One of the candidates dropped in the recent race to chair Ofcom, the media regulator, is being considered to oversee a government-mandated review of future funding. of the BBC.
Sky News has learned that Lord Gilbert of Panteg, the former chairman of the House of Commons digital and media committee, is on a list of names to be assessed by Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary.
Whitehall sources said this weekend that the appointment of an independent person to lead the review was several weeks away and that other individuals were also being considered.
Lord Gilbert, who was peeped by David Cameron in 2015, could not be reached for comment.
A Westminster insider suggests he would be an “irreversible” choice to lead the BBC’s future funding review, despite the possibility of a sweeping overhaul of the BBC. The license fee model has been around for decades meaning any reform recommendations will be fiercely controversial.
Ms Dorries, who recently published a white paper on broadcasting that includes proposals to privatize Channel 4, has said the government is “ready to work on a new way of funding the BBC”, and suggested she wanted Ofcom “keeps the BBC”. stronger.
Some specifics of the ministers’ thinking have emerged beyond hints of what’s known as a Netflix-style subscription model.
The £159 annual cost of a TV license was frozen until 2024, increasing slightly over the following three years.
Last month, the BBC announced a series of cuts aimed at saving £200 million, with the most prominent casualties being BBC4 and CBBC.
About 1,000 jobs will also be cut.
Tim Davie, BBC director general, said at the time: “When I took this job, I said we needed to fight for something important: content and public services, freely available on the internet. globally, for the benefit of all.
“This war is intensifying, the stakes are high.”
In recent days, it has been increasingly suggested that Boris Johnson’s narrower-than-expected victory in a confidence vote this week could derail a Channel 4 sale given the magnitude of Tory’s opposition to the election. with this policy.
Lord Gilbert was close to being appointed chairman of Ofcom earlier this year before being defeated by Lord Grade, the former BBC and ITV president.
The BBC’s funding review is separate from part of the work commissioned by Ms Dorries last month, which will scrutinize the Corporation’s record on equity and diversity in its workforce.
The Ofcom search was branded by Julian Knight, who chairs the Commons cultural selection committee as “chaotic” that could put a reality TV series to shame”.
A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesman declined to comment on a possible appointment of Lord Gilbert to lead the BBC’s funding review.
