Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton

For other people named Charles Hill, see Charles Hill (disambiguation).

Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 13 January 1957 – 9 October 1961
Prime Minister	Harold Macmillan
Preceded by	The Earl of Selkirk
Succeeded by	Iain Macleod

Charles Hill, Baron Hill of Luton PC (15 January 1904 – 22 August 1989) was a British administrator, doctor and television executive.

Charles Hill was born in Islington, London and was educated at St Olave's Grammar School in Southwark, London. He won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge where he gained a first class degree. He continued his medical studies at the London Hospital gaining MRCS and MRCP in 1927 and later he gained MB, BCh and MD. He became Deputy Medical Officer of Oxford in 1930. He became Assistant Secretary of the British Medical Association from 1932 and Secretary from 1944 to 1950.

During the Second World War, the Ministry of Health had wanted the BBC to infiltrate health messages into ordinary programmes rather than have dedicated programmes from the Ministry of Food, but the BBC warned that this would not be effective and would be viewed by listeners as patronising. Consequently, Hill's role as the "Radio Doctor" became part of the Ministry of Food's programme, "Kitchen Front", every morning from 1942.

Hill was still the BMA's Secretary when the National Health Service was introduced in 1948. He negotiated with Aneurin Bevan and ensured that general practitioners did not simply become salaried employees. He stood for Parliament for Cambridge University in 1945 as an independent. He was successful in 1950, becoming MP for Luton as a Conservative and National Liberal.

He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food in 1951. He became the Postmaster-General (a non-cabinet ministerial position with responsibilities that included broadcasting) in 1955; during his period in office he publicly berated the BBC for its reporting of the Suez Crisis. In May 1956, Hill attempted to formalise the existing agreement by which discussions or statements about matters before Parliament could not be broadcast in the fortnight preceding any debate (the 'fourteen day rule'). However, the Suez Crisis rendered this policy unworkable in practice and the government agreed to its suspension at the end of the year. Hill, who had been uneasy about the implications of the rule for freedom of expression, was relieved.

From 1957 to 1961 he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and from 1961 he was to Minister of Housing and Local Government and Welsh Affairs, but he lost his place in the Cabinet in Harold Macmillan's reshuffle in 1962.

He was appointed as the Chairman of the Independent Television Authority in 1963, where he continued his hostile attitude towards the BBC. He was then created a life peer as Baron Hill of Luton, of Harpenden in the County of Hertford. In 1967 Hill announced that the ITV contracts were all to be re-advertised, because he was concerned about the large profits being made by the major companies and their lack of regional identity. This resulted in a radical reorganisation of the ITV network.

He succeeded Lord Normanbrook as the Chairman of the BBC Governors (1967–1972), having been appointed by the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to "sort out" the Corporation. His appointment as BBC Chairman surprised the BBC's Governors and several resigned. Sir Robert Lusty, the acting Chairman, commented that "it was like inviting Rommel to command the Eighth Army on the eve of Alamein".

Harold Wilson encouraged Lord Hill to be active in editorial decisions. Hill had a difficult relationship with the Director-General of the BBC, Hugh Greene, and he eventually forced Greene to resign in 1969. Greene later described Hill as a "vulgarian". He had a quieter relationship with Greene's successor, Charles Curran. He retired from the BBC in 1972 and died in 1989, aged 85.

He married Marion Spencer Wallace, with whom he had two sons and three daughters.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Hill

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Noble Warbey	Member of Parliament for Luton 1950–1963	Succeeded by Will Howie
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl De La Warr	Postmaster General 1955–1957	Succeeded by Ernest Marples
Preceded by The Earl of Selkirk	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1957–1961	Succeeded by Iain Macleod
Preceded by Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick	Chairman of the Independent Television Authority 1963–1967	Succeeded by The Lord Aylestone
Preceded by The Lord Normanbrook	Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors 1967–1973	Succeeded by Michael Swann

Persondata
Name	Hill, Charles
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 January 1904
Place of birth
Date of death	22 August 1989
Place of death