BROADCASTING Citation, commencement and extent 1 1 This Order may be cited as the Community Radio Order 2025. 2 This Order comes into force on 1st April 2025. 3 This Order extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Interpretation 2 1 In this Order— “ the 1990 Act ” means the Broadcasting Act 1990 ; “ the 2003 Act ” means the Communications Act 2003; “ the 2004 Order ” means the Community Radio Order 2004 ; “ the 2019 Order ” means the Small-scale Radio Multiplex and Community Digital Radio Order 2019 ; “ community ” means— the persons who live or work or undergo education or training in a particular area or locality, or persons who (whether or not they fall within paragraph (a)) have one or more interests or characteristics in common; “ community radio licence ” means a licence under Part 3 of the 1990 Act (as it has effect by virtue of this Order) to provide a community radio service; “ community radio service ” means a local service having the characteristics set out in article 3; “ coverage area ” means, in relation to a service provided under a local sound broadcasting licence, the area in the United Kingdom within which that service is capable of being received at a level satisfying such technical standards as have been laid down by OFCOM for the purposes of this Order; “ local authority ” has the meaning given in paragraph 1(1) of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the 1990 Act (restrictions on the holding of licences) ; “ potential audience ” means, in relation to any local service, the persons who reside within the coverage area for that service; “ social enterprise ” means a business which has as its primary objective the support of one or more projects of a social nature (rather than the production of a financial profit); “ social gain ” has the meaning given by paragraph (2). 2 In relation to a community radio service, “ social gain ” means the achievement, in respect of the community that the service is intended to serve, or in respect of other members of the public, of the following objectives— a the provision of sound broadcasting services to individuals who are otherwise under served by such services, b the facilitation of discussion and the expression of opinion, c the provision (whether by means of programmes included in the service or otherwise) of education or training to individuals not employed by the person providing the service, and d the better understanding of the particular community and the strengthening of links within it, and may also include the achievement of other objectives of a social nature and, in particular, those mentioned in paragraph (3). 3 Those objectives are— a the delivery of services provided by local authorities and other services of a social nature and the increasing, and wider dissemination, of knowledge about those services and about local amenities; b the promotion of economic development and of social enterprises; c the promotion of employment; d the provision of opportunities for the gaining of work experience; e the promotion of social inclusion; f the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity; g the promotion of civic participation and volunteering. 4 For the purposes of this Order, two local sound broadcasting licences overlap if (but only if) the potential audience of the service provided under either of those licences includes 50% or more of the potential audience of the service provided under the other licence. 5 In this Order, in relation to any service which is intended to serve more than one community, any reference to the community which that service is intended to serve is be taken to include a reference to every such community. 6 In this Order, one person is to be treated as being connected with another person if the person would be so treated for the purposes of Schedule 2 to the 1990 Act . Characteristics of community radio services 3 1 It is a characteristic of community radio services that they are local services provided primarily— a for the good of members of the public, or of particular communities, and b in order to deliver social gain, rather than primarily for commercial reasons or for the financial or other material gain of the individuals involved in providing the service. 2 It is a characteristic of every community radio service that it is intended primarily to serve one or more communities (whether or not it also serves other members of the public). 3 It is a characteristic of every community radio service that the person providing the service— a does not do so in order to make a financial profit, and b uses any profit that is produced in the provision of the service wholly and exclusively for securing or improving the future provision of the service, or for the delivery of social gain to members of the public or the community that the service is intended to serve. 4 It is a characteristic of every community radio service that members of the community it is intended to serve are given opportunities to participate in the operation and management of the service. 