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.”
Under the proposal, BBC membership could include different categories reflecting the broadcaster’s wider community, including: the general public, BBC employees, freelancers and creative workers who produce BBC content, organisations across the broadcasting and media sector, and supporters who wish to make additional voluntary contributions to sustain
public service broadcasting.
These categories would ensure the communities that sustain the BBC have a voice
in how it is run, says Co-operatives UK.
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.
Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, said: “The BBC needs to build trust and transparency with the people who fund and deliver it; the public, the employees the content supply chain and UK platform structure. We’re talking about the opportunity for real transformative change. By turning licence fee payers into members, the BBC’s relationship with the public would dramatically change. Instead of being accountable to government, it would be accountable to the people who fund it.
“People care deeply about the BBC. To retain its position as one of the UK’s most trusted institutions and a vital source of information, culture and shared national moments, there needs to be a re-set in the relationship. The way the BBC is delivered and held to account has not kept pace with the expectations of today’s audiences.
“Co-operative and mutual governance models have shown that organisations can combine independence with strong public accountability. Applying those principles to the BBC could help secure its future as a trusted, impartial public broadcaster.
“It would also recognise the wider community that makes the BBC possible, including employees, creators, freelancers who are the backbone of the UK’s broadcasting sector. Coupled with corporate membership for the platform owners and other broadcasters, we could truly deliver an agile service fit for modern UK needs.”
People who support the plan can make a submission to the government’s consultation before the end of 10 March.
