20
Rejected
We asked the BBC what it would do if it were to receive the funding...
Conclusion
We asked the BBC what it would do if it were to receive the funding settlement it requested from the FCDO. The BBC told us that it was grateful that the FCDO had increased funding by £30 million in 2025–26 and it had asked for a similar increase for 2026–27. The BBC explained that this level of increase would not allow for transformational change due to financial pressures such as inflation and continued investment in digital services.40 However, the BBC did set out an ambition to use any additional funding in several ways including extending the use of AI as a translation tool to grow its “slim-line” service in Polish to other markets such as Hungarian and Romanian and investing further in countering disinformation.41 Enabling good decision making
Government Response Summary
The government states it disagrees with the committee's perceived recommendation regarding funding for the BBC World Service. It explains it is premature to commit to a specific long-term funding model ahead of the Charter Review but confirms interim grant-in-aid funding of £148 million per year for 2026–27 to 2028–29.
Government Response
Rejected
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The government set out its ambition in the BBC Charter Review to establish a long-term, sustainable funding model for the BBC World Service that delivers stable and predictable funding for the BBC World Service. Funding models for the BBC’s international work will be reviewed alongside consideration of funding options for the BBC as a whole. 4.3 The current Charter ends on 31 December 2027, and a DCMS White Paper is due later this year. It would be premature to commit now to a specific long-term funding model, including changes to how funding is presented in Spending Reviews, ahead of the Charter Review. 4.4 As part of the Charter Review, the government will explore options for bespoke arrangements that could provide multi-year budgets for the BBC World Service. In the interim, the FCDO has confirmed grant-in-aid funding of £148 million per year for 2026–27 to 2028–29.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Inquiry
BBC World Service 2024-25
Report
72nd Report - BBC World Service
13 Mar 2026
HC 1299
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
0.4 yrs
Report published
13 Mar 2026