Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 25, 2009 18:33:40 GMT
If it could, there's no doubt the BBC would have wanted to avoid castigating politicians, particularly Labour ones, for the scandal over their expenses. However, with public opinion so riled with the reports coming through from other media outlets about it, they couldn't very well ignore it, even if they tended to focus on Tory transgressions where possible.
Besides sucking up to the government, another reason they didn't want to have to deal with this scandal is they knew it wouldn't be too long till the public started wondering what the BBC were doing with their money. Naturally the lack of ethics the BBC shows in their reporting and quality of programming doesn't inspire much trust, and it wouldn't take an Einstein to figure out they're probably milking it for all it's worth. Which is why the BBC would rather keep this information to themselves.
Besides sucking up to the government, another reason they didn't want to have to deal with this scandal is they knew it wouldn't be too long till the public started wondering what the BBC were doing with their money. Naturally the lack of ethics the BBC shows in their reporting and quality of programming doesn't inspire much trust, and it wouldn't take an Einstein to figure out they're probably milking it for all it's worth. Which is why the BBC would rather keep this information to themselves.
BBC fails to account for hidden expenses
Dan Sabbagh and Suzy Jagger
The BBC is poised to provoke a fresh row over expenses by refusing to disclose how much its executives spend on entertainment for their stars.
Days after MPs caused public outrage by blacking out details of their expenses, the BBC is refusing to reveal how much is spent on hospitality and gifts for its best-paid celebrities.
The corporation is to publish claims by senior executives, some totalling more than £1,000 a month, amid accusations that it is wasting millions of pounds of public funds.
Publication is being brought forward by several weeks to forestall demands for greater disclosure and could come as early as today. But BBC bosses will remove some of the most sensitive information about expenses, leaving them vulnerable to charges of “partial transparency”. They cite an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act that allows the corporation to refuse to disclose information related to its “journalism, art or literature”.
Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: “It’s just not good enough. We are moving towards transparency in relation to people who are paid from the public purse. It was right that MPs were forced to do so. I do not see why the same discipline should not apply to those who are highly paid at the taxpayers’ expense at the BBC.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said that it was only right that the BBC should be open about its expenses after long resisting transparency over salary and expenses.
The corporation, which spent £47,800 on champagne in the year to last April, will publish details of claims by executive directors and channel controllers over the past five years.
Its top ten executives claimed £145,000 on expenses last year, but these claims have never been itemised before. The new disclosures will itemise corporate hospitality but keep secret what the BBC has spent on entertaining its stable of “talent”.
The BBC is braced for an outcry. “There is no spending on second homes or anything like that,” said one insider. But he admitted that licence fee payers would ask why executives spent more than £1,000 a month on West End lunches, five-star hotels and trophy events such as Wimbledon and the Proms.
The BBC has repeatedly used freedom of information exemptions to block inquiries about staff pay and expenses, refusing even to tell the National Audit Office how much its radio presenters were paid.
John Mann, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, said that all expense claims should be made public, including those for its best-known names: “Of course all of the BBC should disclose. Public bodies need to get their head round freedom of information. It is getting silly the way public institutions try to hide this sort of information.”
Last month Gordon Brown told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that all institutions that received public money needed to be open, transparent and accountable.
Yesterday Mr Thompson, who claimed £9,000 in expenses last year, told the Radio 4 Media Show programme that “top talent costs perhaps 2 per cent of the licence fee” — which would amount to £72 million, including about £6 million a year for Jonathan Ross, its highest-paid entertainer.
Alan Yentob, the creative director of the BBC, who once claimed £120 for a cake, said that the corporation “had nothing to worry about”. He added: “We don’t believe we have anything to hide on expenses, and we respond to a great deal of freedom of information requests.”
So far, only Sir Michael Lyons, the Chairman of the BBC Trust, and his fellow trustees have published their expenses in detail. It emerged that he spent £9,800 entertaining George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, and others at last year’s Wimbledon men’s final. The BBC, embarrassed by the disclosure, said it would not entertain at Wimbledon this year.
It is a sensitive time for the corporation. Mr Thompson claimed yesterday that there was an ideological plot behind plans to share out a portion of the BBC’s £3.6 billion television licence revenue.
The Director-General said that the corporation was the victim of a clique of Labour policymakers who wanted it to hand over £130 million a year to prop up ITV’s regional news service. He said that the policymakers were “ideologically focused” on attacking the BBC’s funding structure. This threatened “the independence and ability of the BBC to deliver its services to the public”, he added.
