Post by Teddy Bear on Jul 18, 2015 22:49:25 GMT
BBC's gravy train...1st class all the way: 'Feckless' Corporation is pleading poverty in face of cuts... yet wastes millions on luxury travel, celebrity bashes and OVERPAYING its staff!
By Chris Hastings and Peter Henn For The Mail On Sunday
A damning catalogue of multi-million-pound waste within the BBC is exposed for the first time today by The Mail on Sunday.
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws reveal a climate of ‘feckless’ excess and extravagance – including millions spent on first class travel.
The figures expose a revolving door culture in which staff are given large redundancy payments and then rehired at exorbitant rates, as well as overpayments leading to vast sums of licence fee payers’ money being wasted.
The documents reveal the BBC, which receives £3.7 billion a year from the public, has:
Forked out almost £14 million for plane travel in two years – including £2.2 million on first and business class tickets;
The news of BBC excess comes at a time when the beleaguered Corporation is facing the prospect of root and branch reform.
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale last week announced a review into the future of the BBC, which could make it a much leaner and smaller operation in the future.
The Government says the BBC is now too big for its own good, and that it spends too much time chasing ratings and making programmes which could easily be made by its commercial rivals.
Ministers have singled out the prime-time BBC1 talent show The Voice for particular criticism – but have denied claims that they want to see popular radio stations such as Radio 1 and Radio 2 close down.
In response to the review, a letter defending the BBC was signed by 29 high profile entertainment figures, including Dame Judi Dench and James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
However, it emerged last week that Corporation chiefs orchestrated the letter. Several stars, including veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, confirmed they had been asked to sign it by the BBC’s £327,800-a-year director of television Danny Cohen. Angry Tory MPs last night said the catalogue of waste and excess exposed by The Mail on Sunday only strengthened the case for reform.
Conor Burns said: ‘The BBC is feckless with public money. President Reagan used to joke that his Democrat opponents woke up in a cold sweat after dreaming it was their money rather than the taxpayers’ money they were spending. It seems the same thing is happening with the BBC.’
His fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘The BBC say they have been pared to the bone and can’t save any more money, however all the evidence shows their claims are ridiculous. Given the waste that’s continuing which wouldn’t be tolerated in any commercial enterprise, given that the licence fee rests disproportionately on the poorest in society who have to pay under threat of criminal proceedings, you’d think they would be more careful. These things show us the way the BBC spends licence fee payers’ money. They say no further savings can be made, but things like this show that’s discredited.’
But historian and TV presenter Simon Schama, who signed the letter of support, last night said the type of series with which he has been involved for decades would not exist without the BBC.
He said: ‘Programmes like The History of Britain wouldn’t have had a chance of getting going.
‘At the same time, I don’t think the BBC needs to be defensive about popular programmes like EastEnders. I think excellence in one kind of broadcasting transfers into another.’ Monty Python star Michael Palin was also a signatory to the letter.
He argued that the BBC should be more bullish in its own defence, saying: ‘I think the BBC still provides the best public broadcasting service in the world. I think the BBC has been very apologetic and I don’t think that is the right way to go about things. We need to keep the pressure on the BBC to perform as well as it should but I don’t think it should be bashed or reduced.’
A spokesman for the BBC last night defended the way in which it used the public’s money, saying staff could only return to the Corporation if it was more than a year since their redundancy.
The spokesman also defended the BBC’s expenditure on travel, saying that the broadcaster only allowed car hire when it was the cheapest option, and that the amount spent had been cut by 18 per cent since 2010-11.
The spokesman said that 90 per cent of all flights the BBC paid for were economy class, and that travel in upgraded classes had been reduced by 18 per cent since 2013.
In addition, he said first-class rail travel was only permitted when it was the cheapest available ticket.
The spokesman added: ‘This story is nothing more than a cut and shut of well-trodden FOIs and previously published information re-packaged as something new.
‘As most people appreciate, there are essential costs in running a major broadcaster – such as travel and staffing – and by 2016-17 we will be saving £1.6 billion a year.’
How bosses rehired 416 staff who got £23m payouts...
Hundreds of BBC staff have been made redundant by the Corporation – only to be rehired sometimes less than a year later.
