BBC slashes staffing numbers – but plans to splash £80m on new diversity schemes

The BBC is set to cull over 100 jobs, with hundreds more on the chopping block, in a bid to shore up its finances – just as the broadcaster has pledged to spend £80million every year on diversity targets.

The taxpayer-funded corporation has confirmed it will be shelving some 115 production and editorial jobs in its “regions and nations” local news branches.

Those 115 losses are equivalent to 3 per cent of the BBC’s entire workforce – but that number is set to rise even further, with 500 more jobs at risk by March 2026.

Earlier this year, the broadcaster’s director general, Tim Davie, announced that he was looking to save an additional £200million, rising to £500million by 2026, as question marks continue to loom over the future of the corporation’s funding.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which represents swathes of BBC editorial staff, has warned the proposed cuts would leave the BBC in a “perilous state”, while its general secretary said they would “further hollow out local news provision at a time when resources are stretched to breaking point”.

But a BBC spokesman defended the cull, saying: “We have been clear that the significant funding pressures we face means that every division in the BBC needs to make savings.

“In July we said that we expected to see an overall reduction of around 500 BBC public service roles by March 2026.

“While challenging, we aim to make these savings – as far as is possible – through voluntary redundancy and we can confirm that we expect to deliver the changes without closing any major services.

“In addition, there will no programme changes or savings impacting on BBC Local Radio output.”

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The talk of funding pressures and savings comes just as the broadcaster announced further plans to splash some £80million on a new diversity push, which will see the BBC hike its “representation targets” across the board.

As part of the push, the amount of ethnic, disability-based and socioeconomic diversity in BBC roles will be expected to rise from 20 to 25 per cent.

That spending drive follows a three-year near-£250million on improving “diversity and inclusion” both on- and off-air – a number more than double the BBC’s original target.

As well as extra funding, BBC productions can expect to take on new hair and makeup specialists who are better-equipped to work with afro-textured hairstyles and a wider range of skin tones.

Elsewhere, the BBC will be pushing to improve accessibility and inclusivity on-set – including by hiring new “access coordinators” to make sure filming or production areas are well-suited to a broader range of staff.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “We are committed to backing British storytelling – and I recognise the important role diverse-led indies play in telling these authentic stories.

“By increasing our investment in diverse content and enhancing our off-screen diversity targets, we aim to create a more inclusive environment that authentically represents and resonates with all audiences.”