The Campaign for the Arts has published a major new report, A Stage for the Nation, about the BBC’s unique role in UK arts and culture, and has urged the Government to “be bold” in securing the future of the country’s largest cultural organisation.
Authored by Dr Helena Hollis and Jack Gamble, the report draws on extensive research, data and testimony from Campaign for the Arts supporters across the UK to make the case that the BBC is far more than a broadcaster: it is a cultural organisation and an essential pillar of national social infrastructure, whose future funding must be secured with ambition and principle.
The report is published as the UK government undertakes its first BBC Charter Review in more than a decade – a process that will determine the BBC’s future purposes, its funding model, and its ability to thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape. Since 2010-11, real-terms public funding for the BBC has fallen by approximately £2.7 billion (40%) in real terms, driven by licence fee freezes and the transfer of additional costs to the corporation.
The Campaign for the Arts warns that the Charter Review is a moment of genuine jeopardy, but also of opportunity, for arts and culture in the UK. Government action or inaction will have far-reaching consequences not just for broadcasting, but for the entire creative ecosystem and for UK society.
Jack Gamble, Director of the Campaign for the Arts and co-author of the report, said:
“This Charter Review is a make or break moment for the BBC. Ministers must be bold to ensure its unique and essential role in the arts, and in our shared culture, is protected and strengthened for the future. That must involve a reformed, ambitious and principled funding model, built to last.”
Dr Helena Hollis, Research and Analysis Lead at the Campaign for the Arts and co-author of the report said:
“The BBC is so woven into the fabric of UK cultural life, it’s easy to lose track of all the threads. We hope this report makes its contribution to the arts and culture more visible, at a critical moment not only for the BBC but for our whole social fabric. These are troubling and unstable times, and we need the BBC to share the power of the arts more than ever.”
The report argues that the BBC performs five core functions for arts and culture in the UK:
- Nurturing creativity and launching new talent – supporting the journey of talent development, from grassroots participation and education to the launch of professional careers.
- Bolstering our creative ecosystem – providing structural support for the UK’s creative sector, through the BBC’s own ensembles and festivals, its platforms and partnerships, and its UK-wide investment.
- Creating and investing in new and distinctive work – creating and commissioning ‘market-shaping’ work that is creative, high quality and distinctive.
- Reflecting and representing the UK’s cultural diversity – representing the diversity of the UK’s population and the distinctive cultures of its regions and nations.
- Fostering a shared culture and sense of belonging – playing a vital role in social cohesion, helping to hold the nation together through shared moments, national conversations and daily companionship.
It concludes by saying that, in order to sustain these functions, the BBC’s future funding must be Universal, Sufficient, Automatic, Guardrailed and Equitable – and cautions against introducing advertising or subscription models, arguing that either would fundamentally compromise the BBC’s independence, accessibility and public service mission.
Alongside the report, the Campaign for the Arts has launched an online tool for supporters to respond to the Government’s public consultation on the future of the BBC, which closes at 23:59 on Tuesday 10 March.
