Call For Government To Agree On Licence Fee Settlement

A meeting in the House of Commons, attended by some 150 people representing a wide range of voluntary and industry groups, called on the Government on Tuesday 9 to agree a settlement for the BBC licence fee which will enable the Corporation to deliver the high quality content and services that licence fee payers want of it, and at the same time fulfil the extra responsibilities placed on it by its new Charter and Agreement.
These extra obligations include the major responsibility for financing the process of switching the UK to digital, in particular helping ‘vulnerable’ viewers to acquire new receiving equipment, The estimated sums involved vary between £400 and £800 million, with an additional £400 million committed to moving some of its departments to Manchester.
The meeting, organised by MP John Grogan and Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV), was chaired by Jocelyn Hay, VLV Chairman.
Following contributions from 20 people, it was unanimously agreed that the following resolution should be sent to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and members of the Cabinet:
"This meeting calls on the Government to settle the BBC licence fee at an adequate level, linked and at least equal to the RPI, to enable the BBC to deliver high quality content and at the same time meet all the obligations, and to provide the existing and new services, set out in the Corporation’s new Charter and Agreement."
The meeting was called in response to press reports just before Christmas that the Treasury was pressing for a licence fee settlement below the RPI.
Commenting, VLV chairman, Jocelyn Hay said: "Research commissioned by the DCMS in 2005 following the longest and most detailed public consultation on the future of the BBC, showed that a majority of viewers were willing to pay a higher licence fee in order to receive high quality content and services from the BBC together with something towards the cost of digital switch-over. If the Government has now decided that the BBC must bear the cost of helping the Government to achieve its social policy of switching the UK to digital, and also of moving some BBC departments to Manchester, the Corporation must be allowed adequate funding to do so without impairing its ability to deliver the high quality content that licence fee payers expect. Whilst VLV would not in any way condone an over-generous settlement, we consider it essential that the BBC is given adequate means to do the job. Unless this is so, licence fee payers will suffer and so will the national interest."
(DS)