Regional broadcasting is a vital way of holding those in power to account, and produces some of the most trusted news out there. Its rooted in our communities, and serves a need that cannot be met nationally.

Although Covid-19 has affected production, the root cause to these cuts remains the government’s decision to hugely reduce the BBC’s funding. £800 million has been cut so far in this charter period – and the Tories’ U-turn on providing free TV licenses to the over-75s has meant this cost (£250 million) was also passed onto the BBC to meet.

The Government needs to take responsibility here and stop passing the buck onto BBC management.