Post by Teddy Bear on Aug 13, 2011 0:39:06 GMT
The story speaks for itself
BBC executive spent £10,000 of licence fee cash on taxis in a single year... as funding cuts forced many out of a job
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:41 PM on 12th August 2011
BBC senior executives have continued to rack up huge taxi bills depsite funding cuts forcing many staff out of a job.
Although the corporation says it is making efforts to reduce overheads, which have led to redundancies, figures reveal the broadcasters' big earners are big spenders when it comes to cabs.
Chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, one of the corporation's biggest cab users, claimed £2,814 on cars in a three-month period - £100 up on the previous quarter.
Alan Yentob claimed £180 for one cab trip
The claims, for quarter four of the past financial year, were disclosed as the BBC said expenses claims were down overall on the previous year.
It also pointed out the number of senior managers and the amount they are paid has been reduced.
Ms Thomson - who receives a salary of £307,000 - had claimed £2,715.59 for the previous quarter.
For the full financial year she ran up a total taxi bill of £10,381, the newly-disclosed expense claims show.
Another big taxi user was BBC creative director Alan Yentob, who used cabs to the value of £1,766.55 in the claim period. It included nine fares which exceeded £100, the biggest of which was for £180.
Figures released today show BBC1 controller Danny Cohen made a claim of £38.50 for water at an awards ceremony hosted by Broadcast magazine earlier this year.
Danny Cohen claimed £38.50 for water
Drama Commissioner of BBC Ben Stephenson charged for an expensive flight
The BBC said the latest figures show the total amount of expenses claimed by leading senior managers is down 15 per cent on the previous financial year.
Since August 2009, the BBC said its senior manager paybill has been cut by £17.6 million - 22.4 per cent - and the number of senior managers by 117, saving 18.3 per cent.
The BBC is aiming to reduce the paybill by 25 per cent and headcount by 20 per cent by the end of this year.
Figures also show that BBC drama commissioner Ben Stephenson took a flight costing £3,459.07 to New York in March.
The BBC said that Ms Thomson's claim was down 17 per cent on the same quarter last year, while her annual claim was down by 27 per cent for 2009/10.
A spokesman said: 'Total taxi use by senior managers is down 19 per cent on last year.
'Naturally we expect senior managers to take the most efficient route to and from meetings but it isn't always feasible for senior managers to use public transport every time.
'Not only does a taxi afford the opportunity to make most use of their journey time but public transport doesn't afford the confidentiality or accessibility that is sometimes required - and it can be quicker.'
The spokesman said Mr Yentob's £100-plus claims were for weekly block bookings.
The BBC said Mr Stephenson's flight had been booked at short notice to attend an emergency production meeting.
The attempt to make cutbacks have been the source of much grief for the broadcaster.
Staff staged two 24-hour strike by the National Union of Journalists over two weeks in protest at compulsory redundancies at the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring following cuts in government funding.
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:41 PM on 12th August 2011
BBC senior executives have continued to rack up huge taxi bills depsite funding cuts forcing many staff out of a job.
Although the corporation says it is making efforts to reduce overheads, which have led to redundancies, figures reveal the broadcasters' big earners are big spenders when it comes to cabs.
Chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, one of the corporation's biggest cab users, claimed £2,814 on cars in a three-month period - £100 up on the previous quarter.
Alan Yentob claimed £180 for one cab trip
The claims, for quarter four of the past financial year, were disclosed as the BBC said expenses claims were down overall on the previous year.
It also pointed out the number of senior managers and the amount they are paid has been reduced.
Ms Thomson - who receives a salary of £307,000 - had claimed £2,715.59 for the previous quarter.
For the full financial year she ran up a total taxi bill of £10,381, the newly-disclosed expense claims show.
Another big taxi user was BBC creative director Alan Yentob, who used cabs to the value of £1,766.55 in the claim period. It included nine fares which exceeded £100, the biggest of which was for £180.
Figures released today show BBC1 controller Danny Cohen made a claim of £38.50 for water at an awards ceremony hosted by Broadcast magazine earlier this year.
Danny Cohen claimed £38.50 for water
Drama Commissioner of BBC Ben Stephenson charged for an expensive flight
The BBC said the latest figures show the total amount of expenses claimed by leading senior managers is down 15 per cent on the previous financial year.
Since August 2009, the BBC said its senior manager paybill has been cut by £17.6 million - 22.4 per cent - and the number of senior managers by 117, saving 18.3 per cent.
The BBC is aiming to reduce the paybill by 25 per cent and headcount by 20 per cent by the end of this year.
Figures also show that BBC drama commissioner Ben Stephenson took a flight costing £3,459.07 to New York in March.
The BBC said that Ms Thomson's claim was down 17 per cent on the same quarter last year, while her annual claim was down by 27 per cent for 2009/10.
A spokesman said: 'Total taxi use by senior managers is down 19 per cent on last year.
'Naturally we expect senior managers to take the most efficient route to and from meetings but it isn't always feasible for senior managers to use public transport every time.
'Not only does a taxi afford the opportunity to make most use of their journey time but public transport doesn't afford the confidentiality or accessibility that is sometimes required - and it can be quicker.'
The spokesman said Mr Yentob's £100-plus claims were for weekly block bookings.
The BBC said Mr Stephenson's flight had been booked at short notice to attend an emergency production meeting.
The attempt to make cutbacks have been the source of much grief for the broadcaster.
Staff staged two 24-hour strike by the National Union of Journalists over two weeks in protest at compulsory redundancies at the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring following cuts in government funding.