Marvin Rees has criticised government plans to privatise Channel 4 as a “fight that doesn’t need to happen”. The mayor of Bristol, where the network opened a creative hub in Finzels Reach two years ago, told a council meeting that the move to sell off the broadcaster was not wanted and would divert focus from addressing the cost-of-living crisis and recovery from the pandemic.
A proposed privatisation of Channel 4, which has been publicly owned but funded by advertising since it was founded by Margaret Thatcher in 1982, was confirmed in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday (May 10) setting out Parliament’s legislative agenda. Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said public ownership is holding back the organisation from “competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon”, but the plans have sparked a huge protest campaign, with nearly 450,000 people now having signed a petition against them.
Hours after the speech in Westminster, Mr Rees told Bristol City Council’s cabinet that while he welcomed some parts of it, such as the renters reform bill, which is aimed at improving conditions and rights for millions in the private and socially rented sector, much of it missed the mark. He said: “It doesn’t feel like it’s itching where we are all scratching.
