Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Acknowledged
Public confusion persists regarding projects included in BBC's "Across the UK" initiative.
Conclusion
In response to our inquiry on Across the UK, we received written evidence relating to local news and the impact of the BBC’s changes to its local services. Although the BBC told us that its local strategy was being delivered as a separate strategy to Across the UK, we noted that the network of 100 digital community reporters was originally announced as part of Across the UK before being moved into its local strategy. The written evidence 26 Q 81; C&AG’s report, paras 2.20–2.22, 3.6 27 Qq 75–76, 78–80; Letter from Tim Davie, Director General, BBC, to Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair, Committee of Public Accounts, dated 1 March 2024, pages 5–6 14 The BBC’s implementation of Across the UK we received suggested that stakeholders expected that the evidence they had provided on local news would be relevant to our inquiry on Across the UK.28 Similarly, the BBC told us relocating its Birmingham premises from The Mailbox to Digbeth was a separate project to Across the UK, yet it referred to this relocation and claimed its benefits under Across the UK in its 2022–23 Annual Report and Accounts.29
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.