Speaking in a debate over proposed cuts to BBC local radio services, Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, said the stations offer "a vital service to every county".
In March, the National Union of Journalists heavily criticised reported BBC plans to scrap parts of its local radio service, which the union claimed may put up to 700 jobs at risk.
The proposals would see the broadcaster do away with local news and programmes during the day, with the exception of breakfast and drive-time shows, and replace them with content from BBC Radio 5 Live.
After paying tribute to the broadcaster in relation to his own career and its local radio stations, which he said provide a "superb training ground" for new broadcasters, Gale questioned spending by the broadcaster.
"The BBC wastes an enormous amount of money, I've been a BBC producer and director, I've done the job, I know where the money goes. Last August I was on holiday in France, returning to the UK the following day, which was a Saturday. BBC rang me up and said would they be allowed to fly me from Heathrow to Belfast to spend a night in a hotel, to spend five minutes on a sofa on a Sunday morning, talking about a cat in a dustbin. I worked out the cost of that exercise, it would have been over £1000.
"... The BBC has wasted a billion pounds creating MediaCity, as it's called, in Salford Quays, and I'd like to know why."
"If you add to that the management fees that the BBC charges, the Director General's salary would pay for all of the salaries for one local radio station for one year ... The fact of the matter is that there is a huge amount of waste."
The BBC responded to Gale's comments today, claiming that the cost of the move to Salford Quays was £200 million and that the broadcaster has committed to recouping the cost over 20 years.
It also reiterated that no decisions had been made about local radio services and stressed that senior management pay would be cut.
"No decisions have been made so it would be wrong to speculate. It is of course only right that BBC staff have an opportunity to input ideas about shaping the BBC’s future. The Delivering Quality First sessions are designed to provoke discussion amongst staff about the way the BBC works and any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust.
"We have committed to reducing overheads and spending at least 90p in every licence fee pound on creating high quality content and getting it to audiences by 2013. This includes a 25 per cent reduction in our senior management pay bill."
MPs at this morning's debate also discussed the value of BBC radio in a crisis as a point of local information and news.
Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge said in the example of Radio Sheffield the station plays "a massively important role" in informing local people.
"It really comes into its own when events happen which may not be of interest to national media, or have been of interest to national media but where they may have rightly moved on to other things."
She added that a move to replace broadcasting "will be a retrograde step and one which people across the country will want to resist."
"To reduce that service at a time when technology is making reporting even easier and more immediate is in my view completely wrong and should be resisted."
Gale added BBC local radio is turned to by local communities "when it comes to crisis time" as well as the "relatively regular and simple things".
"It is very easy in the metro centres to say well there is a plethora of stations, offering a very wide menu of broadcasting alternatives, we don't really need this. I don't believe that's true," he added.
St Ives MP Andrew George echoed concerns for the impact of the proposals on news.
“At a local radio level I've noticed a trend towards the reading out of press releases rather than the cross questioning of the information put out, which I think BBC local radio does, has the resources to do and should carry on doing."
“We quite rightly wish to support and protect what we currently have, and if anything enhance what is being achieved,” he added.
In a briefing to MPs by the NUJ, the union said the BBC's plans "would be a blow to quality journalism" at the BBC and fly in the face of public commitments to localism and transparency.
"BBC Local Radio programmes are produced by local people for local audiences, yet these decisions are being taken far away from communities and behind closed doors.
"The proposal to replace all but the Breakfast Show and Drivetime Show on each BBC Local Radio station is unacceptable to the NUJ. It's also unclear if this idea applies to Radio's Ulster, Foyle, Wales, Crymu, and Scotland.
"The BBC must step back from the brink and protect local services. If they do not, then the NUJ will actively resist plans which threaten to inflict such devastating damage to the Local Radio service across the UK."
Closing the debate Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Ed Vaizey said the proposals are speculation and just one area of consideration.
"In terms of the future of local news and content I believe it is a bright future."
Image by Richard Hoare on Geograph. Some rights reserved.
Free daily newsletter
If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).
