Would you care to leave? BBC asks staff for volunteer redundancies

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BBC chiefs are trawling for volunteers as they seek to cut 1,800 jobs to plug a £2 billion funding gap.

All news staff have been contacted by email asking if they are interested in redundancy either now or in the next couple of years.

They are being told that if they go on a date determined by their manager they will get an additional four weeks' redundancy pay.

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George Alagiah and Fiona Bruce are among BBC staff who have been asked if they would like to be made redundant

The email adds, however: 'We reserve the right not to agree to redundancy for individuals who, by the nature of their skills and experience, we feel it would be wrong to release.'

Similar emails are being sent out to other parts of the corporation.

If not enough people volunteer to leave, the BBC will make compulsory redundancies. This will almost certainly trigger union ballots for industrial action.

In addition to the job losses, the corporation is planning to reduce the number of new programmes it makes by 10 per cent, saving £100 million, and to sell its landmark Television Centre building, which is expected to fetch £300 million.

The BBC was criticised yesterday after it was revealed that it spent £370,000 last year on entering and attending awards ceremonies.