BBC Trust

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The BBC Trust is a body that oversees the BBC, being independent of BBC management and external bodies. Along with an Executive Board, the Trust took over the role of the old Board of Governors on 1 January 2007.

The Trust was established by the Royal Charter for the BBC which came into effect on 1 January 2007:

In summary, the main roles of the Trust are in setting the overall strategic direction of the BBC, including its priorities, and in exercising a general oversight of the work of the Executive Board. The Trust will perform these roles in the public interest, particularly the interest of licence fee payers. — BBC Royal Charter (2006)^[1]

[edit] Trustees

The Royal Charter established that the Trust should have twelve trustees, including a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a member for each of the nations of the United Kingdom.^[1] The Trust currently comprises:

• Sir Michael Lyons, Chair, who has held a number of executive and non-executive media and local government positions
• Dr Chitra Bharucha, Vice-Chair, a former consultant haematologist who now chairs General Medical Council panels that decide on the fitness of doctors to practise medicine.
• Dermot Gleeson, former governor, reappointed 1 November 2004 for a second term
• Richard Tait CBE, former governor, first appointed 1 August 2004
• Jeremy Peat, the Trustee for Scotland and former governor, first appointed 1 January 2005
• Diane Coyle, an economist, member of the Competition Commission and former Economics Editor of The Independent
• Alison Hastings, the Trustee for England and a former regional newspaper editor
• Dame Patricia Hodgson, a former Chief Executive of the Independent Television Commission
• Rotha Johnston CBE, the Trustee for Northern Ireland and an independent businesswoman
• Janet Lewis-Jones, the Trustee for Wales
• David Liddiment, a former Director of Programmes at ITV
• Mehmuda Pritchard, a solicitor and Independent Police Complaints Commissioner since 2004

The original trustees, three former governors and eight new members, were announced by Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in October 2006.^[2] At the time of the announcement Michael Grade, then Chairman of the Governors, was to become Chairman of the Trust. After his move to become Executive Chairman of ITV in November 2006, Chitra Bharucha, then Vice-Chair, became the Acting Chair,^[3] with Michael Lyons taking up the position from 1 May 2007.^[4]

Trustees serve for a four year term, after which they may seek a further and final term on completion of their first. Members of the former Board of Governors continue their existing terms.

[edit] References

• BBC (12 October 2006). Press Release: New BBC Trust to represent the public interest. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.

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