Post by Teddy Bear on Aug 30, 2013 19:43:06 GMT
Does anybody know a private company that does the same as the BBC?
How many staff could have been kept if the BBC weren't subsidising their canteen, or buying booze and food for leaving parties?
You'll be reassured to hear
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are mindful of our obligation to the licence-fee payer when purchasing food and drink and the BBC has tight guidelines that govern the occasions when alcohol may be bought.’
'Tight guidelines'? He must be using the slang term for tight meaning getting drunk.
- BBC spent £42,971 on alcohol and another £33,745 on leaving parties
- Ordered in 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider
- Another £1.3million was spent subsidising canteens for staff to eat cheaply
How many staff could have been kept if the BBC weren't subsidising their canteen, or buying booze and food for leaving parties?
You'll be reassured to hear
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are mindful of our obligation to the licence-fee payer when purchasing food and drink and the BBC has tight guidelines that govern the occasions when alcohol may be bought.’
'Tight guidelines'? He must be using the slang term for tight meaning getting drunk.
BBC spends £2m of licence fee on food and drink: Corporation accused of wasting money of 'boozy farewells' for its staff
By Tv Correspondent
The BBC has been accused of wasting the licence fee on ‘boozy farewells’ for its staff after it emerged that it spent more than £2million on food and drink last year.
Figures show the BBC spent £42,971 on alcohol and another £33,745 on leaving parties.
The corporation ordered in more than 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider to fuel a series of celebratory drinks parties and ‘ad hoc team parties’.
Another £1,655 was spent on spirits – including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka, 15 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky.
In 2008, it was reported that the corporation had introduced a champagne ban. But last year it splashed out £4,673 on sparkling wine instead.
And the food and drink bill shows that the BBC is spending more than £1,000 a day providing free tea and coffee to its staff. In total, the spend on hot drinks increased by around 60 per cent in a year.
Another £1.3million was spent subsidising canteens to allow staff to eat cheaply at work, while £293,000 was spent on water dispensers.
The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also revealed that staff claimed £3.2million in expenses for meals and drinks when they were not in the office, as well as £187,000 for business entertaining.
The expenditure appears at odds with the BBC’s drive to reduce costs, which has resulted in deep cuts to programme budgets and thousands of job losses in recent years.
Money was spent on 5 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky
Another £1,655 was spent on spirits, including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka
And the news comes as it faces a scandal over its generosity to departing staff after last month’s revelation that it handed £369million in severance deals in eight years.
Yesterday Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The licence fee should be spent on quality programming, not boozy farewells for departing staff.
‘BBC bosses should focus on reducing the burden funding the broadcaster places on families by ensuring it provided better value for money. That means spending less on subsidised wining and dining.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are mindful of our obligation to the licence-fee payer when purchasing food and drink and the BBC has tight guidelines that govern the occasions when alcohol may be bought.’
- BBC spent £42,971 on alcohol and another £33,745 on leaving parties
- Ordered in 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider
- Another £1.3million was spent subsidising canteens for staff to eat cheaply
By Tv Correspondent
The BBC has been accused of wasting the licence fee on ‘boozy farewells’ for its staff after it emerged that it spent more than £2million on food and drink last year.
Figures show the BBC spent £42,971 on alcohol and another £33,745 on leaving parties.
The corporation ordered in more than 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider to fuel a series of celebratory drinks parties and ‘ad hoc team parties’.
Another £1,655 was spent on spirits – including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka, 15 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky.
In 2008, it was reported that the corporation had introduced a champagne ban. But last year it splashed out £4,673 on sparkling wine instead.
And the food and drink bill shows that the BBC is spending more than £1,000 a day providing free tea and coffee to its staff. In total, the spend on hot drinks increased by around 60 per cent in a year.
Another £1.3million was spent subsidising canteens to allow staff to eat cheaply at work, while £293,000 was spent on water dispensers.
The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also revealed that staff claimed £3.2million in expenses for meals and drinks when they were not in the office, as well as £187,000 for business entertaining.
The expenditure appears at odds with the BBC’s drive to reduce costs, which has resulted in deep cuts to programme budgets and thousands of job losses in recent years.
Money was spent on 5 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky
Another £1,655 was spent on spirits, including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka
And the news comes as it faces a scandal over its generosity to departing staff after last month’s revelation that it handed £369million in severance deals in eight years.
Yesterday Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The licence fee should be spent on quality programming, not boozy farewells for departing staff.
‘BBC bosses should focus on reducing the burden funding the broadcaster places on families by ensuring it provided better value for money. That means spending less on subsidised wining and dining.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are mindful of our obligation to the licence-fee payer when purchasing food and drink and the BBC has tight guidelines that govern the occasions when alcohol may be bought.’