Licence fee subsidies, ‘Strictly’ up North: What Burnham could mean for BBC ...Middle East

The BBC should move Strictly to Salford to secure a new “fairer” licence fee deal from Andy Burnham if he becomes prime minister, industry insiders have said.

Allies believe he would be ready to guarantee the BBC’s long-term future in return for an increased commitment to move flagship shows and senior bosses out of London to the UK’s regions.

Figures familiar with Burnham’s thinking said the PM-in-waiting would favour reforms to the £180-a-year licence fee that reduce the cost for lower income households.

Proposals to extend the charge to people who watch streaming services like Netflix could be considered, potentially increasing the number of people who pay.

The new BBC Charter, which covers its running and funding and is being negotiated this year, could include commitments to shift more programme production and commissioning power out of London to the North, as well as the devolved nations, The i Paper understands.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, a neighbouring MP in Wigan who championed Burnham’s return to Westminster, is tipped for promotion in the new Cabinet. However, having begun negotiations with the BBC over its new Charter, she could be asked to stay on and finish the job.

Merseyside drama inspiration

A supporter of the BBC, Burnham credited the 1982 drama Boys from the Blackstuff, a searing portrayal of the impact of Thatcher-era unemployment on five Liverpool men, with inspiring him to enter politics.

During his tenure as Culture Secretary between 2008 and 2009, Burnham criticised his Conservative opponents for threatening to freeze a then-rising licence fee.

Roger Mosey, head of BBC TV News at the time, recalls Burnham being “broadly supportive (of the BBC) but not particularly interventionist or radical”.

However in a sign of the political awakening he would undergo as Greater Manchester Mayor, Burnham publicly chided ITV for missing its regional programme quotas, saying he was “tough on London-centricity and tough on the causes of London-centricity”.

Burnham could bring that approach into Downing Street if he becomes PM. One insider said: “The DCMS will be looking at strengthening the BBC’s regional commitments in this autumn’s Charter white paper. There will be more regional representation in the BBC hierarchy, and more moves for bosses out to the regions.”

‘Move Strictly to Salford’

BBC staff suggested the corporation should seize the initiative by uprooting a major flagship programme. “Moving Strictly from Elstree to Salford would send a positive message to the Burnham team that the BBC is serious about devolving power,” said one figure.

The BBC took the lead in shifting resources out of the capital in 2011 when it began relocating entire channels and departments to its £650m MediaCity UK base in Salford, where 3,500 staff now work.

The BBC has already moved its children’s and sport teams to Salford, along with the News at One, BBC Breakfast and Radio 5 Live.

However a BBC source said devolution had its limits: “Opening regional offices and moving people costs money at a time when the BBC needs to save £500m.

“We will do more in places like Salford, Cardiff and Glasgow. But there needs to be a secure and sustainable funding mechanism for the BBC to support these aims.”

The BBC said it had “no plans” to move Strictly’s production base.

No ‘advertising’ on BBC

Claire Enders, a leading media consultant, who has known Burnham since he sat in Brown’s cabinet, said the prospects looked bright for the BBC.

“Andy is a dyed-in-the-wool supporter of the BBC and public service broadcasting,” said Enders, who predicted there would be “no chance of allowing advertising on the BBC” – one option raised in the Government’s policy options to fund the broadcaster, if Burnham takes power.

Nandy could stay in her role until the new BBC Charter is agreed, Enders believes.

She said Burnham could look to support the “millions of homes on the edge who can’t pay their bills” by introducing some form of subsidy to help make the cost of the licence fee “fairer”.

Requiring business premises to pay the charge based on their employee count, a policy adopted in Germany, could help pay for the cheaper licences, she suggested.

The expected appointment of James Purnell, another former Culture Secretary who became the BBC’s Director of Radio & Education, as Burnham’s Chief of Staff, is seen as another boost for the BBC.

“Things have not looked better for Charter renewal for a while,” said Peter Bazalgette, the TV producer who has advised previous governments on broadcasting policy.

The BBC pointed to its response to the Government’s green paper on its future, in which the broadcaster said it had a “long track record of supporting the creative industries across the UK”.

It also says that “our bases across the nations and regions have acted as anchors for local creative economies”.

By the end of the 2026/27 financial year, the BBC will “exceed its £700m ‘Across the UK’ investment commitment and is forecast to deliver over £800m creative investment in total”, exceeding its obligations in the current Charter.

Andy Burnham was approached for comment.

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