In a statement the Department for Culture said: “We are disappointed with Mark Thompson’s comments and hope the BBC will engage constructively in the forthcoming consultation.”
Last week’s White Paper, Digital Britain, concluded that money from the £142.50 annual licence fee should be made available to other broadcasters to spend on children’s programmes and ITV regional news.
Although the licence fee has previously been spent on non-BBC purposes, such as funding the switchover to digital television, it has never been made available to other channels.
Dan Sabbagh and Suzy Jagger
The BBC is poised to provoke a fresh row over expenses by refusing to disclose how much its executives spend on entertainment for their stars.
Days after MPs caused public outrage by blacking out details of their expenses, the BBC is refusing to reveal how much is spent on hospitality and gifts for its best-paid celebrities.
The corporation is to publish claims by senior executives, some totalling more than £1,000 a month, amid accusations that it is wasting millions of pounds of public funds.
Publication is being brought forward by several weeks to forestall demands for greater disclosure and could come as early as today. But BBC bosses will remove some of the most sensitive information about expenses, leaving them vulnerable to charges of “partial transparency”. They cite an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act that allows the corporation to refuse to disclose information related to its “journalism, art or literature”.
Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said: “It’s just not good enough. We are moving towards transparency in relation to people who are paid from the public purse. It was right that MPs were forced to do so. I do not see why the same discipline should not apply to those who are highly paid at the taxpayers’ expense at the BBC.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said that it was only right that the BBC should be open about its expenses after long resisting transparency over salary and expenses.
The corporation, which spent £47,800 on champagne in the year to last April, will publish details of claims by executive directors and channel controllers over the past five years.
Its top ten executives claimed £145,000 on expenses last year, but these claims have never been itemised before. The new disclosures will itemise corporate hospitality but keep secret what the BBC has spent on entertaining its stable of “talent”.
The BBC is braced for an outcry. “There is no spending on second homes or anything like that,” said one insider. But he admitted that licence fee payers would ask why executives spent more than £1,000 a month on West End lunches, five-star hotels and trophy events such as Wimbledon and the Proms.
The BBC has repeatedly used freedom of information exemptions to block inquiries about staff pay and expenses, refusing even to tell the National Audit Office how much its radio presenters were paid.
John Mann, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, said that all expense claims should be made public, including those for its best-known names: “Of course all of the BBC should disclose. Public bodies need to get their head round freedom of information. It is getting silly the way public institutions try to hide this sort of information.”
Last month Gordon Brown told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that all institutions that received public money needed to be open, transparent and accountable.
Yesterday Mr Thompson, who claimed £9,000 in expenses last year, told the Radio 4 Media Show programme that “top talent costs perhaps 2 per cent of the licence fee” — which would amount to £72 million, including about £6 million a year for Jonathan Ross, its highest-paid entertainer.
Alan Yentob, the creative director of the BBC, who once claimed £120 for a cake, said that the corporation “had nothing to worry about”. He added: “We don’t believe we have anything to hide on expenses, and we respond to a great deal of freedom of information requests.”
So far, only Sir Michael Lyons, the Chairman of the BBC Trust, and his fellow trustees have published their expenses in detail. It emerged that he spent £9,800 entertaining George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, and others at last year’s Wimbledon men’s final. The BBC, embarrassed by the disclosure, said it would not entertain at Wimbledon this year.
It is a sensitive time for the corporation. Mr Thompson claimed yesterday that there was an ideological plot behind plans to share out a portion of the BBC’s £3.6 billion television licence revenue.
The Director-General said that the corporation was the victim of a clique of Labour policymakers who wanted it to hand over £130 million a year to prop up ITV’s regional news service. He said that the policymakers were “ideologically focused” on attacking the BBC’s funding structure. This threatened “the independence and ability of the BBC to deliver its services to the public”, he added.
In a statement the Department for Culture said: “We are disappointed with Mark Thompson’s comments and hope the BBC will engage constructively in the forthcoming consultation.”
Last week’s White Paper, Digital Britain, concluded that money from the £142.50 annual licence fee should be made available to other broadcasters to spend on children’s programmes and ITV regional news.
Although the licence fee has previously been spent on non-BBC purposes, such as funding the switchover to digital television, it has never been made available to other channels.