BBC Resources could cut as many as 210 jobs as part of a restructure at the corporation-owned facilities business.

Following a meeting with Unions today (1 December) it was revealed that cuts across the 700-plus staff include the proposed closure of post-production activities in BBC Bristol and BBC Birmingham, with almost half the company's editors in London being made redundant.

In total as many as 174 jobs could go in post-production; 98 in London with a further 76 possible in Bristol and Birmingham. BBC Studios could be hit by 36 job losses.

In an email to staff, chief executive Mark Thomas said: "The aim of our restructuring plan is to make the business smaller, more flexible and resilient to changes in demand, thus allowing it to build a future with more opportunities than currently exist."

A drop-off in work at BBC Post is being blamed on cuts in BBC programme budgets.

Management have promised that wherever possible, job cuts will be achieved through voluntary means.

Thomas said: "We have agreed with the unions that on Monday, 8 December, we would begin the process by asking staff to take part in a ‘preference exercise' over the next few weeks. This will give all staff across Studios and Post Production the opportunity to complete a form indicating their preference to whether they wish to stay in one of the remaining jobs, seek redeployment or leave the BBC."

Bectu condemned the decision. Supervisory official Helen Ryan said: "Many of these cuts are due to BBC production budgets being slashed, and the growing tendency of producers to spend money outside the corporation, instead of using in-house facilities.

"This is another major step in the casualisation of the entire industry, and we have yet to be persuaded by BBC Resources that all the cuts are justified.

"Our first meeting with management was constructive, but we intend to press them hard to fulfil their promise that as far as possible redundancies will be voluntary."

BBC Resources is made up of post-production and studios. It sold its OB business to Satellite Information Services in April. Costumes and Wigs was sold to Angel. It is a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC

Meetings between BECTU and management are due to continue on a regular basis over the next month.

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