Summary
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee believes that confidence has been lost in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since its sudden licence fee settlement with the Government without public and Parliamentary consultation.
The report 'BBC Licence Fee Settlement and Annual Report’ (HC 454), details how the BBC Trust has undermined its commitment to public transparency through the rushed licence fee agreement and reluctance to expose talent salary information.
The new licence fee agreement was reached unexpectedly in October 2010 between the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the BBC without any time for wider consultation with viewers or Parliament.
The Committee believes the agreement reached is a reasonable one for the current climate, but the incoming Chairman will have a lot to take on, especially as the main outcomes of the BBC Trust's strategic review do not move the BBC on to the extent required by current circumstances.
On the partnership between BBC and Channel Four Wales (S4C), it is unclear how S4C can retain its independence under the new arrangements. It is extraordinary that the Government and the BBC should agree such wide-ranging changes without consultation or giving S4C any notice or say at all.
The Committee is particularly concerned that the National Audit Office (NAO) still does not have the promised access to conduct independent assessments of the BBC's value for money.
The report concludes that big questions remain over how radically the BBC needs to reconfigure both content and delivery in the years ahead.
Found this story interesting?
Spread the news by
clicking below to add it to your bookmarking service: