BBC job cuts have had ‘strong effect’ on staff – Lisa Nandy

Job cuts at the BBC have had a “very strong effect” on staff and are a real concern across the country, the Culture Secretary has said.

Employees were told that up to 2,000 jobs are to be cut as bosses at the corporation are trying to reduce costs by 10% over the next three years.

The biggest round of BBC job cuts in almost 15 years are being set in motion as former Google boss Matt Brittin prepares to take over as director-general next month.

In the Commons, Lisa Nandy said she met with Mr Brittin on Wednesday and they discussed “how we put the BBC on its own financial footing going forward”.

Speaking on Thursday, she said: “Colleagues will know that yesterday, the BBC interim director-general announced that there will be significant cuts to staffing, which I know have had a very, very strong effect on the staff themselves and are of real concern to people out in the country.”
Ms Nandy made her comments while responding to Labour MP Rupa Huq – sister of former BBC Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq – who called for the corporation to be given relief from the rise in national insurance contributions, in the same way as schools and hospitals.

The redundancies were announced during a call at 3pm on Wednesday but employees were not given details of who will be affected, the Press Association understands.

One staff member, who was on the call, told PA it was “savage”, adding it has “caused huge panic”.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned the corporation’s job cuts, and urged for it to engage workers and trade unions and reconsider its proposals.

Interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, who led the all-staff meeting, will head the corporation until Mr Brittin takes over on May 18.

In February, the BBC revealed it would reduce spending by hundreds of millions of pounds in the next three years as it continues to face “substantial financial pressures”.

Bank will not rush into moving rates despite ‘big energy shock’, says Bailey
Drivers handed 48,000 parking tickets every day by private firms
Father Brown commissioned for two more series
Make 2026 the year of working smarter
At the time, the corporation said it hoped to make savings of about 10% of its costs by 2029, but no details were given about which services might be affected.

The BBC is predominantly funded through the licence fee, which rose earlier this month to £180 per year.

It has faced increasing pressure over recent years as it faces competition from streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+.

Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie stepped down from his post on April 2, having announced his resignation in November after a turbulent few years for the broadcaster.

The Culture Secretary also reiterated her commitment to giving the BBC a permanent charter, saying the current review will be the “last of its kind”.

She told the Commons: “While the funding and terms of the BBC will continue to be renegotiated by successive governments, the BBC is right to exist will never again be called into question.”