Last August, 416 staff who had previously received redundancy payouts from the BBC – at a cost of £22.8 million – were back working there on freelance contracts.
Beneficiaries of this ‘revolving door’ practice include former head of religion Michael Wakelin, who received a £364,000 payoff only to be rehired less than a year later to advise on religious affairs. Mr Wakelin was made redundant in March 2009 – but in January 2010 he took up the new post, working one day a week for the former director-general Mark Thompson.
In 2013, it was reported that Matthew Bannister, the former head of Radio 1, was back at the BBC a decade after he had been given a huge severance deal.
Mr Bannister, who was once nicknamed the ‘Fat Controller’ by broadcaster Chris Evans, received a £140,000 termination payment and £54,590 towards his pension when he left in 2000. But he subsequently rejoined the BBC as a presenter on Radio 4. Conservative MP Conor Burns said last night: ‘This feeds into the idea of the revolving door in the public sector.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘People cannot return as staff within 12 months of redundancy. Of the fraction that have returned ... most were on a short-term freelance basis.’
... and paid them £2.1m too much - costing YOU £750k
The BBC has given millions of pounds in overpayments to staff.
Freedom of Information figures show that between 2012 and 2014, there were 1,007 cases where full-time employees were paid more than they should have been.
The total figure for the two years comes to just over £2.1 million – and only £1.34 million has been recovered, leaving a shortfall of more than £750,000. The BBC admits that nearly £120,000 of that is ‘not considered recoverable’.
A spokesman said: ‘We make more than 350,000 payments to staff every year, and overpayment occurs in only a tiny proportion of cases. Where overpayments do occur, we take action to recover the funds.’
In 2013, the BBC’s then-human resources boss Lucy Adams admitted that a further £474,500 had been added by mistake to ex-deputy director-general Mark Byford’s £1 million payoff.
According to her ex-husband Steve Vear, a manager was fired over the error, but the BBC denied Mr Byford had received more than he was entitled to.
- Corporation shells out £13.7million on flights and £8million on trains
- Spent £55,000 on tickets for celebrities and staff to go to Baftas
- Overpaid employees by £2million in two years
By Chris Hastings and Peter Henn For The Mail On Sunday
A damning catalogue of multi-million-pound waste within the BBC is exposed for the first time today by The Mail on Sunday.
Documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws reveal a climate of ‘feckless’ excess and extravagance – including millions spent on first class travel.
The figures expose a revolving door culture in which staff are given large redundancy payments and then rehired at exorbitant rates, as well as overpayments leading to vast sums of licence fee payers’ money being wasted.
The documents reveal the BBC, which receives £3.7 billion a year from the public, has:
Forked out almost £14 million for plane travel in two years – including £2.2 million on first and business class tickets;
The news of BBC excess comes at a time when the beleaguered Corporation is facing the prospect of root and branch reform.
Culture Secretary John Whittingdale last week announced a review into the future of the BBC, which could make it a much leaner and smaller operation in the future.
The Government says the BBC is now too big for its own good, and that it spends too much time chasing ratings and making programmes which could easily be made by its commercial rivals.
Ministers have singled out the prime-time BBC1 talent show The Voice for particular criticism – but have denied claims that they want to see popular radio stations such as Radio 1 and Radio 2 close down.
In response to the review, a letter defending the BBC was signed by 29 high profile entertainment figures, including Dame Judi Dench and James Bond actor Daniel Craig.
However, it emerged last week that Corporation chiefs orchestrated the letter. Several stars, including veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, confirmed they had been asked to sign it by the BBC’s £327,800-a-year director of television Danny Cohen. Angry Tory MPs last night said the catalogue of waste and excess exposed by The Mail on Sunday only strengthened the case for reform.
Conor Burns said: ‘The BBC is feckless with public money. President Reagan used to joke that his Democrat opponents woke up in a cold sweat after dreaming it was their money rather than the taxpayers’ money they were spending. It seems the same thing is happening with the BBC.’
His fellow Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘The BBC say they have been pared to the bone and can’t save any more money, however all the evidence shows their claims are ridiculous. Given the waste that’s continuing which wouldn’t be tolerated in any commercial enterprise, given that the licence fee rests disproportionately on the poorest in society who have to pay under threat of criminal proceedings, you’d think they would be more careful. These things show us the way the BBC spends licence fee payers’ money. They say no further savings can be made, but things like this show that’s discredited.’
