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BBC Trust chairman defends role

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 17 September 2009

The BBC Trust has responded to last night's speech by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw to the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge convention with a defence of its position.

BBC Television Centre (Getty)

The culture secretary told the convention that: "Although the (BBC) Trust has performed better than its predecessor, I don't think it is a sustainable model in the long term.

"I know of no other area of public life where - as is the base with the trust - the same body is both regulator and cheerleader."

But Sir Michael Lyons, BBC Trust chairman, said after the speech that "We are not fighting for our survival. We have got a job and we will absolutely continue to do that job."

Mr Bradshaw had also appeared to criticise Sir Michael's suggestion that viewers would rather have the licence fee cut than see money to go other TV stations – the government wants to use the "digital switchover surplus", equivalent to £5.50 a person, to help fund local news on non-BBC channels after the digital switchover.

"The £5.50 is not the BBC's to give away," he said. "It was agreed on top of the current licence fee income for the BBC to fund help with digital switchover."

He continued: "Michael, if you want to return £5.50 from the BBC's share of the licence fee to the public – or more if you wish – let me know and I'm sure it can be arranged."

Sir Michael responded by asserting that the BBC had "had the courage" to ask licence fee payers if they wanted some money from the fee back.

The current debate over the role of the BBC was sparked by remarks earlier this year by news Corporation Chief Executive James Murdoch, who described the BBC's size and ambition as "chilling".

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