Bosses at the BBC in Birmingham have issued an urgent plea for the city to be spared as the corporation seeks budget cuts of up to 20 per cent.
Birmingham, which was once the hub of the BBC’s regional output at its Pebble Mill home, has already seen a number of job losses in recent years from shows such as Gardeners' World and Hairy Bikers and now it is feared that factual programming could completely cease in the city.
There are also concerns that local radio will also be hit as part of the so-called ‘Delivering Quality First’ review, as well as regional news operations.
BBC boss Mark Thompson is under pressure to make huge savings of between 16 and 20 per cent – the equivalent of around £400 million per year – after agreeing a new settlement for the licence fee with the Government but it is feared that its massive commitment to the new Media City development in Salford – where 2,300 jobs are currently being transferred from around the country – will leave the rest of the regions out in the cold.
Labour’s Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart, who has been a vocal critic of the BBC’s lack of commitment to Birmingham, said the corporation was not fulfilling its duties as a publicly funded broadcaster.
She said: “I am exasperated. Every time we approach them they say they are committed to the regions but are they really?
“When they moved their operations to Salford Quays they may have felt that this was sufficient to counter claims that it was too London-centric but since then we have seen a salami slicing of the rest of the regions.
"Take a programme like Woman’s Hour on Radio 4, this used to go across the country but more and more we are hearing stories from Manchester and the North-west.
“The big concern for Birmingham is that around 10 per cent of the economy is reliant on the media, gaming and digital services and the BBC is the key block at the heart of much of this. If the BBC weakens then we will see other organisations weaken around it.
“If this was a commercial broadcaster then you could understand why so much programming was heading to the North-west where there has been the investment but it is not a commercial broadcaster, it is a public service broadcaster reliant on a licence fee with a chartered obligation to serve all the regions.
“If there are financial issues then with the greatest respect I suggest they look at the financial packages of many of its top people which are frankly eyewatering.”
According to well-placed sources at the BBC, senior producers and managers from a number of departments have written to the London hierarchy to make the case for Birmingham which currently retains a major operation out of the Mailbox in the centre of the city.
However, it is understood that management was set to be briefed this week as to how the savings were to be made with the BBC Trust – which must approve the plans – confirming that a public announcement would be made early in October.
According to sources, Birmingham could well be one of the biggest losers from the review with jobs and programming going not just to Salford but also to Cardiff. The BBC has also invested heavily in Scotland and Northern Ireland in recent years.