With the BBC’s funding and governance are once again under review, Co-operatives UK is calling for mutual features to be introduced, in its response to the government’s consultation.
The apex said it wants the broadcaster to be re-established “as a charter corporation with mutual features, owned and accountable to the public it serves”.
It says this would strengthen the BBC’s independence from government and political pressure, while giving audiences a stronger role in holding it to account.
“At a time when trust in institutions is fragile and misinformation is widespread, the UK should draw on the best traditions of co-operative and mutual governance to secure the BBC for the future,” it added.
Under Co-operative’s UK’s plan, the BBC would continue as a charter corporation, with broadly the same public purpose as now.
But it proposed two reforms, the first of which would introduce a perpetual charter “without the sunset clauses that periodically hand huge influence to government and politicians”.
Secondly, it recommends a charter with “mutual features that make the BBC accountable to the fee-paying public rather than to government and politicians”.
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Those mutual features would include replacing the licence with a membership fee.
“Everyone who ‘uses’ the BBC should pay a fee,” says Co-operatives UK, “and everyone who pays a fee becomes a member of the BBC.
“The membership fee is more explicitly a contribution to collective funding the BBC’s public purpose. It comes with rights to participate in the BBC and hold it to account for delivering on that purpose. Beyond the universal membership fee, there would be further ways for categories of member to contribute financially to the BBC.”
Next, the apex calls for sovereign control of the BBC to be placed under a member council, selected by “representative sortition”. Its role would be to “witness and verify the BBC’s independence, impartiality and public benefit”, hold the board to account, help make board appointments and elect a small number of member representatives to the board.
In certain circumstances, it would also have the power to remove board members and the chair.
Thirdly, it suggests measures for member participation, giving the council the power to form member groups based on geography, special interests or particular issues.
Members beyond the council will be offered less formal way to ways to participate, and all members would be provided with a means of raising issues with the member council.
Co-operatives UK says the proposals would rebuild public support for universal funding by increasing the BBC’s accountability, trust and independence.
It says its plan draws on existing practice in the UK and global co-operative and mutual economy, its own research and analysis, and work by the Media Reform Coalition. It wants people who support the plan to make a submission to the government’s consultation before the end of 10 March.
