We are outraged that the BBC have announced cuts which will lead to local African, Caribbean and Asian specialist radio programmes being axed, leading to job cuts for Black and Asian workers and failing to provide specialist programmes focused on topics which serve African, African and Caribbean communities. 

The planned cuts will impact adversely and disproportionate on Black and Asian workers and communities, particularly as these local programmes currently air on Sunday evenings, which is the time that the BBC plans to stop airing local programmes with no regard for those communities they serve. 

I am an equality and human rights campaigner and the National Chair and Co-founder of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts UK and am directly aware of the value and importance of these programmes. Specialist African, Caribbean and Asian programmes schedule interviews, focus on issues which directly impact our communities, not only shining a light on talent, celebrating our communities but also bringing crucial attention to issues of injustice, such as the Windrush Scandal and deaths at the hands of the State.

This recent action by the BBC follows their plan to axe the Dotun Adebayo show in 2019 which was met with widespread opposition and successfully campaigned against.

We are disappointed that the BBC appears to have learned no lessons from this.

Black employees at the BBC have told The Voice newspaper how they raised concerns with the BBC and reported that the BBC, disgracefully, wants to combine all the regional African, Caribbean and Asian programmes into one single podcast, playing it online rather than broadcasting it on air.

This approach waters down the rich, varied and local focus of these programmes and would mean that the BBC would fail to meet its commitments to race equality under the public Sector Equality Duty.

The BBC are required to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment prior to making any cuts, to consult workers, communities  stakeholders and service users and to take steps to avoid any adverse, disproportionate impact on race or other protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

We call on the BBC to cancel with immediate effect any plans to cut, water down, and / or reduce the quantity and quality of local African, Caribbean and Asian radio programmes and to practice race equality both as an employer and a service provider.