Lord Fowler declares BBC's charter 'unsustainable'

The Conservative peer Lord Fowler has said the validity of the BBC's royal charter has been called into question by last month's six-year freeze of the licence fee and deal over transferring the costs of the World Service. Fowler, the former chairman of the Lords communications committee, added that parliament might be a better guardian of the independence of the BBC, including its financing, "than an arrangement which is so much in the hands of ministers of the government in power". His intervention is part of a rising tide of concern over the implications of the surprise BBC funding deal, announced as part of the October 20 comprehensive spending review. In a letter published on Saturday in the Financial Times , Fowler, a former cabinet minister, said that the Commons and Lords committees responsible for the media have argued that the BBC should be placed on a statutory basis by act of parliament, which could periodically review the corporation's services and funding. "The reply of the last government was that the charter arrangement gave the BBC certainty for a period of 10 years. That seems an entirely unsustainable argument today. The last two weeks have seen a six-year freeze on the licence fee and the cost of the World Service transferred to the BBC," Fowler wrote. "Apparently the BBC only narrowly avoided having the cost of free television licences for the over-75s also being added. "There can be no doubt that the BBC's terms of reference have been profoundly changed. Parliament, who most nearly represent licence fee payers, will have no say in these new arrangements. It is a deal between government and the BBC." The Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) consumer group has also roundly criticised the hastily negotiated deal and said it intends to probe the implications in public meetings. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, cancelled a scheduled meeting with VLV members last week, because he was travelling to America at the request of the prime minister. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".