MORE than 400 people working at the BBC could be hit by job cuts, with staff in Southampton potentially at risk.

The BBC Southampton complex in Havelock Road is home of news programme South Today and local station BBC Radio Solent.

Inside Out, the regional current affairs magazine show made in 11 different regions, will be axed and replaced with a new investigative journalism programme from six hubs.

The news platform announced the shake-up of regional TV news and local radio in England on Thursday, leading to 450 cuts.

While a consultation is carried out, a spokesperson said they do not have the figures for how many in Southampton are at risk, if any.

The broadcaster said that BBC England – which currently has over 3,000 staff – must save £25 million by April 2022.

Changes will see one instead of two presenters fronting 6.30pm regional TV news bulletins.

A “simplified schedule” introduced on local radio during the pandemic, with single instead of double presenters and a reduction in the number of shows, will become permanent.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the cuts – which will affect presenters, journalists, technical and operation staff – “could have a serious impact” on the BBC’s “ability to represent all parts of the country”.

Helen Thomas, director of BBC England, said “difficult decisions” had to be made on local and regional services.

She said: “We must adapt to better reflect how people live their lives, how they get their news and what content they want.

"We’re going to modernise our offer to audiences in England by making digital a central part of everything we do.”

Presenters Tim Daykin and Simon Clarke left their roles at BBC Radio Solent recently but this was not related to this announcement.

A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC faces huge financial challenges and our local services are not immune to these pressures.

"We announced proposals to retain the successful changes made to the weekday daytime local radio schedules at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic on a permanent basis.

"All 39 stations will continue to provide local content to communities across the country and further updates to individual station schedules will be reviewed at a later date."