BBC may have to contemplate various funding choices in future, minister says
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he BBC may have to contemplate various types of funding sooner or later, a minister has stated, after being probed in regards to the fallout of the Huw Edwards controversy.
Culture minister Sir John Whittingdale stated the decline within the variety of licence charge payers might imply the company might want to search for different types of revenue in future, forward of a evaluation into its funding mannequin.
John Nicolson, the SNP’s tradition spokesman, had earlier informed the minister there was a necessity for an “independent press regulator with teeth”, following The Sun newspaper’s allegations about BBC presenter Huw Edwards.
At tradition, media and sport questions within the Commons, Scott Benton, the impartial MP for Blackpool South, stated: “Many of my constituents think that the BBC licence fee is an outdated regressive tax and question why they should have to fund a broadcaster which they don’t support and don’t want to watch.
“If a formal review of the BBC’s funding model is indeed to take place in the autumn, then surely abolishing the licence fee altogether has to be one of the options considered?”
Sir John replied: “The Government has made clear that the licence fee will remain in place for the remainder of this charter period, but he is right that there are challenges going forward.
“He may be aware that the number of people paying the licence fee has fallen by 1.9 million in the last five years.
“Therefore it is right that we should look at possible alternative sources of funding for the BBC in the longer term, that will be focus of the funding review.”
SNP tradition spokesperson Mr Nicolson had earlier raised The Sun’s reporting about an unnamed BBC presenter who paid a youngster for express pictures.
Edwards was named by his spouse, Vicky Flind, in an announcement to the PA news company because the presenter within the newspaper’s experiences, after a number of days of social media hypothesis in regards to the presenter’s identification.
She stated on the time he’s receiving in-patient hospital care and is struggling “serious mental health issues”, whereas an investigation by the Met Police discovered no proof a felony offence had taken place.
The Sun, which is now cooperating with an inner BBC investigation, has stated that its unique story didn’t allege criminality and “also took the decision neither to name Mr Edwards nor the young person involved in the allegations”.
Mr Nicolson informed the Commons: “I wonder what the Secretary of State thinks the lessons might be? Perhaps politicians should exercise more caution before issuing condemnations about developing stories? Maybe we should remember to treat any story in The Sun with extreme caution?
“And given this further example of intrusive prurience, we could all remind ourselves of why there was once widespread agreement about having an independent press regulator with teeth, something the Conservatives once supported, before getting frightened off by powerful press barons.”
Culture minister Sir John responded: “Whilst the Secretary of State and I did ask to be kept informed by the BBC, it was a matter for them.
“And as he has suggested, they have established an inquiry internally to find out whether there are any lessons to be learnt… The Sun is of course a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) which does have a code, and if there have been breaches of the code then that is a matter for Ipso to adjudicate.”
Elsewhere within the debate Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has weighed in on the BBC proposed cuts to native radio.
His feedback got here after Dame Caroline Dinenage, the Tory chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, raised issues in regards to the influence of the cuts to “many of the elderly, vulnerable and isolated people in our communities”.
Sir Lindsay interrupted the proceedings to inform MPs there is likely to be “empty studios if we are not careful”, including: “And we certainly don’t want to see the end of Radio Lancashire.”