Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department plans to help ensure that the BBC can continue to a) invest in regional storytelling; and b) support growth in regional creative economies under a new Charter.

As a public service broadcaster that matters hugely to public life, the BBC must be responsive to its viewers and listeners, in order to tell inclusive stories about the lives of all people, in all parts of the UK. This Government wants broadcasters, including the BBC, to be more ambitious in growing our world-leading TV sector outside of London and the South East, and to commission content in every part of the country. We want British storytelling to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see themselves reflected on screen and as part of our national story. This is an area of focus in the BBC Charter Review as we look to make sure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country, particularly by ensuring that the BBC’s commissioning, decision-making and budgets are spread across all the nations and regions of the UK.