BBC Trust Publish Remits To Deliver Charter

The BBC Trust has published final remits to guide the BBC in meeting each of the six public purposes laid down in the Charter.
In a letter from the BBC Trust Chairman to the Director-General Mark Thompson, Sir Michael Lyons said: "As we discussed on several occasions… the BBC faces a complex set of demands. It is therefore important for the Trust to set clear priorities and realistic expectations informed by our research."
The six public purposes, which the BBC is required to promote through all its output are:

• Sustaining citizenship and civil society;
• Promoting education and learning;
• Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence;
• Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities;
• Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK;
• Emerging communications.

Earlier this year, after consulting widely on draft priorities in each of these areas, the Trust highlighted "innovation and distinctiveness" as the single biggest issue for all audiences and published research showing there was demand for more new programmes and fresh ideas from BBC television. This remains the Trust's top priority and, to ensure a proper understanding of what people want in response, they commissioned some in-depth analysis, a summary of which is also published today.
Amongst several priorities singled out by different audience groups as important, and not necessarily in need of improved BBC performance, the Trust also highlighted news and current affairs, formal education for children, and serving audiences in the devolved nations and those in areas further away from the South-East, as top priorities for the BBC.
(DS)