Review of BBC is chance to boost Scottish service

Annual report shows 52% believe BBC does not represent them

A review of the BBC must be used as an opportunity to improve services and deliver better coverage for Scotland, the Culture Secretary has said.

Fiona Hyslop said the UK Government’s Green Paper on the corporation’s future must not be used as a cover “to slash and diminish” the broadcaster.

UK Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said the BBC charter review would raise questions about the overall purpose of the broadcaster, the services and content it should provide, how it should be funded and how it should be governed and regulated.

A deal has already been agreed that will see the broadcaster take on responsibility for funding free TV licences for the over-75s, while the review will consider whether the corporation should pursue a narrower range of programming and examine the future of the licence fee.

The Green Paper comes two days after the BBC published its annual report.

Analysis from audience councils and focus groups found 48% of people in Scotland think the BBC is good at representing their life in news and current affairs content, compared with 61% in England, 61% in Northern Ireland and 55% in Wales.

Ms Hyslop said: “This week’s annual report from the BBC showed that it is failing to meet the expectations of the people of Scotland.

“More than half the nation doesn’t believe the BBC properly reflects their lives, and we’ve seen a decline in production spend in Scotland.

“These BBC failures must fuel positive reform, not furnish excuses for cuts.”

She added: “We’ve made clear the Scottish Government intends to play an active role in the charter renewal process and despite the UK Government failing to fully consult on the green paper or licence fee settlement we will be working to ensure that Scotland’s voice is heard.”

She added: “We must not have a situation where politicians use the renewal process to settle old scores.

“The public will not forgive them if they did.”