BBC Design closure proposed

Proposals have been made to close the Graphic Design department at BBC Birmingham.

BBC management have claimed this proposal is being made because of the loss of internal work at Birmingham and the reduction in external business in the UK Midlands.

It is proposed to close 13 posts in the Birmingham Pebble Mill Graphic Design department, including eight Designer positions, with subsequent redundancies. Management have said that staff resettlement opportunities across the BBC are seen as limited.

Birmingham Graphic Design is part of BBC MediaArc, which also has sections in BBC London, Bristol and Belfast - all of which is part of BBC Resources.

Corporation management say the proposals are connected with the management moves to close the main network television facilities at Birmingham, the transfer of local news graphics work from the department, the changing pattern of daytime programmes and the lack of predictable work from BBC production areas.

Management have said they plan to keep a MediaArc presence at Birmingham with a newly created character animation workshop.

It is planned that BECTU will be meeting with BBC management during the next week to open negotiations on the proposals.