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BBC service licences
The Trust aims to ensure that the BBC offers high quality and original services for all licence fee payers. To help deliver this, it sets out the remit and expectations for each BBC service – and how that service will create public value by delivering the BBC's public purposes – in a published licence.
The Trust uses the service licences to help judge performance and hold the BBC to account on behalf of the public.
In early 2007 the Trust consulted publicly on the contents of all service licences. It has now amended them in response to feedback it received. The licences are available on the television, radio and online service licences pages. Further information about the consultation and research carried out by the Trust is available on the service licences public consultation page.
The amended licences also take account of the relevant changes arising from the BBC’s six year investment and strategic plan approved by the Trust in October 2007 (except any proposal which requires further regulatory approval) and the Purpose Remits finalised in December 2007.
Explanatory note
The Trust has also published an explanatory note setting out the changes it has made – including information about the rebasing of service budgets.
- Explanatory note on service licences changes, PDF (204KB)
- Explanatory note on service licences changes, text only (49.9KB)
Service licence operating framework
The operating framework document sets out the role of the licences, activities which require a licence, variations to and the duration of licences, compliance, assessment of performance and sanctions.
The Trust agreed a slight amendment to section 6.3.2 of the Operating Framework in October 2008 and reissued it at this point.
- Operating framework, PDF (151KB)
- Operating framework, text only (35.2KB)
Reviews
The Trust will carry out a full review of each service licence at least once every five years. These reviews will include public consultations. For further information please see our programme of service reviews pages. Further details about the reviews are included in the service licence operating framework.
Changes to service licences
Significant changes to the BBC's services cannot be made without the Trust considering the application of a public value test, which includes public consultation. Full details of how variations to service licences are made by the Trust are included in the service licence operating framework.
You can find details of any proposals being considered by the Trust to launch new services or change existing licences in the public value test section.
Changes to service licence budgets
Service licence baseline budgets are published by the Trust and provide external stakeholders with some assurances as to the level of resources available for any individual service. The Trust is required to approve any variations to baseline budgets. In respect of any change of more than 10% to budgets, it must explicitly consider whether or not this represents such a significant change to the service such that a public value test is triggered. Further details on how service licences work can be found in the service licence operating framework.
This year the Trust has reviewed the baseline budgets for all services and reset these to take account of the six year plan which includes the impact of the licence fee settlement, the efficiency programme, the reprioritisation of budgets between services and refinement of the BBC costing model.
It should be noted that the changes to individual service budgets do not necessarily reflect a change in the BBC’s total level of spending in any genre or type of output, as most types of programming are delivered across several services.
The new baseline budgets which have been approved for each service are set out in the explanatory note above.
Sanctions
If a service fails to comply with its service licence, or performs poorly, the Trust can apply sanctions. The service licence operating framework gives details of these.
Protocol
More details on how the Trust works with the Executive Board on the operation of service licences can be found in the service licence protocol and in the service licence operating framework.
Previous consultation by the BBC Governors
A public consultation on the thinking behind service licences and the public value test was carried out in 2005 by the BBC Board of Governors, the body which the BBC Trust has since replaced. The details of this consultation can be found on the BBC Governors' website.
Statements of Programme Policy
Each year the Executive Board prepares Statements of Programme Policy. These set out in broad terms the BBC's plans for its UK public services for the year ahead to ensure they contribute to fulfilling its public service remit. The statements are submitted to the Trust for approval and, once approved, are published on bbc.co.uk.