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Press Releases Â鶹Éç Trust holds first transition meeting

Category: Â鶹Éç
Date: 14.11.2006
Printable version

The Â鶹Éç Trust - the body which will replace the Â鶹Éç Governors as the Â鶹Éç's sovereign body from 1 January 2007 - held its first meeting today.

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The new Charter sets out provisions for the Â鶹Éç Trust's activities before the Charter formally takes effect on 1 January 2007.

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Michael Grade, Chairman of the Â鶹Éç Trust, said: "For the first time, the public will help set the strategic agenda for its Â鶹Éç. Today we have begun to put in place the necessary arrangements to make that happen.

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"One of our first tasks as Trustees will be to consult the public about the priorities we should set Â鶹Éç management to meet the 'Six Public Purposes' laid out in the new Charter.

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"This will include the first of the Trust's regular major audience research surveys, asking the public how the Â鶹Éç is performing.

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"There will also be an early meeting with the new Audience Councils - whose role is to help the Trust find out what the public around the UK think about the Â鶹Éç."

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The Trust was briefed today on the very different system of governance introduced by the new Charter.

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Key areas included the proposed approach to engaging with the public; the new regulatory framework of public value tests and competitive impact codes; and the new Service Licences and Purpose Remits the Trust will deploy to monitor performance of the Â鶹Éç in delivering its public service remit.

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Michael Grade said: "The Â鶹Éç Trust faces a busy and challenging first year.

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"We must establish the new regime for overseeing the Â鶹Éç's services and in the months ahead consider the Â鶹Éç's latest creative proposals.

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"We must establish relationships with our key partners - outside and inside the Â鶹Éç.

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"And, most of all, the Trust must ensure the infrastructure is in place to allow us to work on behalf of all licence fee payers.

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"We are required to ensure that the Â鶹Éç provides high quality output and value for money.

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"Accountability to licence fee payers and understanding their needs and expectations is our key task.

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"All future judgements will be informed by evidence gathered from licence fee payers."

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At today's meeting, the Trust agreed that one of its first priorities is to meet the Charter requirement to issue Service Licences before 1 January 2007 to each of the Â鶹Éç's existing 27 services, reflecting the services as they are currently delivered.

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Once issued, these Licences will be the baseline against which the Trust will consider any future proposals from Â鶹Éç management to change services or applications for new services.

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The first set of Service Licences will be 'interim' until the Purpose Remits, which they will sit alongside, are finalised during 2007.

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Draft Purpose Remits will be published in the New Year, and a period of public consultation will follow.

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Also at its meeting today, the Trust agreed its own 'Standing Orders' and confirmed Mark Thompson as Director-General and Chairman of the Executive Board.

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This appointment, together with that of Mark Byford as Deputy Director-General, marks the first step in establishing the Executive Board.

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The process for appointment of non-executive directors to the Executive Board, also a requirement of the Transitional Provisions of the Charter, is underway and appointments will be announced by the Â鶹Éç in due course.

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The Trust confirmed the appointment of Nicholas Kroll as Director, Trust Unit and delegated the necessary powers to him to establish the Trust Unit which will replace the Governance Unit to provide the Trustees with independent advice and support.

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On behalf of all members of the Â鶹Éç Trust, Vice-Chairman Chitra Bharucha said: "We are all very pleased to have started to put the Trust in place.

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"The new arrangements will take a little time to bed down but we are convinced they will result in greater clarity, consistency, and transparency - both in how the Â鶹Éç itself operates and the way in which the Trust will hold Â鶹Éç management to account.

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"The purpose of this regime is to ensure the Â鶹Éç provides quality programmes and services efficiently for everyone throughout the UK.

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"We look forward to representing the interests of all licence fee payers to that end."

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Notes to Editors

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The Â鶹Éç Trust will meet again during December and January before its first formal monthly meetings on 24 January.

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Further statements will be issued during the transitional period as decisions are taken.

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The Board of Governors remains the Â鶹Éç's governing body with decision-making authority until 31 December 2006.

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The Transitional Provisions are set out in the new Charter (from page 23) - see right-hand side of this web page.

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Â鶹Éç Governance Unit

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