The Royal Charter
The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the BBC’s Object, Mission and Public Purposes. The Charter also outlines the Corporation’s governance and regulatory arrangements, including the role and composition of the BBC Board.
The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027.
The Government will carry out a mid-term review of the Charter, focussing on governance and regulatory arrangements. This review is not a full Charter Review and so will not look at the BBC’s mission, purpose or the method by which it is funded.
The Agreement
The Agreement between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the BBC sits alongside the Charter. It provides further detail on many of the topics outlined in the Charter including the BBC's funding and its regulatory duties.
The Agreement runs coterminous to the Charter but can be amended during the Charter period subject to the agreement of the Secretary of State and the BBC.
The List of UK Public Services
As part the Agreement with the Secretary of State the BBC must maintain and publish a list of UK Public Services setting out the name of the service, the type of service and a brief description of the service.