Documents to download

The BBC is established by Royal Charter, rather than an Act of Parliament. It was first incorporated by Royal Charter in 1927, with subsequent renewals running for various periods of five, ten, twelve and fifteen years. The current Charter, Broadcasting: Copy of Royal Charter for the Continuance of the British Broadcasting Corporation, was laid before Parliament in October 2006. It came into effect in January 2007 and will run until 31 December 2016. The Charter sets out the public purposes of the BBC, guarantees its independence and provides the duties of the BBC Trust and Executive Board, which form its governance structure. It also makes provision for a Framework Agreement to be made between the Secretary of State and Director-General. This agreement provides more detail about those topics set out in the Charter but also those that are not, such as funding and its regulatory duties. The current Agreement, Broadcasting: An Agreement Between Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the British Broadcasting Corporation, was laid before Parliament in July 2006.

On 16 July 2015, John Whittingdale, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, announced to the House of Commons that the Government had published a green paper as a first step towards the BBC’s Charter renewal. Mr Whittingdale told MPs that the BBC Charter Review would consider four key questions:

• What is the overall purpose of the BBC?
• What services and content should the BBC provide?
• How should the BBC be funded?
• How should the BBC be governed and regulated? 

 

Documents to download

Related posts

  • Holocaust Memorial Bill: HL Bill 4 of 2024–25

    The Holocaust Memorial Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 4 September 2024. This bill seeks to make provision for expenditure on the construction and operation of a Holocaust memorial and learning centre. It would also remove restrictions on building these in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to Parliament. It is a government bill, introduced under the previous Conservative government and continued by the newly elected Labour government. The bill is a hybrid bill, meaning it applies generally but also has a particular effect on specific groups, people or places. This entails additional stages for the bill. The bill is made up of two substantive clauses. It would extend to England and Wales, and apply to England. It would come into force two months after receiving royal assent.

    Holocaust Memorial Bill: HL Bill 4 of 2024–25