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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is she will make an assessment of the potential impact of local public services broadcasting on local communities.

Public service broadcasting continues to be highly valued by viewers from all backgrounds in the UK. On a local level, our public service broadcasters, local TV providers, news publishers and commercial and community radio stations all play a crucial role in disseminating accurate news, strengthening pride of place, reflecting the unique interests of the audiences that they serve, connecting communities, and helping to address social issues like loneliness and mental health.

The Government recognises the positive impact that local public service broadcasting has on local communities, and in our Broadcasting White Paper published in April this year we outlined our plans to support this diversity of content through a changing landscape.