FEARS have been raised about standards at BBC Scotland as it seeks to axe jobs following budget cuts caused by a freezing of the licence fee.
Paul Holleran, the NUJ’s Scotland Organiser, is quoted in today’s Scotsman newspaper, calling for a re-think on a planned cut of 120 jobs over five years.
BBC Scotland announced in August plans to shed 35, mainly editorial posts, as part of a wider cull. BBC Scotland is having to find an annual 16 per cent cut in its budget following a decision by the BBC and the Westminster government two years ago to freeze the TV licence fee for six years.
Holleran is quoted, as saying: “We’ve been saying for some time now that we have major fears for the BBC because of the failure to negotiate a proper review of the licence fee.”
Last month, the NUJ and fellow trade union, BECTU, called on BBC Scotland to devote significant funding towards coverage of the referendum on Scotland’s constitutional future in two years’ time and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, also in 2014.
