David Cameron has appointed a new Culture Secretary ahead of key talks over the BBC charter – as pressure grows to in the Midlands.
Essex MP John Whittingdale, who has previously dubbed the licence fee a “worse than a poll tax”, has been named the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the new Conservative government.
Mr Whittingdale is already the from the Campaign for Regional Broadcasting Midlands calling for half of the £942 million raised in licence fees in this region to be invested here – as it is in every other 海角视频 region.
For every family paying a licence fee in this region, the BBC – compared to £80 in the North, £122 in Wales and £757 in London.
It is a significant regional economic issue, as the Midlands would be in the region of £800 million a year better off if the BBC invested here at the level it does in the North and South.
Mr Cameron himself has , dubbing present reinvestment levels “unfair”. Fellow prominent Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson has also of the campaign, which makes.
In October 2014, when he was chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, he told a public question and answer session the BBC licence fee “was unsustainable over 20 to 50 years”, saying it must be “tweaked immediately”.
He said: “I’m not saying I wouldn’t pay the licence fee – I would go on paying the licence fee. It is a poll tax. It’s actually worse than a poll tax because under the poll tax, if you were on a very low income you would get a considerable subsidy.
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“The BBC licence fee, there is no means-tested element whatsoever; it doesn’t matter how poor you are, you pay £145.50 and go to prison if you don’t pay it.”
In his new role, Mr Whittingdale will oversee BBC charter renewal. The current BBC charter runs until December 31, 2016.
The BBC is moving 200 jobs to the Mailbox, after announcing its HR department the BBC Academy would move to the city, but investment levels in the Midlands are expected to remain significantly below all other BBC regions in terms of spend per head.