16/03/09 - Swindon Conservatives Back BBC Licence Fee Pledge

Swindon's two parliamentary candidates have welcomed proposals announced today by David Cameron to freeze the BBC licence fee for a year.

Robert Buckland, Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said: ''This is extremely welcome news, particularly for people on fixed incomes for whom the BBC licence fee represents a significant expense.  This is especially so for younger pensioners who are not yet eligible for a free licence.

"Although it would mean tighter budgets for the BBC, I would urge them not to react by cutting local services, such as BBC Radio Swindon and Points West TV.  These are greatly valued by the community and are already the most efficiently-run of the BBC's services.''
 

Justin Tomlinson, Conservative parliamentary candidate for North Swindon, said: ''This is a common-sense measure which I welcome.  In these difficult economic times, the BBC must tighten its belt like everybody else.  It provides some fantastic services, but cannot expect to receive guaranteed public funding without limits.

"Here in Swindon, which has a high take-up of cable and satellite television services, people are right to question whether the licence fee is good value for money, and this proposal is an effective way of ensuring just that".