New figures compiled by Cumbria County Council have assessed the possible impact of the proposal to axe Border TV and replace it with programming from Tyne Tees based in Gateshead.
According to modelled estimates, the economy in Cumbria could suffer a loss of £8.7m in GVA (Gross Value Added) by 2010 if the proposed cuts go ahead and 88 jobs are lost from the Carlisle-based news service. The GVA impact in the county could climb to £10.7m by 2015 and £13.1m by 2020.
The figures assume a GVA loss of £99,000 for every job lost by 2010 and also assess the wider impact on other non-communications industries such as manufacturing, retail, construction and financial services.
Tim Stoddard, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said:
"These figures bring home just how serious the loss of Border would be for Cumbria. Not only would the region be losing a valuable and well-liked news service, but it would be losing over 80 employees who contribute to the economy by living and working in the region.
"Once those jobs are gone, they'd be gone for good and Cumbria would be left with a hole in the county's news coverage and a hole in its pocket too. We must fight now to counter the growing culture of media regionalisation that risks seeing Cumbria marginalised, under-served and under-represented. The BBC's regional news coverage already proves that Cumbria disappears off people's screens when it's left to newsrooms in Newcastle and Manchester to cover the region. The same would happen on ITV as Cumbria disappears into the dark, outer reaches of the journalists' patch.
"It's all very well for ITV to look at spreadsheets and think that these cuts make sense on paper, but they fail to take into account the unique nature of Cumbria and the Borders. We'll be fighting hard alongside the region's MPs for a rethink of the proposals and encouraging the public to make their own voices heard to Ofcom during the consultation, which is expected next year."
Notes
Gross Value Added (GVA) measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the United Kingdom. GVA is an important measure in the estimation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is a key indicator of the state of the whole economy. In the UK, three theoretical approaches are used to estimate GDP: 'production', 'income' and 'expenditure'. When using the production or income approaches, the contribution to the economy of each industry or sector is measured using GVA.
ENDS
Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 606332
The 'Save ITV News' e-petition on the 10 Downing Street web (external site)