Monday 15th
September, 3.30pm, Grimond Room, Portcullis House
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold an evidence session
with senior BBC representatives, including its Director General
Tim Davie, at 3.30pm on Monday 15th
September.
The session will examine the BBC's collection of the Licence Fee
in 2024/25, as well as assess the organisation's overall
financial management. Due to the increase in 2024 in the cost of
a TV licence to £169.50, income from its collection rose by 5%
for the BBC in 2024-25 (to c.£3.8bn from c.£3.6bn the year
before).
However, this increase was offset by a reduction in the number of
paid-for licences; the National Audit Office has found this fell
by around 314,000 (1.4%) to 22.6m between 2023-24 and 2024-25,
driven by more customers declaring that they do not need a
licence. Fee evasion also increased by c. half a percentage point
on 2023-24, representing up to £550m in lost income for the BBC.
On overall financial management, the PAC is likely to explore the
BBC's ambitions for savings and commercial returns. The BBC has
set itself a target to reduce costs by £700m in its licence fee
funded activities by March 2028, and to deliver returns from its
commercial activities of £1.5 billion over 5 years to 2026-27. It
has reported £546m of savings to date, and that it is 'on track'
to meet the returns target.
Other likely topics include how future funding will be
prioritised, how the BBC is preparing for review of its Royal
Charter (due to end on 31 December 2027), and how it is
addressing its findings that only 51% of those aged 16-34 feel
'the BBC reflects people like them'.
Witnesses from 3.30pm
- Tim Davie CBE, Director General,
BBC
- Shirley Cameron, Director of
Revenue and Customer Management, BBC
- Leigh Tavaziva, Chief Operating
Officer, BBC
