The BBC plans to close Radio 4 Extra in spring 2027 as part of its latest round of budget cuts. The station costs the equivalent of just 12 pence per licence fee annually, yet provides entertainment and companionship to 1.55 million listeners every week. We believe this decision is short-sighted, culturally damaging and fundamentally at odds with the BBC’s public service mission. Radio 4 Extra is unlike anything else on British radio. It is a treasure trove of comedy, drama, storytelling and entertainment, bringing together some of the finest programmes ever produced by the BBC alongside more recent productions. From The Goon Show, Hancock’s Half Hour and Round the Horne to contemporary comedy, groundbreaking drama and adaptations of great literature, Radio 4 Extra preserves and celebrates a broadcasting heritage that belongs to all of us. It introduces new generations to performers, writers and programmes they might otherwise never encounter, while providing familiar voices and much-loved entertainment to millions of listeners. And it does all this at a remarkably modest cost. According to the BBC’s own figures, Radio 4 Extra has an annual content budget of approximately £4 million. That’s just 0.067% of the corporation’s roughly £6 billion annual budget, equivalent to around 12 pence of a £180 television licence fee. At just 0.6 pence per listener-hour, it is the BBC’s most economical national radio station. Even more remarkably, the £4 million represents the station’s entire annual content budget, not the amount the BBC will necessarily save by closing it. The BBC has yet to disclose the actual savings it expects to achieve. Since much of Radio 4 Extra’s programming will remain available through BBC Sounds, some costs will inevitably continue. So how much money will the BBC actually save by depriving 1.55 million weekly listeners of a service that costs each licence fee payer the equivalent of just 12 pence a year? We believe licence fee payers deserve an answer. Radio 4 Extra also reminds us of something increasingly overlooked in the relentless pursuit of savings: public service broadcasting is about more than audience figures and balance sheets. The station offers companionship to people living alone, comfort to those who are housebound, entertainment to those who cannot afford subscription services, and an accessible cultural resource for anyone with a radio. The BBC argues that programmes will remain available through BBC Sounds. But a streaming library is not a substitute for a carefully curated radio station. Listeners should not have to search for programmes they already know exist. One of Radio 4 Extra’s greatest pleasures is discovering something unexpected simply by switching on the radio. And not everyone wants, or is able, to navigate an app or website to enjoy the BBC’s output. Radio 4 Extra’s programmes represent decades of investment, creativity and talent, much of it already paid for by licence fee payers. Closing a dedicated channel that makes this extraordinary archive accessible seems a particularly perverse way to save money. We recognise that the BBC faces serious financial pressures. Difficult decisions are inevitable. But there is a difference between making economies and dismantling the very services that make the BBC distinctive. Once lost, a dedicated home for Britain’s radio comedy and drama heritage may never return. We therefore call on the BBC Board and Director-General to: 1. Reverse the decision to close Radio 4 Extra and preserve it as a dedicated broadcast radio station. 2. Publish the actual projected savings from its closure, distinguishing between costs that will disappear and those that will continue. 3. Explore alternative economies that would preserve this exceptionally cost-effective public service. 4. Recognise the importance of accessible, curated broadcasting to listeners who cannot, or simply do not wish to, rely on streaming services. Radio 4 Extra is more than another channel on the dial. It is a living archive of British broadcasting, a source of daily pleasure and companionship, and an important part of our shared cultural inheritance. For the equivalent of just 12 pence a year, surely we can afford to keep it. Please sign this petition and help ensure that Radio 4 Extra remains on the air for generations to come. I’ve been listening to Radio 4 Extra since it first launched as BBC 7 in 2002. Over more than two decades, it has given me the opportunity not only to revisit much-loved classics from the BBC’s extraordinary archives, but also to discover countless programmes, writers and performers I might never otherwise have encountered. And that, to me, is what makes the station so special. It isn’t simply a repository of old programmes. It’s a carefully curated service that continually introduces listeners to something new, even when that something was first broadcast decades ago. There’s a particular pleasure in switching on the radio and discovering a programme you didn’t know existed, rather than having to search through an online catalogue for something you already know you want to hear. BBC Sounds may preserve access to the programmes, but it cannot fully replicate the experience of Radio 4 Extra. An archive preserves the past. A radio station brings it to life.

BBC Radio 4 Extra is one of the jewels in the crown of BBC Radio. Although it's an archive channel, the archive contains many magical programmes, often not repeated for many years. Some of my favourites are dramas from original material by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming (James Bond), George Orwell, Dylan Thomas, T.H. White, John le Carré and comedies by the likes of Morecambe & Wise, Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais, Ivor Cutler, Lenny Henry, The Goons with science fiction by Philip K Dick, Dr Who by various writers, Nigel Kneale, Charles Chilton and many 1950s sci-fi broadcasts. These are just a few of the fantastic programmes on Radio 4 Extra.

