Response from MP about BBC cuts

I have recently emailed my MP telling her about my concerns to the supposed cuts to the BBC and I have just gotten a response. I feel more assured now from the response on what her stance on the issue is. I definitely agree on her points on the government giving the National Audit Office full access to BBC accounts (some of the stars I think were overpaid) and a review on BBC Trust should be done. Here is her response in full..

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the future of the BBC.

I am a strong believer in public service broadcasting and believe that the BBC is both a great national cultural asset and a great British cultural export. I fully support the BBC and want it to remain the cornerstone of UK public service broadcasting. I know that my colleague Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has described the BBC as a “huge national crown jewel” and is committed to sustaining the BBC’s position as the nation’s standard-setting public service broadcaster.

However, I also strongly believe that the BBC can and should be doing more to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. To this end, the Government will give the National Audit Office full access to the BBC’s accounts to ensure transparency. The Government will be discussing the future of BBC funding with the Corporation in detail during the licence fee settlement and BBC Charter Renewal, and one of the issues that the Government has made clear needs to be addressed is the lack of transparency surrounding pay for top executives and highly paid stars.

I also think that in the long term the BBC’s governance structures need reforming. I am unconvinced that, in the long-term, the current BBC Trust represents the best model, rather than a genuinely independent regulator of the BBC that ensures licence fee payers’ interests are best heard.

The important factor, for me, is that the BBC’s programming is safeguarded while the Government works to reform its governance structure, pay scales, and transparency. As an avid fan of the BBC’s daily product, both on television and the radio, I will continue to observe the effect of these changes to ensure the high standards of this national product continues for a further generation.

Thank you once again for writing.

Kind regards,
Nicola