A
BILL
TO
Require the BBC to enable licence fee payers to vote on its strategic direction
and aspects of senior salaries and programming, including referenda on
particular issues; to provide for election of the BBC Trust and the non-
executive members of the BBC Executive Board by licence fee payers; to make
other provision relating to the governance of the BBC; and for connected
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Requirements on the BBC
Notwithstanding anything in any enactment or charter the BBC must put in
place arrangements for individual licence-fee payers to vote on—
(a) the BBC’s strategic direction;
(b) 5aspects of senior salaries;
(c) programming;
(d) election of the BBC Trust;
(e) election of non-executive members of the BBC Executive Board;
(f) the level of licence fee; and
(g) 10ratification of the annual report.
2 Actions by the Secretary of State
(1)
The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument,
subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of
Parliament, define, for the purposes of section 1—
(a) 15the term “strategic direction”; and
(b) which aspects of —
(i) senior salaries,
(ii) programming, and
(iii) governance
20must be subject to a vote.
BBC Licence Fee Payers (Voting Rights) BillPage 2
(2) The regulations shall also—
(a)
set out how such votes are to be conducted, which shall include
provision that they be conducted on the internet; and
(b) make provision for referenda on particular issues.
3 5Short title and commencement
(1) This Act may be cited as the BBC Licence Fee Payers (Voting Rights) Act 2011.
(2)
This Act shall come into force at the end of the period of two months beginning
with the day on which this Act is passed.