Is There An Alternative To Delivering Quality First?

A new report focused on the BBC’s Delivering Quality First (DQF) proposal has questioned whether there is an alternative to the proposal that emerged out of the harshness of the 2010 licence fee settlement.
Landman Economics has analysed the impact of the DQF proposals on the UK economy, in particular the creative industries sector concluding that an alternative could be viable with the suggestion of raising the BBC’s licence fee.
The report’s author Howard Reed said: "Evidence on perceptions of value for money and willingness to pay reviewed in this report suggests that there is room for an alternative.
"An alternative settlement where (for example) the BBC licence fee rose in line with inflation for the next six years, rather than being frozen in nominal terms, would have been viable, based on the headline polling evidence.
"In short, there is a clear case for revising the terms of the current BBC funding settlement."
The report also outlines the impact DQF could have if completely implemented.
The general consensus of the research is that the cuts outlined in DQF are likely to lead to a reduction in UK economic output of between £1.1 and £1.7 billion pounds per year at current (2011) prices.
Meanwhile the research goes on to suggest far-reaching social consequences.
Mr Reed said: "DQF runs the risk of compromising the BBC’s public obligation to appeal to a diverse range of viewers and listeners. In particular, the cuts to local radio services are likely to have a disproportionate effect on older listeners, a group that contains a large number of isolated and vulnerable people.
"Regional service cuts will also tend to reduce the appeal of the BBC to licence fee payers outside London, exacerbating the existing North/South divide in the extent to which people feel the BBC offers good value for money. People outside London and the South East are already less convinced on average that the BBC offers good value for money."
(LB)