and guarantees that advertisers, sponsors, councils, regulators and commercial partners never control coverage. He and the full editorial team operate under our Editorial Policy, which explicitly prohibits any outside interference.
If you ever suspect that a commercial interest has shaped our reporting, you can raise a concern directly with William (william.ashby@civicaffairs.uk) or with our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, Diane Forbes. Meet the whole team on our Our Team page.
Who can I contact about advertising or partnerships?
Send advertising inquiries to advertising@civicaffairs.uk and partnership proposals to partnerships@civicaffairs.uk. For general questions about ownership or funding, you can use the main contact form at Contact or email info@civicaffairs.uk.
In short
Civic Affairs is owned by Sliema Media Limited, funded transparently through advertising, affiliate links, sponsored content and partnerships – and every commercial arrangement is clearly labelled. The editorial independence of our reporting is guaranteed by our Editor-in-Chief, William Ashby, and by the commitments set out in our Editorial Policy. If you have a question about how any of this works, just ask.