BBC chief criticised over ‘flawed’ handling of over-75s licence fee

MPs have criticised BBC chief Lord Tony Hall for his handling of negotiations on the TV licence fee for over-75s.

The BBC agreed to take on responsibility for funding the scheme as part of the charter agreement hammered out in 2015.

The House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee blamed both sides for the secret nature of the negotiations.

While the BBC complained about the UK Government’s approach, MPs “found little evidence of transparency in the Corporation’s decision-making either”.

It was a “flawed process on all sides that gave no opportunity for consultation,” their report said.

MPs said that “the criticism that funding negotiations should not have happened ‘behind closed doors’ applies as much to the BBC as it does to the government”.

They said minutes for the meetings should have been properly recorded but are incomplete.

The BBC could have acted earlier to communicate the likelihood that they would not be able to fund a full licence fee concession for people over 75 from 2020, they said.

But it was wrong of the then government to seek “to ‘bounce’ the BBC into accepting a deal”.

The MPs’ report also criticises “poor management, leadership and governance at the BBC”.

On the gender pay gap, the MPs said “there is still a long way to go at the BBC”, even though the broadcaster is continuing to take steps to resolve the issues.

Criticising BBC director-general Lord Hall, the report says he should have sought “the formal agreement of the (now defunct) Executive Board before recommending (the deal) to the BBC Trust”.

MPs said free BBC TV licences should be restored for all over-75s.

Committee chairman Damian Collins said the BBC had “put itself” in an “invidious position”.

Sir David Clementi, chairman of the BBC, said: “We will continue to implement the decision we have taken – after extensive consultation – on over-75s licence fees with great care and responsibility.”