BBC Resources staff in Birmingham and Bristol are to escape compulsory redundancy despite the commercial facilities company's plan to cease trading at the two cities.

In emergency meetings today, management at both sites told staff that any employee not seeking voluntary redundancy would move to BBC Vision Production.

BBC Resources had initially warned that there would be a “significant” number of post closures, with up to 76 posts affected in the two cities.

But compulsory redundancies will now be avoided following meetings with broadcasting union Bectu. The parties are also understood to have agreed to waive any ban on BBC Vision re-employing staff who take voluntary redundancy in a freelance capacity.

The closures of BBC Resources Birmingham and Bristol are part of a wider shake-up of BBC Studios and BBC Post Production in London, with 210 jobs initially set to go.

BBC Resources is holding further talks with Bectu tomorrow afternoon and is subsequently set to announce wider details of its plans.

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