We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.The Corporation said it was reviewing its local news output and regional current affairs shows across England in a bid to reduce costs. Among the programmes affected include Inside Out, which broadcasts 13 different local current affairs shows in a primetime slot on BBC One.

The series was expected to return in September with each region filming their own versions of the nine-episode series.

But BBC bosses decided to cancel the series saving around £3m it is understood.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Politics programme which questions local politicians about regional and national issues has been replaced by a single national programme called Politics England for this year.

The decision to scrap the regional shows comes despite the BBC announcing it wanted to focus programming on towns and cities that voted Leave during the EU referendum.

In its Annual Plan, the BBC mentioned Bradford, Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Blackpool and Peterborough – most of whom voted at least 60 percent in favour of leaving the European Union.

The plan states: “We need to focus on an audience that is less well served by the BBC’s current network portfolio.

“This is likely to involve a greater emphasis on audiences in the Midlands and North of England.”

The plan admits its current strategy was “effectively created in the Sixties and Seventies” and “while little has changed in the BBC’s editorial offer or geographical targeting, audiences have changed”.

Elsewhere in the plan, it was stated a “downgraded” BBC Four could become the first BBC TV service available to foreign audiences, as a subscription channel.

It comes after BBC Director General Tony Hall outlined a plan that will see at least two thirds of the corporation’s staff based outside London by 2027.

The BBC said a new tech hub will be opened in Newcastle-upon-Tyne whilst 150 jobs will be moved to Bristol.

Lord Hall wrote in a note to staff earlier this year: “Our centres have become magnets for ideas and talent, new jobs and investment. That’s really good news.

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“But I know we can go further. We can do so much more for this country – and we’re going to – starting this year.”

But the outgoing BBC Director General said a further £125m of spending cuts was needed because of the coronavirus pandemic which was having an impact on commercial revenue.

The corporation was also deferring negotiations over pay rises until later in the year, putting a freeze on all but the most essential recruitment and reviewing major capital projects.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “We’ve cancelled the second series of Inside Out this year and will continue with our single political programme for England through to the summer.

“These decisions allow us to prioritise our resources while providing the best possible service for our audiences during the current situation.

“Separately we are taking a thorough look at what we do in England. 

“This is driven by the BBC’s significant financial challenges and efforts to learn lessons from the COVID-19 crisis. No decisions have been taken on the future of any of our content or services.”

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