Ben Bradshaw announces the appointment of a new member to the BBC Trust

The BBC Trust is responsible for representing the interests of licence fee payers.  It applies the principle of public value in holding to account the Executive Board, which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the BBC.  The Trust also ensures that the BBC’s activities are not anti-competitive and are consistent with a vibrant and dynamic broadcasting market.

Welcoming the appointment Ben Bradshaw said:

“I’m pleased to announce Richard Ayre’s appointment to the BBC Trust. Richard’s extensive experience and his commitment to maintaining the principles and standards of the BBC will make him a valuable member of the Trust.”

Richard Ayre is currently the Ofcom Content Board member for England and Chairman of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Review Committee. He will step down from this role in advance of becoming a BBC Trustee. He conducted Ofcom’s 2007 enquiry into the misuse of premium rate telephone calls in TV programming. Ayre was formerly the BBC’s Controller of Editorial Policy and Deputy Chief Executive of BBC News.  After leaving the BBC he worked for seven years on the board of the Food Standards Agency and has been the Law Society's Freedom of Information Adjudicator since 2001. He is a former Chairman of Article 19, the International Campaign for Freedom of Expression, and also of the African Caribbean Reporters’ Trust. He lives in east London with his partner, the artist Guy Burch.

Richard Ayre said:

“I’m keen to play a part in ensuring a BBC that delivers what licence fee payers have a right to expect of the world’s leading public service broadcaster. But I’m also determined to help protect the BBC’s editorial independence as we enter a time of severest pressures on the public sector.”