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
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Twenty-Sixth Report - The BBC’s implementation of Across the UK HC 426 17 Apr 2024 25 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
14 results
Clear
2 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC agrees, stating that ATUK programme benefits are updated monthly as part of programme reporting, with significant changes managed through a control process and all forecasts and actuals compared to a programme baseline.
HM Treasury
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4 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC has already implemented the recommendation by making changes to its 2023-24 Annual Report and Accounts, including clearly labelling Across the UK Programme content and separating it from other activities, and adding new performance data.
HM Treasury
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5 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC states it has adapted its benefits tracking into an integrated tracker and, since Phase 2 commenced in April 2023, has approved full measurement frameworks for audience and economic impact, sharing them with the NAO. It continues to gather economic impact data and will shortly release further economic analysis.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC committed to engaging with staff by analysing staff survey results by location, engaging with divisional teams and regional leadership as part of a midpoint review, and conducting post-implementation reviews for relocations. It clarified that specific ATUK questions are not included in the main staff survey due to the small proportion of affected staff.
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC responded by stating its confidence that the Across the UK programme will exceed its financial and economic benefit targets, detailing existing success and benefits measures, and describing the positive impact on programming and regional economic growth.
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The gap in the program expenditure caused by the decision to not relocate the BBC Concert Orchestra has been closed as a result of additional activity included in the Radio & Music business case approved in May 2024.
HM Treasury
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12 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The response states that because of the £700 million financial benefit created by the programme, Licence Fee payers have seen significant changes to programming, and 60% of network television spend is already outside London.
HM Treasury
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13 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC has accelerated delivery of the programme, including the realization of financial benefits, and met its Phase One financial benefit target by June 2023, just one quarter behind plan. Target implementation date is December 2025.
HM Treasury
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14 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC states that its Radio and Music business plan was approved in May 2024 and is on track to deliver its contribution to the programme, including achieving 50% of network spend outside of London.
HM Treasury
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18 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC has made changes to the BBC Annual Report and Accounts for Financial Year 2023-24 to clearly label narrative and statistics that relate to the Across the UK Programme and separate these from other pan-UK activity, and has included additional performance data.
HM Treasury
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19 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC has strengthened its management of programme benefits, introducing a refreshed approach to programme management including a new integrated benefits tracker and full measurement frameworks for audience and economic impact.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC has strengthened its management of programme benefits, introducing a refreshed approach to programme management including a new integrated benefits tracker.
HM Treasury
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24 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The Across the UK programme board is in regular dialogue with external partners to ensure the BBC is fully across any anticipated future issues related to delivery and the BBC continues to monitor the financial position of local partners.
HM Treasury
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25 Recommendation Accepted
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
Government Response
The BBC will improve monitoring of staff views by analysing staff survey results by base/location, engaging with divisional teams and regional base leadership for feedback as part of the midpoint review, and conducting post-implementation reviews for divisional relocations. Target implementation date is December 2025.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 25 of 5 classified
Accepted 14
Acknowledged 11
Total 5 recs + 20 conclusions
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
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