Following the Green Paper on the Review of the BBC’s Royal Charter, the NUJ’s General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, has warned that any “cosy understanding” between management and the Government to downsize the BBC would be “too heavy a price to pay”.

The statement, yesterday, came as the day that the NUJ, BECTU and Amicus joined forces to campaign against cuts and outsourcing, due to be announced this month. In December, the BBC Director General, Mark Thompson, announced that 5,000 jobs would go at the public service broadcaster.

Responding to the Green Paper, Jeremy said: “Today’s announcement cannot be divorced from the damaging exercise in self-harm being carried out by the BBC’s senior managers themselves.

“While we welcome the 10-year Charter and ruling out of top slicing, the level of any licence fee settlement is critical to delivering the BBC’s objectives.

“Cutting thousands of jobs, damaging programme-making capacity and privatising important sections of the BBC is no blueprint for a strong, independent BBC.

“Some have suggested the cuts alongside today’s announcement are the result of a cosy understanding between management and the Government to downsize the BBC in the face of commercial and political pressure. If so, it is too heavy a price to pay”.

Major features of the Green Paper are plans to maintain the licence, with a review in 2016, and to replace the board of governors with a "trust" that would ensure that the viewer's voice is heard.