PLANNED TIMETABLE FOR ADVERTISEMENT OF NEW ANALOGUE LOCAL LICENCES

LICENCE AREA	DATE OF LICENCE ADVERTISEMENT	CLOSING-DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
Glasgow (large-scale)	20 March 2003	1 July 2003

'WORKING LIST' OF AREAS FOR NEW ANALOGUE LOCAL LICENCES

The current expectation is that the large-scale licence for Glasgow will be the last to be advertised for award by this Authority prior to its replacement by the new communications regulator, Ofcom, as the body responsible for radio licensing.  This will leave nine areas remaining  on the existing 'working list'.  Their inclusion signifies the Authority's confidence that a suitable FM frequency (or frequencies) will be available to provide a service offering an appropriate scale of coverage for the area concerned.  

The areas are: Ballymena; Kidderminster; Cornwall (second countywide licence); Blackburn; Norwich; Banbury; Durham; Ashford; Kent; and Torbay.  The Authority expects to explore with Ofcom, in due course, the practicalities and timescale for the resumption of the local licence advertisement and award process.