BBC ‘trying to brush local radio cuts under the carpet’ claim MPs

The BBC has been accused of trying to downplay the impact swingeing cuts to local radio have had on listeners, with MPs saying it was “trying to brush bad news under the carpet.”

The Public Accounts Committee also accused the corporation of failing vulnerable sections of society, who rely on the local radio services the BBC has cut.

In a damning assessment of the BBC’s ‘Across the UK’ programme, which is supposed to make the BBC less London-centric and more representative of the UK as a whole, MPs said the organisation was removing ‘bad news’ like radio cuts from the project.

The Public Accounts committee said the BBC did not fully understand the impact of the decisions it was making to local services, saying they had the potential to disadvantage certain groups.

Last year, the BBC took an axe to local radio output, with many BBC local radio stations now only broadcasting local shows from 6am until 2pm on weekdays, and sharing shows with neighbouring stations at all other times.

This led to an exodus of radio talent, including many well-known local names, with the BBC using the money from the scaling back of local radio services to fund new text-and-images online journalism roles on its local websites.

Local publishers claim that move puts the BBC in direct competition with its services, putting further pressure on an already challenged business model, threatening independent commercial local journalism as a result.

The BBC has tried to suggest the ‘Across the UK’ project is about moving £700m of spending out of London, and is different to the restructuring of local services in operation.

It is a distinction the BBC has made to local editors who branded the organisation ‘neighbours from hell’ as a result of its expansion of local news, asking for corrections in local newspapers.

But MPs said the corporation was too focused on painting the project a success at all costs — and that the radio reductions and Across The UK were one in the same.

The Public Accounts Committee said it had concerns relating to the BBC moving budgets from its local radio to local online services, in effect reducing services for older people or those less able to access online platforms, which was part of the original ATUK programme.

The BBC’s reporting of ATUK — including in relation to local radio cuts — does not provide Parliament nor the public with a complete picture of progress, the committee said.

The report stated: “The PAC is concerned that the BBC claims benefits for ATUK publicly for activities not part of the programme when it is favourable for it to do so, for instance in the case of the relocation of its Birmingham premises, while dissociating other activities from ATUK when they could be seen as a bad news story, such as cuts to local radio.”

Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “The BBC is seeking to liberate hundreds of millions in spending from the gravitational pull of London, and it is understandable that the simple act of having done so would feel like success.

“But as with every publicly-funded project, it is incumbent on the BBC to track what positive impact its spending is having at the same time.

“Parliament and the public must also be fully satisfied that the BBC is not simply cherry-picking examples of success in delivery of Across the UK, while sweeping bad news stories under the rug as not part of the programme, in particular cuts to local radio.

“It must also take care not to over-rely on partnerships with local authorities already dealing with extreme financial pressure. We wish the BBC fair wind with ATUK, and hope our report comes as a timely reminder of the importance of seeking value for money, rather than just money spent.”

All 39 local radio stations run by the BBC have retained local programming from 6am until 2pm, after which many share regional shows. Some programmes, such as the late-night 10pm slot, are now broadcast across the UK.

While the BBC says local stations can still revert to local programming if needs arise, the new approach resulted in local radio in the Channel Islands not covering massive storms during the night, while coverage of flooding in Nottinghamshire was also restricted.

The BBC insists its switch of money from radio to online services will help it better serve audiences overall, and says there is no evidence improved local BBC services will harm commercial publishers.

News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith said: “The Public Accounts Committee is absolutely right to criticise the BBC for its plans to cut much-loved local radio services and instead push unnecessarily into digital local news services.

“Communities are already very well served with local news by commercial publishers who employ thousands of local journalists up and down the land, covering the courts and councils, publishing agenda-setting scoops, and campaigning on behalf of their readers.

“By forcing local publishers to compete with the might of the licence fee, the BBC’s misguided plans to ramp up its own local news provision will put all this at risk, ultimately leaving us with the BBC as the sole provider of local news in this country.

“As the Committee suggests, the BBC must be made to look again at its plans and let truly local journalists continue their excellent work as the true champions of their communities.”