Mr Bradshaw has called for a debate over the licence fee Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has queried the value of the BBC's licence fee and said there is "good reason" for a debate over its future.Mr Bradshaw told Sky News there were questions over whether the licence fee should continue "as the best funding mechanism" for the BBC. The debate over the £3.6bn settlement should consider the size of the corporation, he said. But Mr Bradshaw declined to comment on reports about proposed BBC cuts. Mr Bradshaw told Sunday Live on Sky News: "I think there is a good reason to have a debate in the run-up to the next licence fee, which we shall have if we are in government, as to how big the BBC should be, how big the licence fee should be, even if we should continue to have a licence fee in the long-term as the best funding mechanism." 'Difficult decisions'It was important the public were involved in the debate because they paid for the service and consumed the programmes, he said.[Read more...]