The current BBC Charter expires on 31 December 2027, with a new Charter expected to take effect on 1 January 2028.
The BBC is the single biggest investor in UK content and a key source of commissions, funding and training for WGGB members across many craft areas.
The Charter renewal process (which happens every 10 years) offers an important opportunity to inform Government about all we value about the BBC, as well as highlighting those areas where change would be beneficial.
In addition, in June 2026, the broadcaster announced large-scale cuts, including a loss of 550 jobs as the first part of a plan to slash £500 million from its budget (read our response here). This is devastating news and further details are continuing to emerge.
We’re stepping up our campaigning and lobbying activity in response to the Charter renewal process and the cuts and backing the Beeb at every step of the way! You can find out what we’ve been doing and ways that you can get involved below.
What we’ve been doing
- We signed a joint letter with our sister creative unions to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP when the Government launched its green paper and public consultation on the future of the BBC in December 2025. The letter set out guiding principles that we believe should underpin Charter renewal – universality, accuracy and impartiality, creativity and innovation, proper resourcing and valuing the creative workforce. You can read the letter here.
- We held two town-hall-style online meetings in February 2026 to get our members’ views on the Government’s public consultation on Charter renewal and to help inform WGGB’s response. We held a further two town-hall style meetings with members in June 2026 to formulate our response to the cuts.
- We responded to the Government public consultation on Charter renewal which closed on 10 March 2026.
- We have been attending events in Westminster hosted by the Broadcasting, Entertainment and Arts Unions (BEAU) APPG, talking with Parliamentarians and providing briefings to policy-makers and others.
- We are working collaboratively with other unions and creative industry stakeholders to share information and identify areas where we can act together to represent the best interests of writers.
What you can do
- Sign and share our petition (as part of the Broadcasting, Entertainment and Arts Unions group), Back Workers. Back Our BBC (sign it here)
- Our sister union Bectu has launched a campaign video on social media which we would urge all our members to share (view it here).
- Write to your MP to support an Early Day Motion tabled by our sister union the NUJ. You can view the Early Day Motion ‘Job cuts planned at the BBC’, including details of MPs who have already supported it, and you can find out who your MP is and contact them via this website. If your MP has already supported the Early Day Motion, then please write to them to thank them.
- Thanks to all our members who submitted a response to the Government public consultation on Charter renewal, which is now closed (read the summary of key messages we produced to support our members in this). We’ll keep members posted.
- Read what WGGB President Jack Thorne said about the BBC in a Broadcast magazine series on the future of the corporation (read the article here).
- Contact WGGB Organiser Eleanor Dawson if you’d like to get involved in our campaigning and lobbying work. Email [email protected]
Sources of support and funding
We understand that these are anxious times for our members and you can find helplines and sources of support on our website.
You can also view details of our Welfare Fund for members. In addition, the Royal Literary Fund offers a series of grants for writers experiencing setbacks, financial difficulties, ill health or who are unable to work. View the grants