BBC News announces 415 job cuts in 'cost-cutting measure'

The move is part of £800m efficiency savings required after the license fee was frozen in 2010.

16:20 17 July 2014

The BBC’s director of News, James Harding has announced that the broadcaster's news department is to axe a further 415 jobs in order for the network to save £48m per year.

Harding also unveiled plans for the restructuring of the news division to position the BBC at the forefront of producing content for the digital age using technologies.  Part of the restructuring includes creating 195 new posts putting the number of those being let go to 220 full-time jobs overall.

BBC News, which currently employs around 8,400 people will remove 105 posts in World Service, 79 newsroom posts, 56 posts in newsgathering, 5 jobs from programmes and 2 posts from political programming.

The department has previously made a total of 215 job cuts from 2012, with around 200 jobs going from the BBC’s English regions.

The announcement came after staff called a 12-hour strike for next week in dispute over pay. The union says 77% of its members voted for strike action.