The BBC plans to have two-thirds of its staff primarily based outdoors London by 2027 because the embattled broadcaster hits again at accusations of metropolitan bias.
Director normal Tony Corridor stated the company had a accountability to “serve everybody” and “replicate each a part of the UK”.
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“A decade in the past, a 3rd of the BBC was primarily based outdoors London,” he wrote in an article for the Monetary Instances. “At the moment it’s half. By 2027, I hope at the least two-thirds of the BBC will likely be outdoors the capital.”
The general public service broadcaster has come below stress from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who final month stated he would contemplate decriminalising non-payment of the licence payment – a transfer the BBC stated would value it £200m a yr.
The federal government has additionally carried out a boycott of the BBC’s flagship Radio four At the moment programme amid allegations of bias, whereas No 10 sources have accused the company of catering to a “pro-Stay metropolitan bubble”.
Nevertheless, Corridor launched an impassioned defence of the BBC, which he stated “can do extra for Britain than ever”.
The media boss stated that whereas the BBC confronted powerful competitors from streaming rivals, it was set aside by its dedication to investing in British content material.
“Each £1 we spend generates £2 for the UK economic system,” he stated. “We function as an engine powering the entire artistic sector.”
Corridor acknowledged that the BBC “should work more durable” to make sure its protection mirrored all components of the UK, including that it nonetheless had work to do resolving excellent pay points.
The organisation may very well be dealing with dozens of equal pay claims after Newswatch presenter Samira Ahmed final week gained a case in opposition to her employer over an enormous disparity between her wage and that of Factors of View host Jeremy Vine.
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The BBC moved a big a part of its operations to Salford in 2004 in a bid to enhance its providing to audiences within the north of England. Boosting its proportion of non-London workforce would imply relocating greater than 3,000 staff, although it’s not but clear the place these employees members can be primarily based.
Final yr Channel four moved its nationwide headquarters from London to Leeds as a part of a plan to create new jobs and stimulate funding outdoors the capital.
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