The Church of England has welcomed the news that cuts to BBC local radio are to be halved compared to original proposals, saying this is an endorsement of the importance of local communities.
The BBC Trust document published this month was its final report into cost-saving plans (known as the “Delivering Quality First” review) and confirmed that local radio savings would now be in the region of £8m compared to the original proposal of £15m.
In its submission to the BBC review in December the CofE had warned that local radio must not be ignored and challenged the proposed cuts stressing the importance of local radio to the community, both in times of crisis or seasonal emergencies, and on a daily basis,.