BBC Local Radio

I congratulate the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey) on securing this debate and on her speech. Like a number of hon. Members this morning, she used her service with the BBC to inform the debate. I associate myself with the remarks that have been made about the important role that the BBC plays in the lives both of the nation and of the regions and communities that we represent. The structure of the BBC, like that of the NHS, says a huge amount about how we see ourselves as a nation—it is something to which we all contribute and from which we all benefit. It occupies a crucial role in our national life. More than any other broadcaster or media outlet in Britain or elsewhere, the BBC is trusted for its impartiality. The BBC's 40 local stations, not least Radio Suffolk, play a hugely important role across Britain. They have 7.5 million listeners a week—an increase of 500,000 on last year and more than 700,000 on the year before. A third of listeners, some 2.5 million, listen to no other BBC station and almost a fifth listen to no other station at all. Some 1.5 million British people get pretty much all of their news from their local BBC radio station. BBC local radio reaches 31% of less affluent over 55-year-olds, which is well ahead of Radio 2 at 24% and Radio 4 at 16%. At 35%, local radio's reach for less affluent pensioners is even higher. In fact, the figure is higher than for any other station. Given the proportion of people listening in the morning, BBC local radio is one of the main sources from which those people get pretty much all their news and current affairs. Such figures are really important, because they show how local radio helps the BBC deliver effectively to all licence fee payers. They show how significant numbers of licence fee payers, particularly older and less affluent ones, would not be served properly if substantial parts of the local radio service were removed.