The Stage

BBC governors - ‘Salford move is good value’

Published Friday 15 December 2006 at 10:05 by Liz Thomas

The BBC board of governors has concluded that the proposed move from London to Salford of key BBC departments would represent value for money to all licence fee payers, after months of deliberations.

In its last ever meeting in its current form, the board, which next year will change into the BBC Trust, said that it had received an evaluation of the costs and savings of such a move from the Corporation’s management and independent advisors Deloitte.

BBC acting chairman Anthony Salz said: “More detailed work will be needed during 2007 before decisions can be taken that will provide final robust plans.

But the governors are today recommending to the BBC Trust that a move to Salford would represent value for money to all licence fee payers.

“The BBC has been too London-centric for too long and for that reason the board of governors has supported the ambitious plans to establish a large production base in the north of England since they were first announced in December 2004.

“We have always made clear that our final decision on this project will be based on two key factors: Whether the move represents value for money for licence fee payers and the affordability of the project. The final decision on whether to go ahead will be a matter for our successors - the BBC Trust - once the outcome of the licence fee settlement is known.”

Salz added that having considered all the information and subject to contractual issues, the board now believed that the move would be in the interests of the licence fee payers and the Corporation.