ITV REDUNDANCIES IN LEEDS

Early day motion 970, tabled 4 March 2009 by John Battle (Labour). Signed by 33 members.

That this House notes with disappointment the announcement by ITV of 160 immediate redundancies at the ITV drama production studios in Kirkstall, Leeds; recognises that ITV is now abandoning a prime location, Yorkshire, for some of its major successful dramas, after nearly five decades of providing brilliant urban and rural backdrops, and sees a worrying shift to cheaply-produced reality TV as a short-term option which will lead to more viewers switching off; regrets the dismissal of highly-trained people with great engineering, electronic and media communication skills as back-up staff; believes that taking them out will reduce the creative industries' capacity in the region; and urges the Government to work with Yorkshire Forward, and the smaller filmmakers and producers in the region to ensure these people and their skills are not lost to Leeds.

Signatures by party: Labour 25, Liberal Democrat 5, Conservative 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.