Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has launched the next review of the BBC’s Royal Charter “with the aim of bolstering trust in the broadcaster and putting it on a sustainable financial footing.”
The current Charter expires in December 2027. A public consultation starts now and will close on 10 March. A draft of the new Charter will then be published and debated in Parliament before the current Charter expires. The Charter Review will complete with the granting of a new Charter for the BBC from 2028.
Lisa Nandy said: “We want the BBC to continue to enrich people’s lives, tell Britain’s story and showcase our values and culture at home and overseas, long into the future. My aims for the Charter Review are clear. The BBC must remain fiercely independent, accountable and be able to command public trust. It must reflect the whole of the UK, remain an engine for economic growth and be funded in a way that is sustainable and fair for audiences. As a government, we will ensure that this Charter Review is the catalyst that helps the BBC adapt to a rapidly changing media landscape and secures its role at the heart of national life.”
The Government has published a Green Paper today which consults on a range of options being considered for the future of the BBC.
Options in the Green Paper that the Government is considering and seeking views on include “strengthening the BBC’s independence so that the public continues to have trust in the organisation and its programmes and content, including considering the government’s role in board appointments.”
The green paper considers updating the BBC’s Mission and Public Purposes to give “accuracy equal importance alongside impartiality and improving transparency of editorial decision-making to ensure the BBC explains journalistic processes and how its coverage evolves, especially during high profile events.”
The BBC may also be given new responsibilities to counter misinformation, and bolster media literacy to help the public “navigate technological change and develop digital skills, including around AI.”
The green paper will also consider introducing specific duties around workplace conduct “to ensure BBC staff are protected and the organisation sets the standard for the rest of the sector to follow – including new responsibilities for the BBC Board to ensure action is taken against workplace misconduct.”
In terms of funding, the green paper will consider “reform of the licence fee, whether licence fee concessions should be updated, and options for the BBC to generate more commercial revenue.” It will also look at options for funding the World Service and minority language broadcasting, including S4C.
The Government will also look into placing a new obligation on the BBC to “drive economic growth, build skills and support the creative economy across the UK.”
This will include ways in which the BBC can “further support the production sector across the nations and regions, including by ensuring that budgets and decision-making power for commissioners are spread across the UK, and by supporting minority language broadcasting.”
The review will also look into “empowering the BBC to be an ethical and economic leader in adapting to new digital technologies, and enabling it to invest in Research and Development to support growth and drive public service benefits” alongside “encouraging the BBC to deliver more through collaborations and partnerships for growth and public value outcomes, including with organisations across the creative economy, and with local news outlets.”
Jon Creamer
Share this story
