The BBC is facing a battle over its future funding, criticism from the government over impartiality and questions about its relevance in a modern media environment. But the national broadcaster has still had to find the time to answer one crucial question from a furious viewer: why doesn’t the director general, Tim Davie, wear a suit and tie?

The broadcaster was required to search through its archives to find out whether it has ever had a dress code for its senior executives, following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request about the smart casual choices of Davie and the BBC chairman, Richard Sharp.

The request, sent by a member of the public identified as Mr A Wilmore, said: “The lovely chaps who empty my rubbish bins every week wear a smart uniform and they look the part and obviously take pride in their jobs and their appearance.

“Conversely, Messrs Davie and Sharp, leaders of a multi-billion-pound international organisation, wear T-shirts, open-neck shirts, jeans and trainers when making public appearances during their attempts to convince me that the BBC is a value-for-money, credible and trustworthy organisation. They always fail, of course. Indeed, they both appear in open-neck shirts in the latest BBC annual report.

“Can you tell me, please, is there or has there ever been a formal dress code for the director general and chairman, or are they left to their own devices and personal choices?”

In response, the BBC’s FoI team responded: “We are not aware of any guidance, historically or in the present day, on dress code for the director general or chairman.”

The current director general and chairman tend to eschew the suit-and-tie look of their predecessors, Lord Hall and Sir David Clementi, with Davie’s collection of white Adidas trainers often noted by BBC staff.

Attaching a series of photographs of the BBC’s current management, Wilmore continued: “I note that when Davie appeared in front of [a] government select committee recently, he did dress in a manner appropriate to his position and the occasion, but in a recent appearance at the Royal Television Society the jeans, T-shirt and trainers were out again.”

A BBC spokesperson said: “We always adhere to the highest sartorial standards.”