The house of commons culture media and sport select committee is launching an inquiry into BBC charter renewal, just five months after the previous committee reported its findings on the future of the corporation.
The committee will look at the proposals for charter renewal in the government’s green paper published by culture secretary John Whittingdale last Thursday, who oversaw the last committee’s report as chair, as well as responses from the BBC and BBC Trust.
The inquiry will be taking written submissions until 30 September, before hearing evidence in person.
Topics to be examined include the scope of the BBC, the possible replacement of the licence fee with a universal household levy and whether or not the corporation’s commercial arm BBC Worldwide should be privatised.
Jesse Norman, who took over from Whittingdale as chair of the committee last month said: “BBC charter review is a topic which directly or indirectly touches us all. That is why it is essential that the arguments made both by the BBC and by the government be given full and rigorous scrutiny by parliament, in the public interest.”
