Council chief crosses picket line to join BBC radio show (From The Oxford Times)

Council chief crosses picket line to join BBC radio show

10:00am Tuesday 19th February 2013 in News

THE leader of Oxfordshire County Council Ian Hudspeth crossed a picket line of striking BBC Oxford journalists yesterday.

Mr Hudspeth passed protestors against BBC job cuts at the BBC’s offices in Banbury Road, Summertown, to take part in Radio Oxford’s breakfast show about the county council budget being unveiled today.

He said: “It was all very good natured and wasn’t intimidating. But I wanted to cross the picket line to make sure the people of Oxfordshire could hear the budget debate.

“I wouldn’t say I support strike action because it has knock on consequences for other people, but I understand their concerns.”

The 24-hour national strike was organised by the National Union of Journalists from midnight for 24 hours in protest over job cuts. No jobs are under threat in Oxfordshire.

Radio producer and BBC Oxford father of chapel Andy Gordon, pictured left with other pickets, said: “The BBC’s already under a cloud following the fallout from the Newsnight Jimmy Savile debacle. It can’t afford to lose any more experienced and able journalists.”

He said the aim of the protest was “to preserve the quality of BBC journalism that’s so respected in Oxfordshire and around the world.”