NUJ responds to BBC World Service funding deal
The NUJ has welcomed confirmation of a funding settlement for the BBC World Service - as part of a three-year deal - while cautioning that the union will need to assess its implications and calling on the government to secure its long-term future.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has agreed to provide an additional £11m per year for the next three years - a total of £33m and an 8% increase on the previous annual government contribution.
Funding for the World Service was due to dry up by the end of March in the absence of a deal, according to the BBC’s outgoing director general Tim Davie. This had prompted calls from the NUJ and its members for the government to act swiftly so that the World Service could continue producing quality news around the world.
Last week the NUJ World Service branch called for an end to the annual uncertainty, urging the government to enshrine “a long-term, predictable, and sufficient, inflation-linked funding settlement for the World Service in the next BBC Charter."
While the settlement announced today brings some clarity, its implications will need to be assessed and more needs to be done to provide the long-term investment required to give journalists the resources and security they need to continue doing their jobs. The NUJ notes that a flat funding increase over three years could result in a real-terms funding cut in 2027 and 2028.
Most of the World Service’s £400m annual budget comes from the licence fee, with around a third coming from government funding. However, the NUJ has urged the government to take back responsibility for funding the World Service in its entirety, as it did until 2014 - a call echoed by the BBC.
In an interview with the Media Show earlier this week, Lisa Nandy, UK culture secretary, said that funding for the World Service “can’t be a secondary question any longer, and that’s a view the foreign secretary shares as well.”
“I think the World Service is a light on the hill for people in very dark times,” said Nandy. “It would be absolute folly for any government not to take seriously the funding and sustainability of the World Service at a time when other governments are investing heavily in propaganda.”
She added that she had discussed these issues with reps working at the World Service in recent weeks. Nandy also said that she is “minded” to support a permanent charter, criticised political appointees to the BBC board, and called for the corporation to be more accountable to its staff and the public.
The funding announcement follows years of real-terms cuts at the BBC. This means a significantly larger contribution would be needed to help restore services and staffing to previous levels.
Last month Davie told staff that the BBC aims to cut a further 10% from its total costs by the end of 2028/29, raising significant questions over the potential impact on programming and jobs. The NUJ has been supporting members affected by the disbanding of the central investigations team, plus cuts to live and daily news - including at Africa Digital.
The NUJ, as part of its submission to the government’s Charter Review consultation, called for a funding settlement that is sufficient to prioritise jobs and deliver quality public service journalism locally, nationally and internationally.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
“We welcome confirmation in today's announcement of a funding deal to safeguard the immediate future of the BBC World Service. The service is one of the UK’s greatest assets and a critical tool for informing audiences and combatting the spread of mis- and disinformation around the world. It is also reassuring to hear that the government recognises its immense value and takes on board the concerns of its workforce.
“However, we will need to assess the implications of the deal. The fact that it was left until the last moment demonstrates the need for a different approach - one that provides sufficient, long-term funding and undoes the damage caused by loading costs onto the licence fee over a decade ago. Our members were baffled and distressed by the prolonged uncertainty around the World Service’s future funding. Charter Renewal offers the opportunity to do things differently. The union’s response to the government’s green paper sets out a practical vision, informed by members, of a properly funded, universally accessible, independent public broadcaster that is accountable to its workers. We urge the government to continue listening and act.”
Nandy, in her media interview yesterday, echoed some of the union's Charter Renewal demands. The culture secretary said that there has been a “serious challenge with political appointments” at the highest levels of BBC, adding that there is an opportunity now to look at “changing the structure of the board” as well as ensuring the corporation is more accountable to staff.
When asked about the possibility of a permanent Charter, Nandy said “that is where I’m minded to end up”.
“This charter will be the last of its kind,” said Nandy. “We cannot continue with a situation where the BBC’s right to exist is up for debate and open to question every decade. This Charter has to not just set the terms for the BBC for the next decade, it has to set the BBC up to thrive well into the latter half of this century.”