But historian and TV presenter Simon Schama, who signed the letter of support, last night said the type of series with which he has been involved for decades would not exist without the BBC.
He said: ‘Programmes like The History of Britain wouldn’t have had a chance of getting going.
‘At the same time, I don’t think the BBC needs to be defensive about popular programmes like EastEnders. I think excellence in one kind of broadcasting transfers into another.’ Monty Python star Michael Palin was also a signatory to the letter.
He argued that the BBC should be more bullish in its own defence, saying: ‘I think the BBC still provides the best public broadcasting service in the world. I think the BBC has been very apologetic and I don’t think that is the right way to go about things. We need to keep the pressure on the BBC to perform as well as it should but I don’t think it should be bashed or reduced.’
A spokesman for the BBC last night defended the way in which it used the public’s money, saying staff could only return to the Corporation if it was more than a year since their redundancy.
The spokesman also defended the BBC’s expenditure on travel, saying that the broadcaster only allowed car hire when it was the cheapest option, and that the amount spent had been cut by 18 per cent since 2010-11.
The spokesman said that 90 per cent of all flights the BBC paid for were economy class, and that travel in upgraded classes had been reduced by 18 per cent since 2013.
In addition, he said first-class rail travel was only permitted when it was the cheapest available ticket.
The spokesman added: ‘This story is nothing more than a cut and shut of well-trodden FOIs and previously published information re-packaged as something new.
‘As most people appreciate, there are essential costs in running a major broadcaster – such as travel and staffing – and by 2016-17 we will be saving £1.6 billion a year.’
How bosses rehired 416 staff who got £23m payouts...
Hundreds of BBC staff have been made redundant by the Corporation – only to be rehired sometimes less than a year later.
Last August, 416 staff who had previously received redundancy payouts from the BBC – at a cost of £22.8 million – were back working there on freelance contracts.
PS: But at least they're less stressed
The culture of excess may even be a bit too much for some of the BBC’s own staff.
Freedom of Information figures show employees took just over 85,000 sick days in 2013-14. That figure might sound high, but it is actually down on the previous year’s total of 95,000.
The BBC is providing counselling for more than 400 of its staff – helping them with issues including debt, stress, ‘life events’ and work-life balance.
The culture of excess may even be a bit too much for some of the BBC’s own staff.
Freedom of Information figures show employees took just over 85,000 sick days in 2013-14. That figure might sound high, but it is actually down on the previous year’s total of 95,000.
The BBC is providing counselling for more than 400 of its staff – helping them with issues including debt, stress, ‘life events’ and work-life balance.
In 2013, it was reported that Matthew Bannister, the former head of Radio 1, was back at the BBC a decade after he had been given a huge severance deal.
Mr Bannister, who was once nicknamed the ‘Fat Controller’ by broadcaster Chris Evans, received a £140,000 termination payment and £54,590 towards his pension when he left in 2000. But he subsequently rejoined the BBC as a presenter on Radio 4. Conservative MP Conor Burns said last night: ‘This feeds into the idea of the revolving door in the public sector.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘People cannot return as staff within 12 months of redundancy. Of the fraction that have returned ... most were on a short-term freelance basis.’
... and paid them £2.1m too much - costing YOU £750k
The BBC has given millions of pounds in overpayments to staff.
Freedom of Information figures show that between 2012 and 2014, there were 1,007 cases where full-time employees were paid more than they should have been.
The total figure for the two years comes to just over £2.1 million – and only £1.34 million has been recovered, leaving a shortfall of more than £750,000. The BBC admits that nearly £120,000 of that is ‘not considered recoverable’.
A spokesman said: ‘We make more than 350,000 payments to staff every year, and overpayment occurs in only a tiny proportion of cases. Where overpayments do occur, we take action to recover the funds.’
In 2013, the BBC’s then-human resources boss Lucy Adams admitted that a further £474,500 had been added by mistake to ex-deputy director-general Mark Byford’s £1 million payoff.
According to her ex-husband Steve Vear, a manager was fired over the error, but the BBC denied Mr Byford had received more than he was entitled to.