5 It is a characteristic of every community radio service that, in respect of the provision of that service, the person providing the service makes themselves accountable to the community that the service is intended to serve. Application of broadcasting legislation 4 Part 3 of the 1990 Act (independent radio services) and Part 3 of the 2003 Act (television and radio services etc.) have effect in relation to a community radio service with the modifications set out in the Schedule. Disqualified persons 5 1 In addition to the modifications made by article 4 of, and the Schedule to, this Order, Part 2 of Schedule 2 to the 1990 Act (disqualifications for holding licences) has effect in relation to community radio licences as if the persons who are disqualified persons by virtue of that Part of that Schedule included, in relation to such licences, any person falling within paragraph (2). 2 Those persons are— a any person who is not a body corporate, b any body corporate falling within paragraph (3), and c any C4 company or S4C company that would not otherwise be a disqualified person by virtue of paragraph (3). 3 A body corporate falls within this paragraph if— a that body holds at least one relevant Broadcasting Act licence, or b that body is connected with a person who holds one or more such licences. 4 In this article, a relevant Broadcasting Act licence is a Broadcasting Act licence which is not a licence to provide one of the following services— a a community radio service; b a digital sound programme service; c a restricted service; d a radio licensable content service; e a restricted television service; f a television licensable content service; g a local digital television programme service. Restrictions on holding of community radio licences 6 1 No body corporate may hold more than one community radio licence at any one time. 2 For the purposes of this article, any body corporate which is connected with another such body which holds such a licence is to be treated as if it also were a holder of that licence. Revocation 7 The following enactments are revoked— a the 2004 Order; b the Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2010 ; c the Community Radio (Amendment) Order 2015 . Transitional provision for community radio 8 1 Anything done, or being done, under Part 3 of the 1990 Act, as that Part had effect by virtue of the 2004 Order, is to be treated as having been done, or being done, under Part 3 of the 1990 Act, as that Part has effect by virtue of this Order, including but not limited to— a the award or grant of a community radio licence under Part 3 of the 1990 Act; b the variation of a community radio licence under section 86(5) of the 1990 Act ; c the enforcement of a community radio licence under sections 109 to 111 and 111B of the 1990 Act . 2 A community radio licence extended, on one or more occasions, under section 253A of the 2003 Act (extension of community radio licences) , as that section had effect by virtue of the 2004 Order, is to be treated as having been extended, for the same number of occasions, under section 253A of the 2003 Act, as that section has effect by virtue of this Order. 3 A condition included in a community radio licence pursuant to section 105(4) to (6) of the 1990 Act, as it had effect by virtue of the 2004 Order (income restrictions relating to advertisements and sponsorship) , is treated as not being so included in the licence on or after 1st April 2025. 4 Paragraph (b) of section 86(5) of the 1990 Act (licence holder representations about a variation of a licence), as it has effect by virtue of this Order, does not apply in relation to the variation by OFCOM of a community radio licence under that section for the purposes of including a condition in the licence pursuant to section 105(2) of the 1990 Act, as it has effect by virtue of this Order. Amendment of the Small-scale Radio Multiplex and Community Digital Radio Order 2019 9 1 The 2019 Order is amended as follows. 2 In article 2(1) (interpretation), in the definition of “community radio service”, for “Community Radio Order 2004” substitute “Community Radio Order 2025” . 3 Omit article 7. 4 In Part 1 of the Schedule (modifications of Part 2 of the 1996 Act in relation to small-scale radio multiplex services)— a in paragraph 6(f), omit paragraph (i); b in paragraph 6, omit sub-paragraph (g); c in paragraph 7(c), in paragraph (i), for “, (d) and (e) were” substitute “was” ; d in paragraph 7(c), omit paragraph (iv); e in paragraph 10(b), in paragraph (iii), omit the words from “and at the end” to the end; f in paragraph 10(b), omit paragraph (iv); g in paragraph 12(e), omit paragraph (ii). 5 In Part 2 of the Schedule (modifications of Part 2 of the 1996 Act in relation to community digital sound programme services), in paragraph 18, in the modifications to the 1996 Act, omit section 61A. 6 In Part 3 of the Schedule (modifications of Part 2 of the 1996 Act in relation to small-scale radio multiplex and community digital sound programme services), in paragraph 21, in the modifications to the 1996 Act, omit the definition of the “2004 Order”. Transitional provision for community digital radio 10 A condition included in a community digital sound programme licence pursuant to section 61A of the 1996 Act, as it had effect by virtue of the 2019 Order (advertising restrictions for community digital sound programme services), is treated as not being so included in the licence on or after 1st April 2025. Stephanie Peacock Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Culture, Media and Sport 11th February 2025