'High quality' BBC should be more independent, says public

The BBC is still held in high esteem by the British public and the corporation should be less accountable to government, according to a report published today by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.

The 'What You Said About the BBC' consultation summarised views collated during a major public consultation on the future of the BBC, carried out from December 2003 to March 2004. It also reflects the results of wide-ranging survey research.

The consultation findings will feed into the current review of the BBC's Royal Charter - a document that shapes the corporation, setting out its general aims and functions.

The main findings in the report were:

• the BBC has an overall satisfaction rating of 75%
• the BBC is still generally seen as setting the standard for others to follow – this strength of which is seen to be "intrinsically linked to the way it is funded"
• the BBC maintains a reputation for "reliable, accurate and impartial news reporting"
• the public would like to see the BBC become more accountable to licence fee payers, and less so to government or parliament
• but there was a "marked, but not universal" perception in focus groups and consultation responses that BBC programmes have declined in quality

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said that the consultation contained both "high praise and trenchant criticism".

"Most people indicated that they hold the BBC in high esteem. But there are concerns among a significant minority about a perceived decline in quality," she said.

"One clear message that does come through is that the public wants a strong BBC, independent of government. As I have repeatedly said, this is the only certain outcome of the Charter Review.

"The findings in this report provide the baseline for us to now go forward and shape the BBC of the future. I thank every single person that contributed."

This was the first time the public had been consulted at such an early stage in a Charter Review.

The report also found that, in the broadcasting industry, there was criticism of the degree to which the BBC promotes its own commercial products in its own airtime.

The findings of the consultation will feed into a series of seminars to debate key issues, such as funding, governance and quality of BBC services. The first of the seminars, which will be held at the DCMS in front of a small, invited audience, takes place today and will be attended by Lord Burns, the Secretary of State's independent advisor on Charter Review and BBC Director General Mark Thompson. The seminars' findings will be published on the Charter Review website.

The outcome of the seminars will play a key role in developing themes for a future Green Paper, to be published for consultation around the turn of the year.

(gmcg)