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Trust outlines BBC priorities
28 September 2007
Introduction
The BBC Trust represents the public interest in the BBC. On behalf of the public the Trust has ultimate responsibility for the licence fee and setting the overall strategic direction for the BBC.
During the first half of this year, the Trust consulted publicly on the priorities it proposed for the BBC and extensive research was also carried out amongst the public about their expectations and opinions. In October, the Trust will set the BBC's six year strategic investment plan; in other words, the framework for how the BBC will invest the licence fee to deliver the terms of its Royal Charter. This project began after the Government announced the licence fee settlement in January, when the BBC's new Royal Charter took effect, and has been led by the Director-General. The following message from Sir Michael Lyons, circulated to BBC staff on 28 September, outlines the Trust's priorities and requirements for the Director-General and his team to meet.
Dear everyone,
Some of you may have heard me being interviewed by John Humphrys on the Today programme on Monday morning about the Six Year Plan. As this week draws to a close a short update seemed timely.
Discussions will continue with the Executive before the Trust meeting on 17 October when we are due to reach final decisions. At our meeting last week the Trust reiterated its objective that, because virtually every household pays the licence fee, so everyone deserves value in return. This doesn't mean trying to please everyone all of the time, but it does mean the BBC must work hard to reach under-served audiences while keeping the support of loyal audiences. We don't underestimate the challenge of this, but the BBC's job is to meet its Charter Remit of six public purposes with quality content delivered as efficiently as possible.
The Trust is firmly focused on ensuring the BBC's strategic plan provides the quality, creativity and distinctive programming which the public tell us they value most and which the BBC does well. And we want that quality programming to work as hard as possible. We must see an extra 3% of annual efficiencies if the BBC is to live within its means and generate enough investment to meet its mission.
Earlier this year, and for the first time ever, we invited the public to have a say in how the BBC should deliver its mission to inform, educate and entertain. Over 4,500 people were interviewed, many organisations sent in their views and we published their feedback and research on our website: bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/consult/closed_consultations/purpose_remits.html. We are drawing on all this information and the extensive analysis of BBC finances carried out during Charter Review. Our decisions will be informed by all these inputs, but in the end the judgements are ours to make on behalf of licence fee payers.
The Six Year Plan is for the Director-General and his team to develop and implement, but we’ve laid down some specific requirements that they are responding to:
Ensure the Public Purposes and the public’s priorities are met, and in particular drawing on all the creative talents to provide a constant diet of new and original programme ideas.
Focus on the things which make BBC distinctive and for which it is highly valued: news, knowledge-building, drama, comedy.
Reach under-served audiences while keeping the support of loyal audiences.
Deliver 3% pa efficiencies through more productive working, use of technology and increasing effectiveness by:
- Making fullest use of the BBC's output, focusing on producing quality and using it effectively across as many services as possible.
- Reducing the volume of output but sustaining the range and diversity.
We have decided not to cancel any television or radio service this side of digital switchover. But October is not the end of deciding the future.
This is our bottom line: We want the BBC to deliver sustainable quality for all the UK's many audiences. That means it must do no more than it can do well, and it must get the very best value it can.
Michael Lyons
Chairman