CRUCIAL rural issues will lose out on publicity if ITV goes ahead with proposals to close their news operation in Plymouth and operate a regional service from Bristol, West Devon Borough Council members claimed this week. The council is calling on ITV to reconsider possible cutbacks to its local programming. which would mean an end to Westcountry's local news service for Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset. ITV is proposing one regional service stretching from the Isles of Scilly to Gloucester and Swindon, as part of annual £40 million cutbacks to its local programming nationwide.

However, the council fears that larger cities such as Bristol would dominate news coverage of the region, and is to make representations to communications industry regulator Ofcom, and ITV boss Michael Grade. Cllr David Weeks, chairman of the borough's overview and scrutiny committee, said councillors fully supported its current ITV Westcountry local service. Cllr Weeks said: 'We very much fear that if ITV goes ahead with its proposals, the news programme would be dominated by the M4 corridor.

'The rural issues that affect areas such as West Devon including farming, tourism and public transport would lose out to inner city problems. 'For many of our residents, particularly in the rural communities, TV news is the only way they receive local information. West Devon is unique and we just haven't got the same issues as larger city populations — but that doesn't mean to say we're not as important.

'ITV seem to have assumed that we don't count. 'If the new regional news programme is introduced, it would have little identity to the Westcountry itself.

'Frankly, the north of this proposed new region is closer to Scotland than it is to and's End. 'Both for competitive reasons with the BBC and to maintain the balance of power within British public service broadcasting, we need ITV Westcountry to continue giving us a good local service.'