Up to 40 jobs could be cut at BBC Northern Ireland

By Q Radio News.

Up to 40 jobs could be cut from BBC Northern Ireland as part of wider savings targets across the BBC.

The regional base of the corporation has said it needs to save £3.6 million by the end of March 2021.

More widely, the BBC says it must say £125 million because of the impact of COVID-19.

Last week, the BBC launched a programme of voluntary redundancy across the corporation as a result of the difficult financial climate.

Divisions across the BBC are making similar costs savings, with announcements in Wales and Scotland also taking place today.

In an announcement to staff this morning Peter Johnston, Director BBC Northern Ireland, outlined that while the majority of  savings had already been identified across the business, these latest targets could see a reduction of 30-40 posts, including voluntary redundancies.

Peter Johnston said: “Like so many other organisations, the BBC has been greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and we must now join the other BBC divisions in delivering these latest savings.

“Our focus over this next period will be to continue to bring audiences the quality content and services they expect from us and provide more value than ever for the licence fee. We have a dedicated workforce who have demonstrated their commitment to audiences before and throughout this pandemic and we will support them through this unsettling time.”

Throughout the implementation of these savings, BBC Northern Ireland will seek opportunities, where possible, to build in career progression opportunities and to find ways to provide entry points for new talent for the future.

Prior  to the Coronavirus pandemic, the BBC already had 24% less available to spend on UK public services than if the licence fee had risen with inflation since 2010. 

While the BBC has the privilege of the licence fee, its income has been impacted by difficulties in licence fee collection during lockdown, the delay to the implementation of the over 75s policy, commercial income being reduced and delays to some important savings programmes in order to keep services on air during the pandemic.

These £125m of savings are on top of the existing £800m in efficiencies the Corporation was already delivering during the first five years of this charter.

Over the past three years BBC NI has contributed savings of £3.6m to the BBC’s efficiency targets and has also benefitted in recent years from reinvestment in content priorities.