[cma-l] Election campaign and the CR Fund

[Steve Buckley]

Dear Jaqui and all

We must surely use the election to press once 
again on the issue of funding for community radio.

This is not a question of where the money comes 
from - politicians can sort that out if they have 
the will, after all the sums needed are small - 
rather it is a question of insisting that the 
main parties commit to increasing the Community 
Radio Fund from its current derisory level to the 
levels recommended in the Everitt Report that set 
the framework for community radio legislation and 
was accepted by government at that time.

This issue won't go away, indeed it was rather 
extensively debated during the House of Commons 
debate on the Community Radio (Amendment) Order 
which took place on 12 January. Below are some excerpts.

Yet it still remains unresolved, with little sign 
of serious progress from DCMS.

It is a key question that we must now put to all 
candidates and their political parties.

Best wishes

Steve

//
Source:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmgeneral/deleg7/100112/100112s01.htm

Mr. Edward Vaizey (Con): Yes. I noticed that the 
community fund is not mentioned in the order in 
front of us. When the measure was debated in the 
other place, the Minister’s spokesman there 
specifically addressed the issue of the community 
radio fund and said to our colleagues in the 
other place that the Department for Culture, 
Media and Sport had written to other Departments, 
seeking contributions to the fund. Given that 
that debate took place on 15 December 2009, now 
would be a good opportunity for the Minister to 
bring us news hot off the press on his success in 
discussing the issue with the Department for 
Communities and Local Government, the Home 
Office, the Department for Children, Schools and 
Families, the Department of Health or any other 
Department where he thought there might be money 
down the back of the sofa that can be put into 
the community radio fund. As many hon. Members 
know, many community radio stations operate at a 
deficit, with an average income of just £80,000, 
which is dropping drastically.

Mr. Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem): The issue of 
funding for local community radio continues is of 
paramount importance. The community radio fund 
continues to be a large source of finance for 
community stations. The fund has seen increasing 
spending commitments in recent years, allowing 
the expansion from 14 stations to more than 200. 
Of course, we know that there are many hundreds 
more in the pipeline that have yet to be assessed 
and granted licences. The Government are 
supporting, in principle, the community radio 
sector, and the changes in regulations that we 
see today are evidence of that, but will the 
Minister address the central issue of funding, as 
referred to earlier? All the support and positive 
regulations will pale into insignificance if that question goes unaddressed.

Mr. Sion Simon (Lab): What my noble Friend in the 
other place said was that I would be writing to 
other Departments. He was referring to meetings 
that I have had with community radio 
organisations and local commercial radio 
organisations, and to undertakings that I have 
given directly to the CMA that I will engage­and 
am engaging­across Government to try to persuade 
Ministers in other Departments to free what would 
often be, for them, very small amounts of money 
relative to their budget. That could deliver good 
outcomes for them on their targets in relation to 
social cohesion, training and so on. That process 
is under way and ongoing, and I am committed to 
it. It was never intended for community radio to 
be directly funded by the Government or entirely 
publicly funded. The £500,000 from DCMS, along 
with several millions of pounds from other parts 
of Government, is part of the mix, as are the 
liberalising measures. It is a thriving and 
successful sector: there are now up to 200 licences and 150 operators.
[...] I can assure him again of my earnest 
intention to continue to work with colleagues in 
the rest of Government to try to get that figure 
increased, because I am clear, as are many hon. 
Members here this afternoon, about the importance 
of community radio and the value that it delivers to our community.