The BBC is responsible for collecting licensing fees, so they contract the work out to companies that pretend they’re the television cops, who collects the money for the BBC, who gives then gives it to the government, then the government votes to give the money back to the BBC every year as part of the budget, and it covers half their budget.
Is that about right? Did John Madden design this process?
No, the BBC is funded through the licence fee, not the budget. It’s a weird system but the idea is that the government can’t just turn on/off the funding spigot to put pressure on the BBC.
Of course, they still manage to put pressure on in other ways, by appointing board members etc
No, the BBC is funded through the licence fee, not the budget.
That’s not how BBC funding works. The money the BBC’s contractors collect goes to His Majesty’s Bank Balance (or, the Consolidated Fund if you want to use official euphemisms). There is an annual vote for an Appropriation Act that returns a portion of His Majesty’s Bank Balance to fund the BBC for the year.
So if I understand this correctly:
The BBC is responsible for collecting licensing fees, so they contract the work out to companies that pretend they’re the television cops, who collects the money for the BBC, who gives then gives it to the government, then the government votes to give the money back to the BBC every year as part of the budget, and it covers half their budget.
Is that about right? Did John Madden design this process?
No, the BBC is funded through the licence fee, not the budget. It’s a weird system but the idea is that the government can’t just turn on/off the funding spigot to put pressure on the BBC.
Of course, they still manage to put pressure on in other ways, by appointing board members etc
That’s not how BBC funding works. The money the BBC’s contractors collect goes to His Majesty’s Bank Balance (or, the Consolidated Fund if you want to use official euphemisms). There is an annual vote for an Appropriation Act that returns a portion of His Majesty’s Bank Balance to fund the BBC for the year.