MPs voice concerns over cuts to BBC local radio and plan to spend £700m outside of London

A committee of MPs says it has concerns over the impact of cuts to local BBC radio stations.

A newly-published report from the Public Accounts Committee, which examines value for money of Government projects, programmes and service delivery, also says the BBC 'lacks a clear plan' to successfully deliver benefits from its new proposal to spend £700m outside of London.

The report says budget reallocations to online platforms 'effectively reduces services' for some BBC radio listeners. Today's report focuses on the BBC's Across the UK (ATUK) programme, under which the corporation is aiming to move a further £700m of its spending outside of London by March, 2028.

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It says the committee finds the BBC's spending switch proposal is being taken forward without a clear plan.

The PAC's inquiry also finds ATUK is overly focused on moving spending outside of London as a measure of success in itself, rather than robustly tracking what positive change it is achieving by having done so - like improving the relevance of is content to local audiences, or creating new, local jobs.

There's 'particular concerns' over the BBC moving budgets from its local radio to local online services, which the PAC says in effect reduces services for older people or those less able to access online platforms - said to be a key 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," said a statement.

"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.

"The PAC’s inquiry found concerns that the BBC’s confidence is misplaced that ATUK will deliver as expected. While it has performed well in some areas (such as moving 58% of TV expenditure outside London against a target of 60% by December 2027), it is behind schedule in other areas with no plan to get back on track."

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.”

The committee has raised a series of conclusions and recommendations to the BBC.

It's MPS also said the corporation hadn't given the committee 'a coherent explanation of the impact it expects to deliver for licence fee payers' from the £700m commitment.

Thomas Wrathmell, Director of Across the UK, said: “We have a very clear plan on how we will move investment, programming and decision-making across the UK to get closer to audiences, support the country’s diverse creative sectors, and develop and nurture new talent. Our pioneering programme is deliberately ambitious and has been fully assessed.

"We are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made so far and remain focused on achieving our targets to deliver cultural and economic benefits across the UK.

"We are disappointed by some of the commentary in the Committee’s report and look forward to addressing the issues raised when we provide our written response. We will continue to provide ongoing updates to the general public and industry stakeholders through the BBC’s Annual Plan and Annual Report.”