A while ago, the BBC announced Hutton Inquiry ended. The investigation centred around the circumstances of the death of government weapons expert Dr David Kelly. The BBC had claimed that the Iraq weapons report (or “Dossier” as they liked to call it) had been “sexed up” – knowingly made to look more than it was. Obviously this put the Government in a bad light, and made them look like they were making things up for political gain, whilst the BBC just claimed they were reporting what they knew.
The BBC came off quite well, and didn’t lose any great face. They lost a director and a few other high-level staff, but otherwise it was business as usual. The Government, less so; it had basically emerged that the “Dossier” seemed to be mostly made up, which made the reasons for a war with Iraq look a lot more shaky. So here’s the theory – the goverment made a bargain with the BBC. If the BBC moves a vast number of jobs to the North (which traditionally, thanks to the Thatcher years, tends to have less employment) then the government will not do anything to affect the BBC.
The possibility for the Government to come down hard on the BBC was there – the BBC asks for something (licence fee raises being the current plan), and the Government either directly through the Culture Secretary, or indirectly through an “independent” organisation such as OFCOM flat out say no, and resist anything the BBC ask for. So instead, the BBC strikes a deal with the Government to move a vast number of jobs to the North, and the Government gets off their back.
You have to remember that it’s more than just the initial BBC jobs – other jobs and money will be created in support jobs, supplying the BBC and its units. It’s a win-win situation for the north of the UK, and a win-win situation for the BBC and the Government.
Bear in mind I have no evidence for this, it’s based on my opinion, but it’s still viable I feel. If you know otherwise, leave a comment!