BBC Trust boss hits back at critics (From Bournemouth Echo)

BBC Trust boss hits back at critics

6:54pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has hit back at the body's critics, saying it should not be replaced by a "glorified complaints office".

Denying accusations that the governing body acted as both a regulator and cheerleader, he said trustees are not in the business of "twirling our batons and whipping up public frenzy" on the BBC's behalf.

The trust has come under fire from various quarters over the last year.

In September, Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said it was not sustainable in the long term as "both regulator and cheerleader".

The Conservatives have also indicated they would scrap the trust and replace it with a body which they feel would be more in tune with licence fee payers.

A Tory spokesman said last month that the trust's "dual role of regulator and champion of the BBC are incompatible".

But in a speech to the Manchester Statistical Society, Sir Michael, who is also BBC chairman, said the job of regulating the BBC falls to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.

He said of the trust: "Our first job is to protect the independence of the BBC from undue political or commercial pressure. That's no small task these days. Our second job is to represent the interests of the public who pay for and who own the BBC."

He described the trust as "a supervisory board", adding: "What the trust is not is the BBC's regulator. That's the job of Ofcom.

"We do have some regulatory powers - over impartiality and accuracy, for example, and over decisions to launch new BBC services. But regulation is only a part of what we do."