Pam Duncan-Glancy claims Glasgow could lose Channel 4 office if privatisation goes through

Glasgow Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy has voiced her dissent for the UK government’s plans to privatise Channel 4.

In a letter to Nadine Dorries - who heads up the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - Pam Duncan-Glancy has praised the broadcaster for its support of independent production companies and its dedication to diversity and inclusion.

Scottish Labour’s Social Justice spokesperson argued that ‘there is a social mobility of Glasgow that allows new fresh creativity to come through’.

The MSP also warned that the positive contribution Channel 4 makes to the city could be threatened by privatisation leading to a likely re-centralisation of the broadcaster to London.

The UK Government’s plans for privatising Channel 4 threatens the wider media ecosystem in the UK and is almost universally unpopular within the TV and advertising industries.

In the UK Government’s consultation on their plans, 96 per cent of respondents were opposed to the sell-off. 

Since 2004, the broadcaster has spent over £220m on Scottish productions, including an average of £20m a year in recent years, and it’s expected to rise.

It opened a hub in Glasgow’s Merchant City in 2019, which is now the only network head in public service based in Scotland.

Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP said:“Channel 4 makes a unique contribution to Glasgow, and to the wider creative industry in Scotland.

“Channel 4’s fierce support for both independent production companies and the promotion of diversity is exactly why it is so successful.

“Not only does it give new talent the opportunity to come through, but it also forces better representation in the programmes it commissions.

“The outreach work happening in Glasgow will empower a new generation of creatives to come through, and really throws down the ladder to young people from all backgrounds looking to make a career in the industry.

“The industry, in Scotland and across the UK, is almost universally opposed to the government’s plans to sell off Channel 4.

“The UK Government must abandon the unnecessary, hugely damaging and unwanted privatisation of Channel 4 and recognise the invaluable contribution it makes to equality and diversity in the industry, and to the city of Glasgow.”