Turn licence fee into members fee to re-set the BBC relationship with the public

The plan would transform the relationship between the BBC and the public, giving audiences ownership and a formal role in holding the broadcaster to account while strengthening its independence from government. 

Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, said: “The BBC needs to build trust and transparency with the people who fund and deliver it; the public, the employees the content supply chain and UK platform structure. We’re talking about the opportunity for real transformative change. By turning licence fee payers into members, the BBC’s relationship with the public would dramatically change. Instead of being accountable to government, it would be accountable to the people who fund it. 

“People care deeply about the BBC. To retain its position as one of the UK’s most trusted institutions and a vital source of information, culture and shared national moments, there needs to be a re-set in the relationship. The way the BBC is delivered and held to account has not kept pace with the expectations of today’s audiences."

Rose said “People care deeply about the BBC. To retain its position as one of the UK’s most trusted institutions and a vital source of information, culture and shared national moments, there needs to be a re-set in the relationship. The way the BBC is delivered and held to account has not kept pace with the expectations of today’s audiences.

“It would also recognise the wider community that makes the BBC possible, including employees, creators, freelancers who are the backbone of the UK’s broadcasting sector. Coupled with corporate membership for the platform owners and other broadcasters, we could truly deliver an agile service fit for modern UK needs.” 

Co-operatives UK’s proposal has been submitted as part of the government’s consultation on the future of the BBC. The BBC would remain a charter corporation with the same public purposes it has today under the plan, but with new mutual governance features designed to strengthen its independence from government and rebuild public trust. 

Everyone who contributes through the membership fee would become a member of the BBC, helping to fund its public mission while gaining opportunity greater accountability. 

At the heart of the proposal is the creation of a member council, selected from BBC members, which would act as the sovereign body of the organisation. The council would hold the BBC Board to account, help appoint board members and ensure the broadcaster continues to deliver independence, impartiality and public value. 

The model draws on governance practices used successfully by some of the UK’s largest businesses across the co-operative and mutual sector. 

Under the proposal, BBC membership could include different categories reflecting the broadcaster’s wider community, including: 

• The general public who contribute through the membership fee
• BBC employees
• Freelancers and creative workers who produce BBC content
• Organisations across the broadcasting and media sector
• Supporters who wish to make additional voluntary contributions to sustain public service broadcasting 

These categories would ensure the communities that sustain the BBC have a voice in how it is run. The proposal also suggests introducing a solidarity membership option, allowing those who wish to contribute more to support trusted public service broadcasting to do so voluntarily. 

The government’s consultation on the future of the BBC closed on 10 March 2026. Ahead of that date, Co-operatives UK encouraged supporters to respond by backing its proposal for a mutual BBC owned and governed by its members.