Two-thirds of the BBC should be based outside London by 2027, according to plans outlined by the corporation’s director-general that would see around 3,000 BBC jobs moved from London to the UK’s regions.
“A decade ago, a third of the BBC was based outside London,” Tony Hall said in an article for the Financial Times. “Today it is half. By 2027, I hope at least two-thirds of the BBC will be outside the capital.”
Mr Hall launched a staunch defence of the BBC saying that the broadcasting corporation “can do more for Britain than ever” even as it faces increasing competition from online streaming services and threats to its funding from the government.
“The BBC is the single biggest investor in original British content. Every £1 we spend generates £2 for the UK economy,” Mr Hall said. “We operate as an engine powering the whole creative sector.”
Boris Johnson, a long time critic of the BBC, said in December that he was considering scrapping the £154.90 annual TV licence that produces around three-quarters of the BBC’s revenues or decriminalising non-payment, a move that the BBC said would cost it around £200m per year in evasion.
The prime minister also threatened to “put the screws” on the BBC if it refused to fund free TV licences for the over-75s. Last summer the corporation said it would cut free television licences to roughly two-thirds of pensioners in a bid to conserve cash.
Sir Tony’s comments come at a time of increased scrutiny and vulnerability for the BBC. It was criticised by figures on both the left and the right during the general election for not abiding by its guidelines on impartiality and has come under fire for its record on gender pay.
It is also in the midst of adapting its model to take on the growing popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon, which are pulling audiences away from terrestrial channels.
The planned job moves are likely to include more roles in the north of England, according to a BBC insider.
In 2004, the broadcaster moved a large part of its operations to Salford, with the aim of pulling its centre of gravity north. It has also doubled the proportion of its TV programmes produced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sir Tony said that the BBC’s funding model through the licence fee “obliges us to serve everyone” and “secures our responsibility to reflect every part of the UK”. The corporation’s current charter runs until 2027 although the level of the licence fee is set to be reviewed by 2022.
Since a swathe of previously Labour voting constituencies changed their allegiances to the Conservatives in the election, Mr Johnson has turned his attention to the north of England, promising millions of pounds in infrastructure spending there in a bid to even up economic performance across the country.
Sir Tony will outline the plans in more detail to BBC staff at a meeting in London on Wednesday.
