Rob Butler MP called for a debate on the BBC's decision to end its South Today Oxford news programme. Speaking after the debate, Rob said:
Having started my career in local broadcasting, I understand the important role local news plays in connecting people to the issues that matter most to them. So today I led a debate in the UK House of Commons about the BBC's recent decision to end its local TV news bulletins for Buckinghamshire.
As I said in my speech, the BBC’s announcement that it will be closing the Oxford edition of its regional TV news programme BBC South Today and merging it with the programme from Southampton is unacceptable. The plans will reduce access to local news and information for many people. That goes against the requirements set out in the BBC Charter, which says that all audiences should be able to “engage fully with major local issues.”
Stories about sailing and the coast are not relevant to Aylesbury, one of the most inland towns in England. And news about the chaos of HS2 in Buckinghamshire isn’t very high on the agenda for people in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. So the result of these changes will be even lower audiences as people tune out from a programme with stories that they simply don’t relate to.
What’s worse, the BBC has admitted that this isn’t being done to save money because funding for regional programmes is being maintained. This means local people will lose access to local TV services for no reason other than the whims of BBC bosses.
When I asked the BBC for evidence that these viewers wanted to get their news online rather than on TV, they simply couldn’t provide it. The BBC must reconsider its decision now, and spare our local TV news programme from the axe.
