Mayor wants better representation from public service broadcasters

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin will today (21 November) urge the Government to give the UK’s public service broadcasters the tools and support they need to properly represent working-class and Northern communities, arguing that stronger national rules would allow broadcasters to go further and faster in growing the creative industries outside London.

Speaking at an event alongside senior industry figures, she will address the ongoing debate over the future of the BBC by saying better representation is the only way to maintain the broadest possible support for public service broadcasting.

The intervention follows the creation of the Great North Creative, a partnership formed last year by Northern Mayors and other partners, who are working together to champion fairer representation and regional growth across the sector. The BBC, Channel 4 and ITV were founding signatories to the initiative, which aims to build a more collaborative and connected creative economy across the North.

The Mayor will describe public service broadcasters as the “backbone” of the UK’s creative strength - supporting hundreds of independent producers, exporting storytelling around the world and giving platforms to voices that would otherwise go unheard. She will say that the country is “extremely lucky” to have these world-leading organisations, and that those seeking to genuinely grow the creative economy must continue to champion them.

She will also point out that the UK’s creative industries remain heavily concentrated in London and the South East, with around 70 per cent of the sector’s economic activity based there, often fuelled by northern talent. Empowering public service broadcasters to invest more widely, she will argue, is critical to tackling this long-standing imbalance.

Her message will focus on ensuring that public service broadcasters are supported to represent every community, arguing that rebuilding a television industry that truly reflects the working class must not be confused with simply shifting production northwards or treating diversity as a tick-box exercise, but instead requires real opportunities for people from a range of backgrounds both on and off screen.

Mayor Brabin will say:

“Our public service broadcasters are the backbone of Britain’s creative strength. They hold power to account, support independent producers and give a voice to people who might otherwise be ignored - and they’ve been hugely supportive partners in the Great North Creative.

“But if we want a creative sector that truly reflects the whole country, we must ensure that public service broadcasters do more, because too much of the industry is still concentrated in London and the South East.

“The North has the talent and authentic perspectives - and we need broadcasters with the ability and confidence to bring that full diversity to the screen. With the BBC in Salford, Channel 4 in Leeds and major creative hubs across the North, we have the foundations of a creative powerhouse. The government needs to ensure public service broadcasters step up to help us build it.”

Although broadcasters already operate regional spending targets, Mayor Brabin will say that clearer, stronger requirements would help them fulfil their public purpose across the UK. She will argue that updated rules and tax changes to attract more production, aligned with the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, would give public service broadcasters the certainty they need to invest more confidently outside London.

The Mayor will also stress the importance of public service broadcasters to local democracy, pointing out that high-quality local journalism is essential for scrutiny and for ensuring that devolution delivers meaningful results. She is expected to add that as the BBC enters a new chapter under fresh leadership, it has an “opportunity to demonstrate how a modern public broadcaster can serve every community, including those across the North who need and deserve it at its best.”