BBC heading for avoidable “doom spiral” with constant cuts, says NUJ

Reports this week have highlighted cuts to the BBC Sports department amid a restructuring that will result in a net loss of 36 jobs. The BBC expects the job losses to save around £2.6m.

Meanwhile, Deadline reported that 151 employees from the broadcaster’s technology unit are expected to take voluntary redundancy, saving £14.5m over the coming years. 

Deadline also reported that the BBC is expected to announce TV and radio network closures early next week, with speculation that BBC Three could be shut.  

The Press Association reported that the BBC is contending with "significant financial pressures", leading to decisions to pull television shows and restrict development spending. It cited an internal memo sent to staff by Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips setting out proposals to trim £80m from commissioning budgets by the 2027 to 2028 financial year. Likewise, the content division is projected to shed about 100 roles by the end of this financial year.  

The cuts fall under a wider plan announced in April to cut up to 2,000 positions across the broadcaster, targeting £500m in efficiency savings over two years. 

In June, the BBC announced its intention to axe 550 roles, including around 200 in BBC News and 250 in BBC Nations, plus TV and radio programmes such as Radio 4’s The World Tonight and the World Service’s The Conversation.  

Laura Davison, General Secretary, NUJ, said: "The more cuts the BBC makes, the more its services suffer. This makes it more difficult for the broadcaster to justify public spending, which in turn leads to further cuts. The BBC is at risk of entering an inescapable doom spiral if it continues in this direction.  

"This is where the UK government must step in. The BBC has been undermined by years of underinvestment and interference… The union is writing to the Chancellor calling for urgent intervention in the Autumn budget to protect jobs. The government can alleviate pressure on the BBC by taking back full funding of the World Service and free licences for eligible over-75s.” 

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee recently called on the government to take a “bold, confident, and unapologetic” approach to BBC funding in its upcoming Charter review. Discover more here.