In a report published this week, the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, of which I am a member, has recommended that the BBC needs a radical overhaul of its governance arrangements. The report is based on more than six months of evidence and testimony that the committee has heard.
The Committee says:
• The BBC’s Board needs to be reformed and strengthened, with the addition of an independent Chair.
• The BBC Trust has lost confidence and credibility and should be abolished and many of its functions transferred to OFCOM, the industry regulator.
• The lack of transparency around salaries, and concerns over levels of pay for executives and talent alike, must be addressed.
• The process of Charter renewal should be separated from general election cycles to avoid undue political pressures, and last for a period of at least ten years to enable long term decision making.
• The BBC should endeavour to spread investment beyond just its London and Salford bases – and commission more programming in the regions – including the Midlands.
• The National Audit Office (NAO) should take on responsibility for auditing the BBC.
The Government recently set out a consultation which marks the start of the Charter Review process. It received 190,000 responses to the consultation, which has now closed, and will respond in due course.
I am pleased to have had the opportunity to play a role in the national debate as we map out the future for our BBC.
The BBC remains a popular and much loved institution but is not well served by its current governance arrangements. It has a vast amount to contribute as an international standard of excellence in public service broadcasting but as a largely publicly funded broadcaster the BBC must offer good value for money to taxpayers, and be appropriately accountable for its spending, for its editorial decisions, and for the conduct of its staff.
Improving the BBC’s accountability and transparency will help it to continue to innovate and create superb programming, while addressing the issues that plague the BBC and its somewhat introspective culture.