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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the BBC on (a) local broadcasting and (b) the potential impact of its plans relating to local broadcasting on the (i) quality and (ii) availability of local content.

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 our shared concerns in this House about the BBC’s plans.

While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government is clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local broadcasting services, with high-quality content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.

The Government expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. In the publication of the new Licence, which came into effect on 1 April, Ofcom set out that it requires the BBC to continue to deliver a broad range of UK content and play an important role in delivering local, regional and nations content. Ofcom will be monitoring the BBC’s performance closely and will step in if they are concerned the BBC is not delivering for audiences.