John Whittingdale, UK culture secretary
David Cameron’s cabinet reshuffle will no doubt be ringing alarm bells at the BBC as the Prime Minister appoints one of the Corporation’s biggest critics as the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
John Whittingdale MP has been selected by Cameron to oversee the running of the UK’s broadcasting, creative, media ownership and telecommunications policies – bringing into question the uncertain future of the BBC.
Just last October Whittingdale slammed the £145.50 a year licence fee for being “unsustainable” in the long term and said that it is “worse than the poll tax” – adding that it must be “tweaked”, with BBC funding methods changed altogether in the coming decades.
“I think most people, almost everybody, accepts that the licence fee as it currently stands need some tweaking to sort out anomalies,” he said.
“People’s viewing habits have changed and it needs to reflect that. That’s a very simple change and I think people see that.
“You then have the question of whether or not it should remain a flat poll tax, collected through some fairly draconian measures, and whether it should still be criminally enforceable.
“Government has already announced consultation on decriminalisation. I’ve been looking at other countries and I think there’s quite an attractive option of linking it to a specific household tax – maybe council tax.”
Whittingdale added that in the longer term the government needs to look at reducing at least a proportion of the licence fee that is compulsory and offering choice.
Whittingdale has been chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee for the last decade.
In his new role one of his first tasks will be to oversee negotiations for the BBC’s charter renewal, alongside looking at possible departmental cuts and press regulation.
Labour MP, Chris Bryant, was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
