A weekly newspaper has announced its staff’s opposition to proposed cuts to BBC services along with their local branch of the National Union of Journalists.

The Banbury Guardian’s news team has sided with the Oxfordshire branch of the NUJ in calling on the BBC to abandon its plan to stop regular TV bulletins from Oxford, as well as planned changes to local radio that would also affect Radio Oxford.

The corporation last month announced the proposed loss of 139 roles due to the introduction of increased programme-sharing across its network of 39 local radio stations in England, while confirming the previously revealed closure of the local television news programmes in Oxford and Cambridge will go ahead too.

It also revealed a concurrent investment in local journalism that will lead to the creation of 11 investigative reporting teams across the country and an increase its daily online news provision for 43 local areas, creating a total of 131 jobs.

The National World-owned Guardian came out in favour of the NUJ’s opposition to the plans in a piece published on Monday, saying it “joins Oxfordshire journalists slamming [the] plan to slash BBC’s local output”.

Senior reporter Roseanne Edwards, pictured, said: “There is no substitute for a live interview where those in the news have to answer questions directly to the public in real time.

“We, in newspapers, report matters in words on paper. That is not the same. And for the BBC to be reducing the BBC Oxfordshire output in order to put text news up online is an unnecessary and damaging duplication.

“Radio Oxford and South Today TV are highly respected in the community. The journalists know their patch and are incredibly important in maintaining a decent level of democracy in our county.

Anna Wagstaff, secretary of the Oxford and District branch of the NUJ, added: “Local radio and television are an important part of local communities, our shared identity and how we talk to one another.

“Trying to provide that service across larger regions with no such shared interests or identity makes no sense and has always failed in the past.”

According to the Guardian, it is understood South Today TV will close a week before Christmas and only one reporter will be retained out of 18 editorial and technical staff.

Rhodri Talfan Davies, BBC head of nations, previously said on BBC’s The Media Show: “Audience behaviour changes and so does the BBC, so it’s absolutely right that as we see growing use of online news services, the local news services provided by the BBC keep pace with that change.

“This is a shift we’re seeing right across the age groups and it is about the BBC keeping pace with that, because ultimately we are accountable to licence fee payers and they want value from us.”

A BBC spokesperson added: “The media landscape is moving quickly and we need to make some difficult choices as we adapt our services in line with the growing audience focus on digital services. We will continue to deliver outstanding television, radio and mobile journalism for the area.”