Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Acknowledged
BBC de-scoped activities from Across the UK without an agreed process, risking objective impacts.
Conclusion
Since announcing Across the UK in March 2021, the BBC had de-scoped some activities from the programme, including moving some activities to other initiatives. For example, the BBC originally planned to create a new network of more than 100 digital community reporters across the UK, but later in 2021 decided to move this into its local strategy instead. The BBC said it decided, between March and October 2021, to remove its activities in the devolved nations and local areas from Across the UK and deliver them independently. The NAO reported that the BBC considered the implementation of Across the UK to be an iterative process and that it needed to adapt its plans to meet its overall target. However, the BBC did not have an agreed process for requesting changes to Across the UK until October 2022 and decided not to review any changes made prior to this being adopted. The NAO found that this created a risk that the BBC had not properly understood the risks and impacts of these changes on its overall objectives.14
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges that the BBC had made changes to the programme following its original public announcement in March 2021, clarifying that the ATUK program business plan was set after the decision to remove Local and Nation’s journalism commitments from the program scope and deliver them as part of a separate program of work.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
2.3 The former Committee note the BBC had made changes to the programme following its original public announcement in March 2021. This is correct, but the ATUK programme business plan and baseline – including programme benefits – was only set once the decision had been made to remove Local and Nation’s journalism commitments from the programme scope and deliver them as part of a separate programme of work. This was agreed and set in October 2021. Since this time, BBC Local and Nations initiatives have been delivered by BBC Nations.