Corporation says no final decision has been taken as union warns more than 700 jobs under threat

Trade union leaders have condemned proposals being considered by the BBC to axe much of its local radio output, claiming it could lead to the loss of more than 700 jobs.

The BBC, which is seeking savings of more than £400m following last year's licence fee freeze, is looking at cutting all of its local radio programmes, apart from the breakfast and drivetime shows, and replacing them with content from national news and sport station, BBC Radio 5 Live.

The National Union of Journalists said the proposals would "spell the death of local radio" and called on the corporation to "step back from the brink".

Jeremy Dear, the NUJ's general secretary, said: "Local radio plays a crucial role in keeping local communities informed. These proposals would rip the heart out of local programming and effectively sound the death knell for local radio.

"The BBC's plans would be a blow to quality journalism at the BBC and fly in the face of public commitments to localism and transparency. Local radio programmes are produced by local people for local audiences yet these decisions are being taken far away from communities and behind closed doors.

"The BBC must step back from the brink and protect local radio services. If they do not we will actively resist plans which threaten to inflict such devastating damage to local radio services."

The corporation has around 40 local radio stations with an average weekly audience of 7.4 million listeners.

But numbers have declined in recent years and in a report last year the BBC management called on local stations to improve the "quality and originality" of their journalism. The corporation began syndicating content between neighbouring local radio stations last year.

The NUJ said the plans – still believed to be at an early stage and put forward as part of BBC director general Mark Thompson's "delivering quality first" consultation – would lead to the loss of at least 700 jobs and the possible closure of some stations.

A BBC spokesman said: "No decisions have been made so it would be wrong to speculate. It is of course only right that BBC staff have an opportunity to input ideas about shaping the BBC's future.

"The [delivering quality first] sessions are designed to provoke discussion among staff about the way the BBC works and any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust."

But one former 5 Live executive described the proposals as a "big bad idea".

Bill Rogers, the launch editor of the 5 Live breakfast programme and now a radio consultant, said: "If this is a float to demonstrate they're prepared to consider radical stuff, then somebody warn them off.

"If it's a serious float, it needs sinking fast. Both services lose. The local radio audience is old, tending downmarket, 5 Live is fighting to stay younger than Radio 4."

The NUJ said BBC staff would be briefed about the changes on Friday. But a BBC spokesperson said : "It is not true that any decisions have been made so there are no plans to inform staff of any changes tomorrow." Such a radical change to the BBC's local radio output would require the approval of the BBC Trust, which oversees the corporation and last year rejected management's plans to close the digital music station BBC 6 Music. The proposals come as the big commercial radio groups move away from local content in favour of well-known nationwide brands, including Heart and Capital Radio.