Â鶹ԼÅÄ

Trust rejects local video proposals

Date: 23.02.2009     Last updated: 23.09.2014 at 09.50
The Â鶹ԼÅÄ Trust confirmed today that it has refused permission for local video after concluding its public value test into the proposals.


The Trust's final decision follows a public consultation on its provisional conclusions, published in November, to reject local video because it would not improve services for the public enough to justify either the investment of licence fee funds or the negative impact on commercial media.

Diane Coyle, Â鶹ԼÅÄ Trustee and Chairman of the Strategic Approvals Committee, said:

"The Trust is committed to improving regional and local services from the Â鶹ԼÅÄ for licence fee payers but a broadband-only local video news proposal is unlikely to achieve what they want.

"Instead, we believe the Â鶹ԼÅÄ's priority should be improving the quality of existing regional services. We recognise that the ways of achieving this may vary in different parts of the UK. We have asked the Executive to come back to us with new proposals later this year which will then be fully scrutinised by the Trust."

The Executive has outlined its emerging thinking in a submission to the Trust which is published today.

Funds totalling £68 million that would have covered the four-year period from the launch of local video have been ring fenced pending any new proposals, subject to Trust approval.

Ends

Notes to editors

The Trust's final decision document is available at:

Â鶹ԼÅÄ Trust rejects local video proposal