Channel 4 has described proposals to move it out of London as “highly damaging”.
Culture minister Karen Bradley is expected to outline plans for a consultation at the Nations and Regions Media Conference in Salford on Wednesday. She’ll also tell delegates that proposals from her predecessor to privatise the publicly owned broadcaster have been scrapped.
Channel 4 has around 800 staff with as few as 30 working outside of London.
Birmingham has been touted as a possible location, but there have also been overtures from Salford, near Manchester, home to Media City, and from where the BBC has run its Sports operations since 2012.
In a statement Channel 4 said what mattered was where it spent its money, rather than where its headquarters were seated. “A substantial relocation would be highly damaging to Channel 4’s business model and diminish our investment in the creative industries around the UK and our overall contribution to the UK economy.