BBC apologises to family at centre of Huw Edwards scandal

A report published on Tuesday has found a need for ‘greater consistency’ in how complaints at the BBC are processed

The BBC has said it apologised to the family at the centre of the Huw Edwards scandal after a review into their complaints process was published.

A review into how non-editorial complaints are handled at the BBC was commissioned in the wake of the scandal in July over allegations that Mr Edwards received inappropriate messages from a teenager and gave them money.

The alleged victim’s parents claim they lodged a complaint to the BBC in May last year but turned to The Sun newspaper after their concern was not dealt with accordingly.

Published on Tuesday, the review has found a need for “greater consistency” in how complaints at the corporation are processed.

The report highlights failures in the complaints process, saying the initial complaint about Edwards was not logged on the relevant case management system so could not be seen by senior figures.

There was also no documented process for contact and follows-ups with the complainant, so when attempts to make contact were unsuccessful, the course of action was not clear.

A review into how non-editorial complaints are handled at the BBC was commissioned in the wake of the scandal in July (AFP/Getty)

“The report identifies specific process shortcomings in the presenter case. The initial complaint in this case was not escalated quickly enough to senior management and we have apologised to the complainant for this,” Leigh Tavaziva, BBC Group Chief Operating Officer said.

She added: “Although our existing processes and systems are, on the whole, working effectively, this review shows that we need to join them up better to ensure no matter how a non-editorial complaint comes into the BBC it is escalated swiftly, when needed, and dealt with by the right people.

“Where the review identifies process improvements we accept those in full, and we are delivering on an action plan with a number of enhancements already in place.”

Mr Edwards has been off air for seven months after being suspended in July over the allegations and speculation remains about his future at the BBC as it prepares for a general election this year.

Vicky Flind, Mr Edwards’s wife, who named him as the presenter at the centre of the scandal after the allegations were first reported in The Sun, said he would be in hospital for the “foreseeable future” after he suffered a “serious episode”.

Mr Edwards, who has a history of mental ill health and has previously been treated for severe depression, is not yet thought to have recovered and it is unclear if he remains in hospital.

The Welsh journalist had been for years at the helm of significant political and royal events for the BBC.

He announced the late Queen’s death on the BBC last September, covered her funeral and anchored the BBC’s broadcast of the coronation of the King in May.

The Metropolitan Police said in July that no criminal offence had taken place.

In light of the report, the BBC said planned improvements to their non-editorial complaints process included; greater consistency across teams in how complaints are dealt with, better use of technology to manage complaints and work to ensure there are sufficient resources across specialist teams dealing with complaints.

They added that some changes to the process have already been made, including an escalation mechanism for serious complaints with oversight from a specialist team headed by an executive sponsor.