Mayor Dave Hodgson calls on BBC to stop Look East merger

At this week's meeting of Full Council, Mayor Dave Hodgson announced that he has signed a letter calling on the BBC to reverse their decision to merge the two branches of Look East. This comes after the BBC announced plans to end the Cambridge-based version on the regional news programme. This would move one of Bedford Borough residents' major sources of local news 100 miles away to Norwich.

Mayor Dave said "Though it isn't perfect, I am a believer in the BBC and the work it does to hold politicians to account, providing credible and accessible localised news. In this moment, when the standards of public office are being heavily discussed, we need more reputable sources of news, not fewer.

"We have also seen how essential localised news is during the pandemic. Without credible, local news sources it would have been much more difficult to provide vital public safety information to a large number of people.

"In terms of steps we have already taken, I have signed a letter to the BBC voicing our concerns and calling on the closure to be stopped. We will campaign for our residents so that they can continue to receive this dedicated local service."