I am starting this petition because I want to speak for those students who deserve the right to perform to the best of their ability in a meritocratic system, where success is based on talent and effort rather than the ability to afford travel costs. I have seen many students struggle with the cost of travel to their place of study, and the impact this has on their education is often underestimated. For some, the daily or weekly cost of train and bus fares becomes a constant pressure that shapes their decisions long before they even start their course. In many cases, students are forced to narrow their choices of schools, colleges, or sixth forms based not on academic fit or personal ambition, but on what they can realistically afford to reach. This means that even when a student is capable of studying somewhere that could better support their future, the cost of getting there can stand in the way. This can also affect attendance and performance. When travel is expensive, I have seen some students missing classes, reduce how often they attend, or take longer and more complicated routes just to manage costs. Over time, this can impact learning, confidence, and overall educational experience. Education is meant to be an equal opportunity, but unequal travel costs create an uneven playing field. Students from different areas do not have the same access to the same institutions, even within the same country, simply because of transport pricing. We need to speak up for these students and work towards a system where education is truly accessible, and no one is limited in their potential because of where they live or the cost of reaching the place where they need to be.

Peckham Pantry is more than just a shop; it is a cornerstone of our community. For just £5, members can access a shop worth approximately £20 to £30. This isn't just about food; it’s about providing hundreds of residents in Southwark and beyond with dignity, choice, healthy nutrition and support during an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis. Currently, this vital service is at risk from funding cuts and we ask Southwark Council and the government to intervene and help fund the service.  If we lose the Pantry, we lose a system that saves residents hundreds of pounds a month and prevents tonnes of quality food from going to waste. We cannot allow our neighbours to fall into deeper food insecurity. Hundreds of people in Southwark and beyond have benefited greatly from Peckham Pantry and have saved them at their moment of need. Let's not lose this service and try to make it a blueprint for how community pantries and food banks should operate. By signing this petition, you are demanding that Southwark Council and the Government secure the future of Peckham Pantry. Help us protect our community’s right to eat well and live with dignity. Here is a report on Peckham Pantry's impact https://www.pecan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PP-ImpactReport2024-FINAL.pdf.

CaterEd is an award winning not for profit cooperative between local schools and Plymouth council which has provided high quality meals to our schools and pensioners for over a decade. They supported vulnerable children and adults through covid and Plymouth City Council should be celebrating their achievements, not shutting them down. For many of the poorest children in our city, those meals are a vital service and in many cases the only hot meal they will get each day. The Labour Government say they want to reduce child poverty and that starts with good quality, regular food.

Two essential civic functions are threatened with abolition by the Reform administration of Kent County Council. These are:  Public libraries: every civilised society needs a modern public library for the education and pleasure of all ages Waste disposal centres ('Tips') are being closed in some areas, risking fly-tipping, rats and the failure of recycling to which our country is committed. Many people are cynical about this County Council, but they have the ability to wreak enormous harm on  our civil society, built up over generations, by 'savings' to avoid proper taxation of the better-off in our County. They will suffer, but it is the least well-off who will suffer the most.  If you want your children to read and learn, if you want to do local research, if you want to master IT, if you just want to read the newspapers and magazines , or run small group meetings - come to our Kent Library Service. If you rely on a regular 'trip to the tip' for items the District  Council will not collect, you will appreciate of very efficient Waste Disposal Centres.

We feel it is a double outrage that those who have given their all to this country in taxes and raising children through their lives, have to pay a TV licence fee and are only exempt if they receive means-tested Pension Credit. When Pensions Credit has poverty traps where claimants only have to be one  penny over the means test threshold, and claimants get nothing. Meanwhile, BBC pundits and TV show host draw huge salaries that are funded by the poorest in people in our country.  This is immoral.  And part of an ever widening rich and poor divide in this country. The government have taken away winter fuel payments.  The BBC have been allowed to take away the free TV licence from the over 75's. The State pension is worth a miserly 27 of the national average wage.  Something has to be done to help our 12 million pensioners.  These people are our Grandparents.  

Bristol has over 22,000 households on the social housing waiting list. Selling existing ones and not building the new council housing Bristol needs will only mean the waiting list bigger and have people waiting for longer. We are in a housing crisis – the council needs to act like it. By law, the council can only invest council tenants’ rent into improving our homes or building new ones. Selling council housing and refusing to build the council homes Bristol needs means less money for repairs and improvements, more people on the housing waiting list waiting for longer, and higher temporary accommodation bills for the taxpayer.

