BBC Trust boss claimed £19,000 in six months

The chairman of the BBC Trust claimed more than £19,000 expenses in a six-month period, including a £251 fare to get home after the final of Strictly Come Dancing.

Sir Michael Lyons claimed the extraordinary amount because he lives near Birmingham despite working in London.

He ran up a further £14,567 in costs for car journeys for the period up to the end of March this year. That included the £12,500 cost of having a driver at his disposal when in London for the six months, plus £2,067 cover when the driver was unavailable.

The largest proportion of Sir Michael's £19,116 claims was for accommodation, which accounted for £9,616. His spend on local cabs totalled £1,206, while long-distance cars - including his Strictly Come Dancing bill - amounted to £1,207.

The next biggest claim, according to new figures, was by trustee Alison Hastings with £12,762. By contrast Anthony Fry claimed £249 for the five months he was on the board.

The 13 BBC Trustees claimed a total of £78,394 over the six-month period.