Smaller World

The BBC World Service faces serious shortfalls in funding, and seems further away from a return to full Government funding than ever before. 

Back in November, Foreign Secretary David Lammy upped funding for 2025/26 by £32.6m, to a total of £137m.  Even that settlement left the BBC closing 130 posts, to save £6m. 

The BBC bid for 2026/27 is £200m; Tim Davie's longer-term ambition is for the World Service to be totally funded from taxation, at £400m a year. 

Now The Guardian tells us that the World Service has been asked to cast budgets for 26/27 which reflect FCO flat-funding of £137m, and FCO funding of £134.25m, a 2% cut.  This follows the March announcement of withering cuts to the ODA budget - where the World Service funding sits. In the last full financial year, BBC licence payers contributed £233m to the World Service, down from £249m in 2022/23.