Guildford: BBC Local Radio Station (Hansard, 28 January 1987)

§ Lord Nugent of Guildford
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Minister of State, Home Office (The Earl of Caithness)
My Lords, the BBC local radio station in Guildford was one of several proposals in a report by the Home Office Local Radio Working Party published in 1980, and approved in principle by the then Home Secretary in 1981.

§ Lord Nugent of Guildford
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. However, is he aware that Guildford is exceptionally well provided with local radio and that the ILR station has coverage of 41 per cent., the highest in the South of England? Guildford is also covered by Capital Radio from London and LBC Radio from London. The surrounding stations on the north, west and south between them also cover the area. It may well be said to be saturated with local radio programmes.
Will not the BBC be wasting its money, which is much constrained, by setting up a new station, which will be to the disadvantage of all concerned?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, Guildford is by no means unique. There are many areas in the country—in the North as well as in the South-East—that have many different radio stations to choose from and all of them produce a slightly different programme. If the listener does not want to listen to a particular programme then all he has to do is to switch off the radio. However, I am sure that the BBC will read with interest the words of my noble friend.

§ Baroness Birk
My Lords, is it not the case that BBC local radio has a high speech content—about 70 per cent. speech and 30 per cent. music—compared with commercial broadcasting, which has 30 per cent. speech and 70 per cent. music? Therefore do they not appeal to a different audience? Does not BBC local radio provide invaluable sources of news and other material at regional and national level which it would be a great pity to lose? Does the Minister agree that we need this wide range of local radio stations?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the noble Baroness is absolutely right in saying that we need a wide range of radio stations. That is exactly why the then Home Secretary approved the report.

§ Lord Mulley
My Lords, while not in any way wishing to deny the BBC's role in local radio, will not the Minister agree that at a time when we understand that the whole future of local radio, community radio and their regulation is under study, it might be sensible to defer proposals made as long as seven years ago, even if they were endorsed by a very distinguished Home Secretary six years ago.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, it is entirely up to the BBC as to whether or not it wishes to progress with further stations for which it has approval. However, the noble Lord is absolutely right in drawing to the attention of the House the fact that there will shortly be published a Green Paper on radio.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, is the noble Earl aware that one of the latest BBC radio stations to be opened was Radio Essex? Is he also interested to know that, in support of my noble friend's supplementary question, I was able to listen to Radio Essex quite a lot during the recent freeze and snow spell, when Essex suffered considerably. Information was given regarding travel conditions, opening and closing of schools, whether local events were on or off and there were offers of help from generous people who were prepared to help those who were stranded.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, it shows the benefits that local radio stations of diverse interests can give to the community.

§ Lord Aylestone
My Lords, when considering where BBC local radio stations should be sited, do the Government consider the effect on the BBC's finances?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the approval given by the then Home Secretary covered a variety of different stations. It is then up to the BBC and the IBA to determine what to do within their expenditure.

§ Lord Mellish
My Lords, will not the Minister agree that, although there is a surfeit of information in Guildford, and has been for a great number of years, the people must be fairly sensible because for years they returned the noble Lord, Lord Nugent?

§ Lord Nugent of Guildford
My Lords, I could not agree more with the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Mellish! Is my noble friend aware that as leader of the local group asking for a local radio station, we should have welcomed a BBC local radio station seven or eight years ago? However, it was because the BBC was unable to come forward with one that we asked for a local ILR station. Is my noble friend also aware that after the local people have put up their money to finance a local station, and taken shares in it—upon which they have yet to receive a dividend—it is rather unfair that they should now have the BBC proposing to come in on top of it?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I am sure that my noble friend would be the first to support the Government in giving listeners the wide range of services which a BBC local radio station can offer. Of course, it has always been known that approval was given for a BBC local radio station at Guildford and it was up to the BBC to build the station when it had sufficient finance available.