U.K. community radio receives £600,000 government funding boost

Community radio stations across the U.K. will receive a £600,000 (€700,000) uplift in government funding this year, bringing the total available to £1 million (€1.17 million) for 2025–26.

The majority of the new funding — £900,000 (€1.05 million) in total — will be distributed through the Community Radio Fund, managed by media regulator Ofcom. Grants from the fund typically range from £5,000 to £30,000 (€5,800 to €35,000) and support stations in creating jobs, training volunteers and expanding their reach. An additional £100,000 (€117,000) will be used by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to support broader sector initiatives, including research on audience measurement and the development of new services in underserved areas.

According to the government, the increase is part of its Plan for Change strategy to drive economic growth and job creation.

More than 300 licensed community stations currently operate across the U.K. Unlike commercial stations, they are run on a not-for-profit basis and are required to provide social value, such as serving under-represented groups or offering training to young people interested in media careers.

Media Minister Stephanie Peacock said, “Community radio plays an important role in the lives of many people across the U.K., helping to keep them informed, entertained and connected to the world around them. We are committed to ensuring the growth and sustainability of the sector, which is why we have boosted funding to help stations create more jobs, build their businesses and reach even more listeners.”

Ofcom will announce details on the 2025–26 application process in September. Since its launch in 2005, the Community Radio Fund has supported more than 150 stations.

New roles at more stations

Mark Jones, chair of the Community Radio Fund, said, “With the fund more than doubling for this year, we’ll be able to support new roles at even more stations. This will help community radio stations operate sustainably and continue to serve their local areas with creative and distinctive programming.”

Vijay Umrao, chair of the Community Media Association, welcomed the news, noting the sector’s 20-year history of providing essential local services. “The increase in funding will help the Community Radio Fund achieve its primary role of providing grants to help fund the core costs of running Ofcom-licensed community radio stations,” he said. “We are also particularly pleased that part of the funding will be supporting potential services in underserved areas.”

Martin Steers, director of the UK Community Radio Network, added, “We welcome this uplift in support of the vital work community radio stations are doing across the country, now quite often the only local radio stations serving local communities. While it’s great to have this boost in funding for this year, it’s vital that the government looks to permanently increase the funding support available to community radio stations.”

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