BBC to move top journalism jobs to Leeds as it announces transformation plan for North

The BBC will move two news teams to Leeds as part of a transformation plan for the North of England.

The broadcaster has announced its 'The BBC Across the UK' plan today, which aims to move "power and decision making" to cities like Leeds.

Under the transformation, two BBC News teams, the Learning and Identity team and some of the new UK Insight team will move to the city.

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There will be a tailored BBC One across Yorkshire, North West and North East England, with new marketing campaigns catering for the region.

The BBC is preparing to move several top journalism jobs to Leeds, reports suggestThe BBC is preparing to move several top journalism jobs to Leeds, reports suggest
The BBC is preparing to move several top journalism jobs to Leeds, reports suggest

A new long-running drama series is also set to be produced in the North and broadcast across the country.

Over the next six years, the BBC said it will give more prominence to stories from communities across the North as part of the biggest journalistic reshaping of the BBC in its history.

Director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, said: “Our mission must be to deliver for the whole country and ensure every household gets value from us. These plans show how we want to be closer to audiences, create jobs and investment and develop and nurture talent.

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“Over the last year, the BBC – which has been an essential part of the UK’s culture, democracy and creativity for almost a century - has helped inform, educate and entertain all four nations, as we have collectively faced some of our toughest moments in recent history.

“Now, as we look to the future, we must play our part in supporting the UK’s social and economic recovery; rebuilding the creative sector and telling the stories that need to be heard from all corners of the country.”

The BBC has expanded its three-year partnership with the National Film and Television School in Leeds with the aim to strengthen diversity across the UK through 20 funded bursaries.

By 2027/28 the BBC will be spending at least an extra £700m across the UK, which it says will increase opportunities for jobs, training and representation across the country.

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The move will follow the relocation of Channel 4's national headquarters to Leeds.

The former Majestic nightclub in City Square will soon become the new home of Channel 4, with hundreds of jobs relocated from London to Leeds under the plans.

Leeds was named as the best place to live and work in the north of England in the latest Demos-PWC Good Growth for Cities Index, which measures the performance of 42 UK cities against 10 categories.

With an average score of 0.6 across all categories, Leeds performed better than all other cities in the North, including Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

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The city scored well above average in the overall jobs category and work-life balance, making it an attractive choice for businesses.

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