BBC critics not seeing whole picture
REGION’S LEADERS HIT BACK OVER CLAIMS MOVE HAS CREATED ‘VERY SMALL’ BENEFIT
GREATER Manchester’s leaders have hit back at claims the BBC’s move north has only generated a ‘very small’ benefit for the region.
Six years after the corporation relocated to Salford, the think-tank Centre for Cities has found 4,600 jobs have been created – less than a third of those predicted. A quarter of them were due to creative firms from other parts of the region moving.
It says the impact on employment in Greater Manchester has been ‘very small,’ warning government should not now ‘over-estimate’ the economic benefits of moving Channel 4 out of London.
The BBC said it was ‘surprised’ by the report, while leaders hit back.
Sean Anstee, the region’s lead on employment and skills, said: “The BBC’s move to Salford has benefited not just Salford, but Greater Manchester as a whole and, indeed, the entire north west.
“As well as the direct benefits of the thousands of people that are now employed across Greater Manchester as a result of the BBC’s relocation, the move north has been instrumental in sparking a creative and digital revolution in the city region.” Salford council leader Paul Dennett also rejected the claims, arguing such moves are ‘critical if we’re to genuinely re-balance the economy.’ But Paul Swinney, principal economist of Centre for Cities, said that while the move had been ‘positive for Greater Manchester in other ways,’ it had ‘done little’ to create new jobs or usher in new businesses. “The lesson for cities bidding to be the new home of Channel 4 is that if they are successful, they should not expect to see a major boost to their economies beyond the jobs that the relocation would directly bring,” he added. A BBC spokesperson said: “We are surprised by this report as all other independent assessments of the BBC’s move to Salford have recognised the considerable benefit of the move, not just to the immediate MediaCityUK area, but to the wider economy of Greater Manchester and the north west. “The BBC was crucial to the development of MediaCityUK, bringing thousands of jobs, millions of pounds of investment and supporting the wider creative industries. To suggest our investment only benefits Salford, and not the rest of the region, seems very strange given the scale and size of our operation today.” Sean Anstee, employment lead