Majority of BBC staff now outside London

The majority of BBC staff are now based outside of London for the first time in the corporation’s history, with the shift to the regions occurring one year ahead of target. 

The BBC set a 12-year target in 2004 to have half its staff working in regional offices, with staff moves to Media City in Salford and Pacific Quay in Glasgow, as well as the closure of TV Centre and other London premises, designed to change the geographical bias of the BBC and make it more representative of the UK as a whole.

Announcing the milestone, the BBC said that In 2007 London accounted for 58% of BBC staff, whereas now this figure has fallen to 49%.

Of the non-London based staff, 17% of the corporation’s workforce is now in Salford. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland account for a further 18%, while 15% are spread throughout the rest of England.

“We have sold off costly London buildings like Television Centre and moved more of our staff and programmes into the regions. It is all part of our plan to make the BBC ever more efficient and reflective of the country, with more than half our staff based outside London. The savings we are making mean more of the licence fee than ever is going on producing the best quality shows,” said Anne Bulford, the BBC’s managing director of finance and operations.