The BBC must reveal secret kick-backs contained in its licence fee collection deal with Capita, after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) gave the corporation a 35-day deadline to disclose the incentives written into the deal.
Capita has held the TV licensing contract since 2002, when it took over from the Post Office. Proximity London handles the direct marketing account for the business.
Last year it collected £3.4bn and on its website it boasts it has reduced the rate of TV licence evasion from 5.7 per cent to 5.1 per cent.
BBC chiefs had previously refused requests for the detail under the Freedom of Information Act, claiming disclosure was not in the public interest because it could damage their negotiating position in future.
But ICO head of policy delivery Steve Wood is quoted as saying: “As the UK’s largest independent public broadcaster, the BBC must ensure that they are as open as possible to the UK licence payers they serve. On this occasion, the BBC incorrectly applied an exemption under the belief that it was not in the public interest for the corporation to release details of the incentives they offer to one of their contractors.
“However, it is our view that the corporation must be open to public scrutiny in order to show the many people who regularly watch their programmes, listen to their radio stations and use their website that they continue to provide value for money.”
