Functionality

September minutes from the BBC Board find our governance heroes in contemplative mood, with few firm instructions back to Lord Hall.

On diversity, "Directors agreed that more needed to be done to improve levels of female and BAME representation at the most senior levels and that there was also a need to increase the representation of women in Design and Engineering."

On operational issues, "The Board discussed the Health and Safety investigation into a fall from height that took place at Elstree Studios in 2014." Let's not move too fast here, eh ?

They all got a briefing on their decision-making responsbilities: "Directors also noted the requirement in article 20(2) of the Charter: 'that Directors may neither seek nor take instructions from Government Ministers' "

The author of the minute on distribution challenges ought to be sent for re-education: "The Board discussed the critical principles that inform the BBC’s distribution strategy. Key among these was universality: the requirement to deliver services to all audiences across the UK and affordability, ensuring value for money for licence-fee payers. However, the ability to offer its services with public service curation and functionality, maintain a direct relationship with audiences, provide high quality, innovative services and ensure the proper attribution of content would also be important to the BBC in an environment where content was increasing [sic] delivered through internet services and social media."