The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced an independent review into the way the BBC is governed and regulated.
The review, part of the current review of the BBC’s Royal Charter, will be led by Sir David Clementi, the former Chairman of Virgin Money and Prudential, and previously a Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.
Under the terms of reference Sir David will look into
- the model of governance and regulation of the BBC;
- the specific mechanisms of governance and regulation; and
- the way in which the BBC and the bodies that govern and regulate it engage with licence fee payers and industry.
“Television is of huge importance to the nation – and the BBC lies at the heart of British television. However no-one could deny that the BBC has made some bad mistakes in the last few years. Savile, McAlpine, Ross-Brand, severance payments and excessive salaries have all contributed to a widespread view that the governance structure needs reform,” said Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, John Whittingdale MP, continuing the robust attitude from the Conservative government since its election in May.
Currently governance and regulation of the BBC is variously conducted by the BBC Executive, BBC Trust and in some instances Ofcom. It has been widely speculated that Ofcom might assume the role held by the much-criticised Trust.
Sir David has been asked to submit a report setting out proposals for an appropriate regulatory and governance model for the BBC in the context of the Charter Review including key findings, conclusions, and any other supporting information in early 2016.
