Andy Burnham and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy have been urged to replace the TV licence fee with a universal household levy, rated by an independent body and with exemptions for the poorest households. The proposal comes from Better!, a new progressive report led by thinktank Compass, which is headed by Mr Burnham's ally Neal Lawson.
The report calls for the £180 fee to be scrapped and replaced with the new levy. It also proposes that the government-appointed Board be replaced with a Council of BBC members that holds the BBC directly accountable to the public, as well as establishing regional membership councils to enable direct public participation in programming and accountability.
Long-term funding and political independence
The report urges Mr Burnham to guarantee long-term, ring-fenced public funding for the BBC, free from political interference. It argues that the BBC belongs to the public but is too often governed as an arm of the state or a private members' club, with senior appointments made by ministers and boards filled with political allies and corporate executives.
The report states: "Government cuts to BBC funding have wrecked services the public depend on to the point that there is a consistently declining view of the BBC as a public service." It adds that a truly national broadcaster must be publicly funded and publicly governed, run by the people who pay for it, for the people who pay for it.
Tax justice and media accountability
The report also makes a broader case for media reform, saying: "A handful of billionaires and offshore corporations control most of Britain's press and digital platforms while avoiding UK tax. They are held up as representing all of us, as the 'free press', but their dominance distorts public debate and undermines democracy. If they refuse to contribute fairly, they should not be allowed to own or influence UK media."
It continues: "Tax justice is media justice: those who shape our information environment must pay their share toward sustaining it. Progressive levies on large media holdings and advertising profits would fund independent journalism and level the playing field for smaller outlets."
Mutualised BBC and public accountability
The report proposes a "mutualised BBC" that is independent of government, insulated from commercial pressures, and accountable to its members - all British citizens - through democratic structures. It says: "Transforming the BBC this way would revitalise public service media, giving communities a real stake in the stories told about them."
The report also highlights that the BBC's current governance model has led to a consistently declining view of the BBC as a public service, and argues that the proposed changes would help restore public trust and accountability.
