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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has held discussions with Ofcom on the BBC's proposals for local radio; and if she will make a statement.

The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed the concerns shared across the House about the BBC’s plans.

While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government has been clear with the Chair of the BBC Board and the Director General that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.

The BBC is editorially and operationally independent, and the decision over whether to proceed with these changes is for them. It is also the BBC’s responsibility to consider the potential impacts for audiences and staff of these changes under their public sector equality duty.

Since its initial announcement of these cuts, the BBC has confirmed that all local radio stations will retain the ability to break out of shared programming and respond to breaking local stories including extreme weather conditions or public health emergencies.

The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. As part of this, the BBC will be required to monitor the impact of changes on audiences and publish more information about how it delivers high quality, distinctive content and services for audiences across the UK.

In the publication of the BBC’s new Operating Licence, Ofcom sets out that it will hold the BBC to its commitments on local radio in England in relation to news and travel, breaking news and major incidents and its contribution to local democracy.

As a public authority, the BBC is itself responsible for undertaking equality impact assessments under the Public Sector Equality Duty (as contained in the Equality Act 2010). The BBC Director General was asked whether the BBC has carried out an equality impact assessment regarding the local radio proposals at his 13 June appearance at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, and has committed to sharing relevant information on this with the Committee.