BBC reforms do not go far enough

BBC reforms do not go far enough

The Government's plans for changes at the BBC are too cautious and will be seen as largely cosmetic, Shadow Culture Media and Sport Secretary John Whittingdale has declared.Commenting on the publication of a Green Paper on the future of the corporation, he said: "The changes outlined are largely cosmetic.

The Government has taken the right approach but in every area has failed to go far enough."Mr Whittingdale told conservatives.com: "We share the Government's will to see a strong BBC producing high quality public service programmes. However, we also believe that the need for change should be addressed now and the charter should be looked at again in five years' time. "Instead, the Government appears content merely to tinker at the edges of the existing structure while essentially allowing the BBC to continue for another ten years with business as usual."

The Green Paper proposes scrapping the BBC governors and replacing them with two new bodies: a BBC Trust, and an executive board. However, the licence fee would be retained for at least another decade, while alternative funding methods will be examined in a wide ranging review. The Government has also told the BBC to stop "chasing ratings for ratings sake", and to buy in more programmes from independent production companies.