Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts has called on the BBC to explain what its planned cuts will mean for jobs and Welsh-language broadcasting at its Bangor studios.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP’s office says several editorial and research posts are set to go at the BBC’s Bryn Meirion base, which it says faces a downgrade. The BBC has described Bangor as a hub for several Radio Cymru broadcasts, but its published savings plans do not specify how many posts would go in the city or what the changes would mean for the studios.

“With fewer roles in Bangor and a reduced presence in north-west Wales, listeners will want assurances that programming will continue to reflect the diversity of Welsh life and the communities it serves,” Mrs Saville Roberts said.

The proposals are part of a wider plan to save around £9 million at BBC Cymru Wales. Across Wales, 58 individual roles are due to go, equivalent to around 45 full-time posts. The BBC also plans to end Radio Cymru’s lunchtime news and current affairs programme Dros Ginio and replace the Saturday morning football discussion show Ar y Marc with the Coridor Ansicrwydd football podcast in the radio schedule.

Mrs Saville Roberts said Ar y Marc, which has been on air for 35 years, gives clubs and volunteers across Welsh football a platform and helps bring younger listeners to Welsh-language radio. She questioned where Friday night Cymru Premier and Welsh Cup matches would be discussed live on national Welsh-language radio once the programme ends.

Caernarfon Town FC chairman Paul Evans said the show had been a Saturday morning fixture in his household for years. “As a Welsh speaking club, we know the importance of Ar y Marc to our community,” he said.

Mrs Saville Roberts raised the wider BBC Wales cuts in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 4 November, asking what the UK Government was doing to protect jobs and safeguard Welsh broadcasting. Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock said the UK Government was ready to work with the Welsh Government to support the broadcasting industry. His reply gave no details on the impact in Bangor.

Photo: BBC Wales Building in Bangor, credit: JenXOfficial