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Radical overall of governance needed at the BBC says report
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In a report published yesterday,the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee says the BBC is an “extraordinary national and global institution" with a “vast amount to contribute as an international standard of excellence in public service broadcasting", but that in a fast-moving world it needs a radical overhaul of its governance arrangements.
Its Director General is “effectively accountable to no one" but also lacks the support for difficult editorial decisions or to drive change through the organisation. Improving the BBC's accountability and transparency will help it to continue toinnovate and create superb programming, while addressing a culture that is stillperceived by many as arrogant and introspective.
This was most recently illustratedby the “lobbying letter" episode: the Committee says it was completely unacceptablefor the BBC to be secretly using stars to campaign “independently" on its behalf,and particularly disappointing that BBC executives refused either to investigate ordisavow the episode and instead defended the BBC's actions. The Committee says:
* The BBC Trust has lost confidence and credibility and should be abolished. However, the problem that the Trust was intended to solve remains
* The BBC's Board needs to be reformed as a unitary board and strengthened,with the addition of an independent Chair
. * It awaits the results of the Clementi review, but in its judgement wideraccountability should be the task of a separate section of Ofcom
* A new complaints procedure would see all complaints handled initially bythe BBC itself, with both industry and editorial issues subsequently escalated toOfcom
* The redefined BBC Board should re-examine the business case for BBCWorldwide and, if it decides to retain the wholly-owned subsidiary model, it shouldbe subjected to greater transparency and accountability and kept under kept underreview by Ofcom
* There remain concerns about the BBC Studios proposals on four fronts: State Aid rules, transparency and accountability over pay, the relationship betweenBBC Studios and BBC Commissioners, and the BBC's regional presence
* The lack of transparency around salaries, and concerns over levels of payfor executives and talent alike, must be addressed. In relation to the Charter review, the Committee says
* The process of Charter renewal should be separated from general elections,to avoid undue political pressures, delay and uncertainty
* It does not believe there is merit in a short Charter of five years or so
* If the White Paper is delayed as expected, there may well be a case forextending the present Charter for a further period.
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DATELINE: 12 February, 2016
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