After a prompt from 38 Degrees I sent an email requesting protection for the BBC prior to the cuts. Initially I got a standard out of office reply but this afternoon I received the following response:

"Dear Luke

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the future of the BBC.

I am a strong believer in public service broadcasting and believe that the BBC is both a great national cultural asset and a great British cultural export.  The Government fully supports the BBC and wants it to remain the cornerstone of UK public service broadcasting. I know that my colleague Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has described the BBC as a “huge national crown jewel” and is committed to sustaining the BBC’s position as the nation’s standard-setting public service broadcaster.  

However, I also strongly believe that the BBC can and should be doing more to ensure value for money for the taxpayer.  To this end, the BBC has agreed a number of measures with the Government that will ensure that it is playing its part, as a taxpayer funded institution during the financially difficult times, caused by the record budget deficit inherited from the previous Government.

In order to help licence fee payers up and down the country, the BBC has agreed to freeze the licence fee until 2016-17.    The BBC will take over the cost of the BBC World Service and BBC Monitor, as well as part of the cost of the Welsh language channel, S4C. These moves represent a real terms cut of 16 per cent, which is in line with similar cuts being faced by other cultural bodies also having to make savings to restore the UK’s financial credibility.

The lack of transparency surrounding pay for top executives and highly paid stars has also been addressed. The Government and the BBC have agreed that the Corporation will give the National Audit Office full access to the BBC’s accounts to ensure transparency.  I believe that this move will make the BBC work harder to achieve value for money.

I believe that the BBC’s governance structures need reforming. The Government is not convinced that, in the long-term, the current BBC Trust model represents the best way to deal with such cases. I believe that it would be better for there to be a genuinely independent regulator of the BBC that ensures licence fee payers’ interests are best heard.

Thank you once again for writing. I would like to reassure you that I believe strongly in public service broadcasting and I know that the Government will ensure that the BBC delivers value for money, as well as remaining the world’s pre-eminent public service broadcaster.

Kind regards"

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me for the Great North Run yesterday. I've currently collected a fantastic £412.74 so far in aid of RedR.

I finished with a time of 1:55:17, and I've just discovered from my split times at 5k and 15k (you can check them at http://www.greatrun.org/Results/Default.aspx, race number 44093) that I actually sped up over the duration of the race as the crowds dispersed! As I've had pointed out to me, I need to stop being so lazy early on next time.

For those who didn't have time previously, you can still sponsor me by going to http://www.justgiving.com/LuketheEngineer over the next couple of weeks. Even if it's only a couple of quid, every donation is greatly appreciated!

www.laingorourke.com

A massive thanks to those of you who have already sponsored me. As it stands I have raised £227.74 towards my target of £300 for RedR. To make things a little bit more exciting I'm going to offer to run in a fancy dress outfit nominated by the most generous donor (though I reserve the right to veto any outfits that will slow me down - no deep sea diving suits!).

As it stands three people in the office have donated £20 so please dig deep and top up your donation or throw in some change now. Even if you can't beat £20 everything you put in could have a massive affect on people all over the world.

I've proved that I can run the distance (by getting lost on a training run on Monday) so now with the weather looking atrocious I've got a mere three days to get myself sorted. Crumbs.

So either send me an email, pledge something on the sheet in the office (it's in the kitchen) or head over to http://www.justgiving.com/LuketheEngineer.

www.laingorourke.com

This week's KaizenTip comes to you from Steve Marriott of the Kaizen Team.

Watching the early morning news recently, I was struck by an item covering Britain’s ever growing waste disposal problems. In the article it was reported that the government were considering options to tax householders for throwing away too much. This ‘solution’ was a familiar story where our society deems the only way to correct people’s actions is through punitive measures. ‘Hitting them where it hurts and taking something away.’

Consider this…The truth is, the vast majority of people are good, kind and decent. Yes, 99% of people we pass in the street are intrinsically good natured. They may not be interested in us at that precise moment, but a lack of interest should not be read as a desire to see us come to harm. Not everyone you pass is a potential mugger!

As coaches, trainers, facilitators and development professionals we all know the power of reinforcement in engaging people to change behaviour. This is particularly relevant in cases (the waste example being typical) where the ‘right’ thing to do often is the most expensive or time consuming thing too.

The news article raised the following questions for me:

·       *   What does good practice look like? What are people already doing well?

·       *   What steps have been taken to make the change easier for those who want to?

·       *   What can be done to make it easier for us to replicate good practice?

·       *   What encouragement is there for people who are doing the right thing?

Here’s a fabulous example of this in practice:

Driving through a small village on the way to a workshop I saw ahead, one of those speed cameras that light up with the recommended speed limit as soon as you’re within range. Instead of the usual “30mph. SLOW DOWN”, this one lit up with “28mph THANK YOU”. And guess what? My reaction to this was contentment (even happiness) to respect this limit. A complete change to my customary grudging adherence whilst looking ahead for an opportunity to put my foot back down.

This punitive ‘dilemma’ is typical within many organisations too, where rules, policies and procedures focus our attention on what not to do and the potential consequences of failing to adhere. Think about your own organisation. How many rules, policies or procedures are focussing your people on what NOT to do rather than encouraging and engaging them to do the RIGHT thing?

Call to action - Take a walk around your business or read through your rules, policies and procedures.

·       Identify at least three punitive ‘rules’

·       Using the questions above, create three new ‘rules’ which engage, encourage and inspire

·       Take action!

·       For those who are up for a challenge, repeat this action point as necessary!