A government minister has hailed Nub News as its Hitchin site continues to grow on all platforms since launching last week.

Hitchin Nub News is part of a nationwide group of community news websites that now have been backed at the highest level of government.

John Whittingdale, the Minister of State for Media and Data, has praised Nub News for bringing local journalism back to the communities they serve.

Speaking to Nub News, Mr Whittingdale said: "Nub News, which employs professional journalists and where people can know that facts and stories are properly checked, is fulfilling an extremely important function.

"Local journalism has a crucial role in informing people about- and scrutinising- the work of councils, CGGs, the police and other local bodies- and where things go wrong, asking questions."

The ever-growing company is a hyper-local organisation with Nub News sites across the UK.

Layth Yousif, your regional editor for Hitchin Nub News, lives in the town and has been part of the Hitchin community for the last 15 years.

Nub News is a 'good news' newspaper you can trust.

Find us on our website by searching for Hitchin Nub News on Facebook by searching for Hitchin Nub News and on Twitter @HitchinNubNews

At Hitchin Nub News, we aim to make your experience with us as pleasant and informative as possible, with no annoying ads, pop-ups or surveys, just a good read of all that is going on in Hitchin.

And we want YOU to contribute to the site itself by using our Nub It button on the Home page where you will be able to write onto our website with your news.

Then you become one of our Trusted Contributors.

Simply click on the Nub It button, put your content and pictures into the system along with your contact details and our experienced journalists will check it over for grammar and spelling before uploading it to our site. As easy as that.

Chief executive Karl Hancock added of the ongoing success story of Nub News nationally: "Since launch in January last year we have grown quickly. Our aim to become the largest online local news brand in the UK and we remain on track for that.

"What really excites me is the quality of candidates now applying for jobs with Nub News.

"We have seen a significant increase in the number of journalists looking to work for us."

The latest launches take the number of towns now being covered by the network across the country to 45.

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About your local Hitchin Nub News reporter Layth

Layth has written and worked for a large number of local, regional and national newspapers since leaving a career in The City a decade ago to follow his lifelong passion of journalism.

Layth was born into an immigrant family and grew up in various council estates in London, attributing his strong work ethic to his father 'who arrived in this country with the shirt on his back and a fiver in his pocket.'

Layth has covered everything from high court murder trials and death knocks to reporting on Champions League games from the Nou Camp - and a lot in between.

He hopes the experience he's gained from his stint on Fleet Street, as well as a wealth of knowledge picked up from working on busy local newspapers over the years, will stand him in good stead for Nub News.

Layth says: "Karl Hancock's Nub News concept is excellent, and one that will shake up our industry – I can't wait to help him and our team of superb journalists up and down the country make inroads into sectors that deserve far better."

NCTJ-trained Layth spent two and a half years travelling the world 'a long time ago' and also has an MBA from his career in the The City after working for blue chip investment banks in London and Sydney.

Layth is a huge Arsenal supporter as befits the editor and owner of the Gooner Fanzine.

He has also written two commissioned books and has appeared on the BBC, ITV, BBC5Live, and talkSPORT speaking about everything from leveraged takeovers and credit default swaps to the Arsenal U18s.

Apart from journalism, Layth's passions are travel, music and politics. Among his favourite, exclusive, one-to-one interviewees have been Ken Loach, and Shaun Ryder, not to mention Piers Morgan, as well as Tony Adams and Mikel Arteta to name but a few.

Layth is a member of the Football Writers' Association as well as the Cricket Writers' Association.

The dad of three lives in Hitchin with his partner Faye.