We say the BBC must make a firmer commitment to the Midlands. We calculate that Licence Fee payers in the BBC's Midlands & East region contributed £992 million in licence fee payments in 2025/26, whilst only £150 million of that was spent here... even if we estimate that generously.

Put another way, spending in the region accounts for just £26 or so of the £174.50 Midlands licence fee. It is the lowest share of in-region spending for anywhere in the UK. Which also means that the Midlands & East is contributing £147 per licence fee to spending elsewhere - mainly to BBC operations in London. 

The BBC's own discolsures in its Annual Reports have revealed that network television spending in the Midlands received the lowest share in the UK in 11 of the last 12 years. In 2025 that share was just 2.3%. Spending in London accounted for a 41% share, the North saw 19.5%, the South 9.5%, Scotland 10.4%, Wales 9.1%  and Northern Ireland 3.2%.

Yet, the Midlands & East region accounts for 26% of the UK population and licence fee payers, and more than one quarter of the BBC's licence fee revenues. This spending imbalance simply cannot be defended... 

The region with the most licence fee payers, receives the lowest BBC spending, and has been doing so for many years, despite many complaints and requests for change to BBC management, Ofcom (and prior to the BBC Trust).

The Midlands spending deficit has been happening in plain sight. Surely it's time for change.

We want to see a much fairer share of the Midlands licence fee coming back into the region, for network televiion production. The graph above, based on BBC spending figures in its Annual report, reveals just out of sync BBC spending has become across England. 

BBC Regional Expenditure Analysis

BBC in the Midlands Today

The BBC Charter