Written question asked by Lord Porter of Spalding (Conservative) on Monday, 9 January 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 23 January 2017. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 January 2017 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

BBC Board

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 5 December 2016 (HL3691), whether a representative from local government will be eligible to join the new BBC Board in order to help ensure that the BBC meets its public purpose of helping audiences to engage fully with major regional and local issues.

Answer: The BBC Board as a whole is required by the Royal Charter to ensure that the BBC promotes all of its Public Purposes, including helping people from all parts of the UK to understand and engage with the world around them. The Charter also sets out that there must be a 'Nation Member' for each of the UK’s four constituent nations who will have a specific role in ensuring that the BBC is both engaging with and reflecting all regions and diverse communities of the whole of the UK. Representatives from local government are eligible to apply for any of the roles on the Board which are currently being advertised.

Secondary information