Libraries provide a crucial service to the city, not least for the worst-off. Our valued community spaces need to be protected and invested in. Libraries need more investment, not less. Sources: Row over potential Bristol library closures as taskforce launches | Bristol Live Bristol libraries face closure as city council plans to cut budget in half - Bristol Live Appendix A1 - Draft General Fund Savings Proposals.pdf

The Green Party-led Bristol City Council is currently planning to scrap your bi-weekly bin collection, and instead only collect your black bins once a month. Yet, they are also proposing a 15% rise in council tax – adding £245 to the bills of the average household. Bristolians shouldn’t have to pay more and get less. Missed collections are already a problem across Bristol. These problems need to be fixed first. Under these plans, if someone misses their monthly collection, they will have rubbish in their house for a whole extra month before the next bin collection. This could lead to increases in fly-tipping – which is already a scourge across our city. Monthly bin collection will have a disproportionate impact on larger families and households. As well as this, parents know how quickly new-borns’ nappies fill up their black bins – this especially isn’t workable for them. Bristol has the highest recycling rate of the English Core Cities. To improve recycling rates further, the council needs to improve the recycling services offered to include additional materials, like nappies and soft plastics, and ensure that all residents that live in flats have an equal opportunity to recycle, which is currently hit and miss. Monthly black bin collections won’t work. Let the Green Party know – no to monthly black bin collections. Sources: Bristol black bin collections 'could be reduced to once a month' - BBC News Bristol City Council opens consultation over 15% council tax rise - BBC News

Kirklees Council is planning to dispose of many assets to help overcome its £47 million black hole. Part of this plan would involve closing the Grade II listed Batley Carnegie Library, and operating a “modern library” service from the Town Hall. This would enable the council to sell the original library building. The money to build Batley Library was donated to the people of Batley by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, and the plot of land for the library was donated by the William Akroyd Foundation, also to the people of Batley. This enabled the building of the iconic library which opened in 1907 and which still dominates the Market Place today, an area which is widely acknowledged as a gem of late Victorian/early Edwardian architecture and a superb legacy for future generations. With its towering illuminated clockfaces, the Batley Carnegie Library building acts as a beacon of inspiration, comfort and familiarity to the residents of Batley, and as a proud reminder of their heritage and hope for the future. Batley Library’s inviting atmosphere has established a place where people have created memories, nurtured long-lasting friendships, and helped build Batley’s strong community spirit. Moving the library, even for such a short distance, would damage this precious legacy. Thanks to the building’s superb design, it is still fit for purpose and perfectly suited to the twenty-first century, accommodating the traditional lending and reference library services and a great deal more besides. The modern library is so much more than a book depository, it now hosts many activities, local groups, performances, displays, and community services, both regular and ad-hoc, for adults and for children. Many of these activities can take place simultaneously. It is a Library of Sanctuary, a Safe Place, and a Warm Space, where anybody can find safety, comfort, and reassurance (and a cup of soup or a hot drink and a snack) whatever their circumstances, and it holds a special place in the hearts of the community. The layout of the building provides the ideal location for all these facilities, providing social space as well as quiet areas of privacy. The Town Hall is not a huge building, and this new proposal could result in a reduction in the number and quality of services provided. Years ago, when the library was refurbished, the service – which had far fewer activities than nowadays – was temporarily relocated to the Town Hall annexe, and it was agreed by users and staff that it was not possible to carry out all the normal functions anywhere other than in the original building. Due to its location, if the building were to be left empty for any length of time it would suffer undetected vandalism from the rear of the building, and would eventually become derelict through lack of maintenance. This would be a tragic loss to the heritage of Kirklees as a whole. Therefore we strongly urge the Council to reconsider this proposal, which would have a severe impact on the quality of life and the wellbeing of local residents.

The council plan to make 50% cuts to an already bare bones library service. Further cuts would mean a great loss to people of all ages from the youngest to the oldest who rely on library services for learning and development, keeping in touch, using IT equipment, reading, researching and coming in from the cold. The council should be proud of their library service and should be investing in the service, not making further cuts. They propose to cut opening hours at libraries across the county of Denbighshire. This has a potentially detrimental effect to other services that use the library. Take Bookstart Cymru for example. Denbighshire Bookstart gives every baby the opportunity to develop an early love of sharing books and reading, and to become members of their local library by: - giving each baby and toddler a free gift of a bilingual Bookstart bag - offering advice to parents and carers on the benefits of giving books to babies - encouraging library membership - running Rhymetimes in libraries - working in partnership with other early years agencies - Libraries love babies and toddlers, and young children will be given a great welcome. Children under 5 don’t have to pay fines if books are returned late or charges for damaged books. We also know that children can be noisy at times - that's no problem! A vital service for babies and toddlers that helps them learn and develop. Cuts will directly affect children’s learning and development and the proposals will see libraries closed on the days that Bookstart run their sessions. As we know, babies and toddlers do not have a voice so please sign this petition asking the council to re think their plans to cut these vital services Children and young people do not really have a voice and cuts to library services directly affect the smallest and most vulnerable in our society. Children are having their opportunities eroded by a Government that don’t care. The council need to listen and continue to provide a library service to those in our communities that need it the most, they need to invest in Library services, not make cuts