Chris Bryant's letter to John Whittingdale on the BBC - full text

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/07/chris-bryant-john-whittingdale-bbc

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Dear John,

In the BBC select committee report on the future of the BBC, you wrote:

“No future licence fee negotiations must be conducted in the way of the 2010 settlement”

“It was wholly wrong that 2010 licence fee settlement […] was not subject to any public or parliamentary consultation”

“The 2010 settlement demonstrated that the BBC’s independence can be compromised by negotiations with the government of the day that lack transparency and public consultation”

Five months later, you have conducted the exact kind of backroom deal without transparency or consultation you criticised. The BBC Trust have also expressed their disappointment at the manner in which you have forced this deal upon them saying in their letter to you that they “cannot endorse the process by which (the deal) has been reached” and that they “could not, ultimately, obstruct any decision that you made”.

Licence fee payers need all the facts before we can judge whether this backroom deal is a good use of money, and whether the BBC Trust’s presumption that the government will not now seek to impose further costs on the BBC during the charter period is correct. I am therefore writing to ask you to publish the full agreement you reached with the BBC, the letter you sent to the BBC Trust on 3 July, and all correspondence with the BBC regarding the deal you were forced to announce by my urgent question.

I will also be tabling parliamentary questions and sending freedom of information requests to the BBC, BBC Trust, Treasury and your department.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Bryant MP