The BBC's implementation of Across the UK

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 13 Dec 2023 Closed: 28 May 2024 Parliament page
The BBC’s Across the UK (ATUK) initiative aims to improve audience portrayal to better reflect the lives and communities of BBC audiences across the whole of the UK, by moving decisions on budgets and expenditure outside London, changing the culture of BBC commissioning, production and news. ATUK’s overall target is … Read more
5 Recommendations
20 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Letter
Activity timeline 3 events
11 Jul
2025
Report published
17 Apr
2024
Report published
11 Mar
2024
Correspondence
Recommendations & Conclusions
25 results
2 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Compare current and forecast Across the UK delivery against original plans, refreshing analysis ongoing.
The BBC has not assessed how the changes it has made to the scope of Across the UK will affect the overall shape of the programme and the benefits it is intended to deliver. Since the BBC’s announcement in March … Read more
HM Treasury
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3 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Finalise urgent plans to get Across the UK back on track for audio spend and apprentices.
The BBC remains very confident that it will deliver Across the UK as expected – we are concerned this is misplaced, given it is behind schedule in key areas. The BBC’s initial lack of planning resulted in unrealistic timelines for … Read more
HM Treasury
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4 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Align external and internal reporting on Across the UK programme progress to improve transparency.
The BBC’s reporting of Across the UK does not provide Parliament nor the public with a complete picture of progress with the programme, and risks causing confusion. The BBC considered its internal governance of programmes to be tight and specific, … Read more
HM Treasury
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5 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Urgently set out a framework to consistently measure Across the UK's tangible impacts for audiences.
The BBC’s plans for evaluating Across the UK are incomplete and it does not have in place an overall approach for assessing impact. To assess Across the UK, the BBC planned to measure changes to audience perception as well as … Read more
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Set out contingency plans for external partner changes and engage staff on Across the UK.
The BBC has not fully grasped the significance of the other bodies and communities it needs to work with effectively and which are crucial to the success of Across the UK. As part of Across the UK, the BBC has … Read more
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Committee took evidence from the BBC regarding its Across the UK programme implementation.
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the BBC on its implementation of its Across the UK programme.1
HM Treasury
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7 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
The BBC's Across the UK business case remains underdeveloped and lacks clear objectives.
We repeatedly asked the BBC to clarify how its activities will deliver the objectives of Across the UK. In response, the BBC gave us multiple examples of the programmes it has moved outside London and the local partnerships it had … Read more
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC de-scoped activities from Across the UK without an agreed process, risking objective impacts.
Since announcing Across the UK in March 2021, the BBC had de-scoped some activities from the programme, including moving some activities to other initiatives. For example, the BBC originally planned to create a new network of more than 100 digital … Read more
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC faces challenge to meet audio expenditure relocation targets after Concert Orchestra decision.
In June 2023, the BBC announced that its Concert Orchestra would not be moving outside London as it had originally planned. The relocation would have transferred £23 million of audio expenditure outside London. The BBC will need to find other … Read more
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC maintains flexible approach to TV commissioning locations despite potential impact on local partners.
The BBC told us that the third phase of the programme, which will run from April 2025 to the end of March 2028, would focus on maximising the impact of the strategy and, where necessary, make changes to its commissions … Read more
HM Treasury
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11 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC acknowledges other change programmes may affect Across the UK, particularly in local radio.
The BBC told us that Across the UK only included work to move activities outside the M25 and that it had separate strategies for its related initiatives in local services. We therefore asked the BBC about the potential impact of … Read more
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC met many Phase 1 targets but missed overall expenditure transfer and audio relocation goals.
The BBC met many, but not all, of the specific targets that it set for phase one of Across the UK to the end of March 2023. By March 2023, the BBC had already commissioned 110 new and returning drama … Read more
HM Treasury
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13 Recommendation
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC expresses confidence in meeting remaining Across the UK expenditure targets despite initial delays.
The BBC’s initial lack of planning resulted in unrealistic timelines for some areas of the programme, such as moving roles and local recruitment. It took three months for it to catch up and meet its target for transferring overall expenditure … Read more
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC significantly behind audio expenditure relocation targets, with plans for recovery not yet finalised.
The BBC recognised that it was behind schedule with its plans to transfer audio expenditure outside London. By March 2023, the BBC spent 41% of its expenditure on network audio production outside London, an increase of just 1 percentage point … Read more
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC behind apprentice recruitment targets due to economic barriers for partner companies.
The BBC was also behind on its targets for apprentice recruitment, namely to double the number of in-house apprentices by the end of 2025, supporting 1,000 in any given year, with 80% of its apprentices outside London. By March 2023, … Read more
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC apprentice scheme lags on lower socio-economic diversity and senior local hires.
We asked the BBC about its diversity and inclusion targets for apprentices, and whether it shared our concerns that these were not being met. The BBC explained that it had set overall diversity and inclusion targets for the whole of … Read more
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
Public confusion persists regarding projects included in BBC's "Across the UK" initiative.
In response to our inquiry on Across the UK, we received written evidence relating to local news and the impact of the BBC’s changes to its local services. Although the BBC told us that its local strategy was being delivered … Read more
HM Treasury
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18 Recommendation
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC acknowledges public confusion regarding the scope of "Across the UK" and its external communication.
We asked the BBC if it understood why there was public confusion about what Across the UK did, and did not, include. We observed that a member of the public might think that when something related to the decentralisation of … Read more
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC's "Across the UK" evaluation plan lacks detail and is significantly delayed.
In October 2021, the BBC agreed a phased approach to evaluating Across the UK. According to this plan, the BBC would not develop its methodology for evaluating Across the UK until phase two of the programme (April 2023 to the … Read more
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC lacks fully developed evaluation framework for "Across the UK" benefits.
In November 2023, the NAO found that the BBC did not yet have a fully developed evaluation plan to assess its progress with implementing Across the UK and to capture the intended benefits. The NAO reported that at this stage … Read more
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC's separate evaluation frameworks for "Across the UK" lack integration.
We asked the BBC what precisely it would measure as part of its evaluation. It told us that it had developed frameworks for measuring two key criteria for the evaluation – the audiences framework and the economic framework. It explained … Read more
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC unwilling to commit to standardised evaluations for all regional "Across the UK" clusters.
We asked the BBC how it was future-proofing Across the UK and how it would ensure that it was not simply replicating the problems of London elsewhere in the future in its regional hubs. These hubs refer to the locations … Read more
HM Treasury
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23 Conclusion
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC acts as "first domino" in local creative economies, fostering collaboration with partners.
We asked the BBC if it was always a driver or sometimes the follower in a local creative economy. Giving the example of its move to Salford, the BBC described itself as an “effective first domino”, saying that the local … Read more
HM Treasury
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24 Recommendation
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC lacks contingency plans if local government partners withdraw "Across the UK" funding.
We asked the BBC about the potential impact on Across the UK of issues within local government finance, given that several local authorities were reportedly close to declaring themselves bankrupt, or had already in effect done so, and may have … Read more
HM Treasury
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25 Recommendation
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s im…
BBC lacks specific staff data on "Across the UK" impact, engaged staff late.
We asked the BBC what specific data its management had to tell it what its staff thought about Across the UK. It told us it did not have any specific data but said it had a comprehensive staff survey where … Read more
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 1 letter
11 Mar 2024 Correspondence from Tim Davie CBE, Director-General, BBC, re Follow up to BBC Across the UK evidence session, dated 1 March 2024
Parliament page