WOKINGHAM’S MP has hit out at BBC Radio Berkshire, claiming the station is ignoring his constituency work.
John Redwood also accused the radio station, which is based in Caversham, of having a “strange sense of the agenda of a busy local MP”.
Since May’s General Election, Mr Redwood revealed he declined two opportunities to go on air and was unimpressed with a third encounter.
He had been asked to comment on plans to expand Heathrow but the MP said it was about a report that had just been published and he had not seen.
“I could not comment properly on something I had not read, but it was not informative or helpful radio for isteners,” he said.
Writing on his blog, Mr Redwood said the expansion of Heathrow was of interest to his constituents.
“I have regularly worked on the issues of the airport, but there have been no interviews about any of this,” he said.
“The other two requests have been to discuss dead Conservatives/UKIP members who were not local figures. The topics were ones which no one else has written or talked to me about.”
Mr Redwood says BBC Radio Berkshire claimed to have offered him other opportunities to go on air to talk about issues relating to Wokingham or his work.
He noted: “Radio Berkshire assure me there have been other invitations and they have … used clips of me in Parliament. I have asked them to send me details as they were not specific.”
Mr Redwood also feels that the station has neglected the issues he has been covering.
“Radio Berkshire similarly ignores the work I do on affordable homes, tax reductions to boost take home pay, improving local roads and transport, flooding and the many other local matters.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “It’s a shame John Redwood feels this way, as with other political representatives we are regularly in touch with him and he is invited on to the station on a regular basis.
“We cover the stories of interest to our region and there has been extensive coverage on the areas mentioned.”
