Channel 4 privatisation is the opposite of levelling up, says Co-operatives UK.
News item
Last night (4 April 2022) it was reported in the media that the government has decided to go ahead with plans to privatise Channel 4.
Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK said:
“The decision to privatise Channel 4 is in direct conflict to the aims of levelling up. The suggestion by some ministers that the money raised from its sale is used to boost creative training and independent production companies demonstrates a complete lack of understanding in what Channel 4’s aims, ambitions and impact are on this agenda - through its unique public service remit and especially its new Northern headquarters in Leeds.
“We're calling for the government to listen to the results of the formal consultation, whereby 60,000 submissions, in the main, argued against doing anything at all to disrupt the ownership of Channel 4. At the very least it should remain publicly-owned via a mutual model in which audience and potentially creators have a stake and a say in the long-term remit of Channel 4.”
Rose Marley is CEO of Co-operatives UK and is on the board of SharpFutures, a Manchester based social enterprise that delivers a pipeline of diverse young talents into Channel 4 in Leeds.