ANGUS Robertson is to hold talks with the BBC’s director general next week amid a growing row over plans by the corporation to stage a “power grab” over its Scottish operations.
The newly appointed culture secretary is meeting Tim Davie after proposals – revealed by The National – for a commercial wing of the broadcaster in London to takeover the running of two studios run by the BBC in Glasgow.
He will also tackle Davie on promises made by the BBC to spend more of the revenue it raises through the licence fee paid by Scottish viewers on Scottish output.
READ MORE: BBC: Union fighting plans for London ‘take over’ of Scottish studios
Robertson wrote to the director general ahead of the meeting to express his “deep concerns” about the proposals – opposed by two of the channels most senior executives in Scotland Mark Harper and Jennifer Allan.
READ MORE: BBC Scotland chiefs oppose London plans to seize control as 'not best deal'
“I feel compelled to write ahead of that meeting to express my deep concerns about reports the BBC plans to transfer control of studios currently run by the public service BBC Scotland to the BBC’s commercial arm,” he told Davie, in the letter seen by The National.
“The reports are that the move would remove BBC Scotland’s control of these assets and jeopardise full-time permanent sustainable craft jobs.
“I am particularly surprised to hear this at a time when the BBC has so publicly committed, most recently in March, to increase its investment in the nations to better serve the whole UK and to move thousands of jobs out of London.”
He added: “The Scottish Government, and I in my new role heading the culture portfolio have an extremely strong interest in public service broadcasting and the role the BBC plays in that system, including how it fulfils its responsibility to support the creative economy in Scotland and contribute to its development.”
Robertson went on to say to Davie that the Scottish Government expected the BBC to make decisions “based on the Scottish public’s interests” and he asked to be given assurances that any decisions would not have any negative impact on the livelihoods of Scottish-based staff and the output of BBC services in Scotland.
In addition to the controversial proposals by the corporation in London to transfer control of the Pacific Quay studios to Studioworks in London, Robertson also raised concerns over the proportion of the licence fee paid in Scotland which is spent in Scotland.
His letter did not give figures but a report by Holyrood’s research unit in 2018 found that the previous year BBC licence fee payers in Scotland supported the broadcaster’s programming operations in the rest of the UK by more than £100 million.
It also found there was a drop in the percentage of the licence fee raised north of the Border spent here despite a pledge to increase the proportion.
The issue has been a source of tension between the BBC and the Scottish Government which has repeatedly called for more money raised in Scotland to be spent in Scotland.
READ MORE: BBC Scotland staff raise fears for River City after news of London 'takeover'
The analysis, published by the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Spice), found the BBC raised just under £324m last year from licence fee payers in Scotland, but spent £223m – 69% – in Scotland with the remaining £101m directed to headquarters. The percentage was down from 72% during 2016/17.
READ MORE: SNP write to BBC Scotland head amid fears of London 'takeover'
In comparison, Wales and Northern Ireland saw 92% and 89% respectively of their licence fee revenue spent directly in those nations during 2017/18.
Robertson told Davie: “When we meet I would like to discuss ... our continued dissatisfaction with BBC’s long-term underspend in Scotland in proportion to the licence fee income raised here.”
The row over the bid to take control of BBC Scotland studios was raised by the Scottish Greens at First Minister’s Questions after a first page report in The National.
The two studios directly employ around 150 people, including camera operators, vision mixers and sound engineers.
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