Bectu, the UK’s leading media and entertainment union, has issued a strong response to reports that the BBC is developing plans to outsource and potentially offshore significant numbers of jobs. In a statement released on July 11, 2025, head of Bectu Philippa Childs condemned the move as “hugely damaging” to both the BBC’s public service role and its contribution to the UK creative industries.
According to Childs, “The BBC is at the heart of the government’s creative industry strategy — outsourcing and potentially offshoring large numbers of jobs runs totally counter to the growth agenda.” She emphasized the BBC’s foundational role as a public service broadcaster under the Reithian principles of informing, educating, and entertaining the public, calling it “a uniquely British institution that is cherished at home and envied across the world. It is at the centre of the ecosystem of the creative industries and provides opportunities for the creative workforce to develop world class skills.”
Bectu revealed it was not consulted on the proposals, “The suggestion that large functions of the BBC should be outsourced and potentially offshored runs counter to the public interest and is hugely damaging to the unique role the BBC plays in UK PLC. We are extremely angry that the BBC has been developing these proposals without any discussion with the trade unions and that Bectu has only become aware of the project due to a leak."
“Ahead of a crucial Charter Review, it is essential that the BBC makes clear that it is committed to supporting UK jobs. Bectu has consistently argued for fair funding for the BBC, and will continue to do so, but this news plays into the hands of those who want to undermine the BBC and see it shorn of its public service responsibilities,” Childs added.
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