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Charter Review and theΒ Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s response to the White Paper

James Purnell

Director, Radio & Education

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s current Royal Charter runs to the end of December 2016. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has responsibility for renewing the Charter and the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has negotiated with Ministers and officials to shape the future of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. The process officially began when the Government published and consulted on a Green Paper in July 2015. Over the summer this consultation received an unprecedented response from the public, with around 190,000 submissions, demonstrating the support and engagement that the public feels towards the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. Throughout the autumn of 2015, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ executives participated in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Trust seminars across the UK, listening and responding to questions from members of the public and putting forward the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s vision.

The Government’s White Paper in May 2016 was a significant milestone on the way to renewing the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s Royal Charter. Fundamentally, it affirms the importance of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ to the public and to the creative industries. It delivered three important proposals that should ensure a secure and independent future. Firstly, it proposed an 11 year Charter period to remove the coincidence of General Elections and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Charter negotiations. Secondly, it has cemented the licence fee as the way the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ will be funded for the next 11 years. Thirdly, it ensured that the scale and scope of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is maintained. In total, these measures should provide long-term stability and a strong foundation for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.

It is now of vital importance that we are able to ensure that the positive intentions of the White Paper are clearly transferred to the new Royal Charter and Agreement. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ looks forward to continuing to work with Government to ensure this happens. We will also continue discussions in the remaining areas where we are in disagreement.

Whilst doing this we will, of course, continue preparations to ensure that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is set up properly to address future challenges, including changing audience behaviours and shifts in the competitive landscape. In September 2015, we set out an ambitious reform programme for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ called British, Bold, Creative – aiming to make the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ more open, more creative, more distinctive and more personalised than ever before. We have already started work on delivering this behind the scenes and are confident that, with a new Charter in place, it will result in a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ that can look forward with confidence to the future.

James Purnell is Director Strategy and Education

  • This blog post appears in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Annual Report 2015/16 published on Tuesday 12 July 2016

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