City renews effort to snare Channel 4 HQ Mayor says region must seize day after other successes
THE West Midlands is to launch a reinvigorated push for Channel 4 to move to the region.
Mayor Andy Street insisted he was still lobbying hard for a full relocation, which would mean the broadcaster shifts its headquarters and most of its operations out of London.
The government has said it wants Channel 4 to leave its current base in Westminster, and will make a decision early this year – but the channel’s managers insist it should stay where it is.
Mr Street said: “Now is absolutely the moment that we’ve got to put forward our case, to ensure Channel 4 makes the very best offer to government.”
Other parts of the country have also submitted proposals for a partial relocation, in the belief that this has more chance of being accepted by Channel 4 bosses.
Former Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said last year that the government would use legislation to force Channel 4 to move if it refused to do so voluntarily.
She was replaced by Matt Hancock in Theresa May’s reshuffle this week, and it remains to be seen whether the new Culture Secretary will take the same tough line.
Mr Street said: “Our regional approach has not changed. We are campaigning for a full relocation.
“Whether we will get that is tied up in the discussions with DCMS [the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] and the board of Channel 4.”
Last year Mr Street was involved in Coventry’s successful bid to become the UK’s City of Culture for 2021 and Birmingham’s successful bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. With those campaigns out of the way, the focus will now be on the Channel 4 bid.
“We have to make sure Channel 4 really understands o u r o f f e r ,” said Mr Street. “So what we are going to be doing over the next month is upping the noise around our offer. My intel is that now is absolutely right time for that campaign. “And with the City of Culture dealt with and the Commonwealth Games dealt with, this can be a real focus for the region and DCMS.” The West Midlands is highlighting the advantages it can offer Channel 4, which include a diverse population, low business costs and good transport links. Potential sites for a new Channel 4 base include an area near the planned high speed rail station at Curzon Street, Birmingham city centre, and near the proposed new rail station in Solihull, near the NEC. A government study last year concluded that moving Channel 4 to the West Midlands would create 3,412 jobs in the region and grow the region’s economy by £235 million.
Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Greater Manchester, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, Stafford, Stoke and York have all declared an interest in bidding to get the broadcaster.
Thinktank ResPublica has recommended Channel 4 be moved to Salford, Greater Manchester, while academics and politicians in Leeds and York have launched a campaign called #4sparks to bring it to Leeds.
Even a full relocation would mean that the broadcaster retains a base in London and some staff, such as the advertising department, may continue to work there.
A compromise proposal of the type Mr Street hopes to avoid could mean little more than a promise to commission more programming from producers outside London.
Former Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham made his opposition to full relocation clear last year, saying it was “a highly destructive proposition”.
He has now been replaced as chief executive by former Ocado director Alex Mahon, but while she has been less outspoken there is no sign of the broadcaster shifting its position.