Post by Teddy Bear on Oct 29, 2015 8:53:13 GMT
Notice how the excuse or justification used by the BBC at the end of this article has nothing to do with the matter actually raised.
BBC bosses used Proms 'to lobby for the licence fee': Corporation spends more than £25,000 on wining and dining celebrities and cabinet ministers during the festival
By Tim Lamden For The Daily Mail
The BBC spent more than £25,000 wining and dining cabinet ministers and celebrities at this year's Proms festival, prompting accusations it was lobbying the government over threats to the licence fee.
Cabinet members including Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Theresa May were invited into the BBC's Royal Albert Hall boxes during the festival earlier this year.
During the Proms, Lord Hall, the corporation's director-general, spent nearly £27,000 on hosting high-profile guests, including Brian Cox, Clare Balding and Chris Evans, all of whom signed the now infamous 'luvvies' letter' calling on the government to abandon plans to reform the broadcaster.
Figures released by the BBC show just under £15,000 was spent on buying tickets, while £9,000 was spent on entertaining the famous attendees. Providing printed programmes to guests cost an additional £3,000.
This year's Proms began on July 17, one day after the government published a green paper on the future of the BBC that questioned whether the corporation had grown too large and should still strive to be 'all things to all people'.
It raised questions over how the BBC is funded and whether the licence fee should continue in its current form.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen described the hospitality as outrageous.
He said: 'We've found out how much money the EU spends on promoting itself, and the BBC is just as bad.
Cabinet members including Home Secretary Theresa May were invited into the BBC's Royal Albert Hall boxes during the festival earlier this year
'It is spending an outrageous amount of taxpayers' money trying to lobby for its position at the time of charter renewal. I want Lord Hall to tell us how much money the BBC is spending promoting itself.'
Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said that 'schmoozing luvvies' was a waste of public funds.
'Licence fee payers will be furious that the BBC is using their cash to host celebrities in luxury boxes,' said Mr Isaby.
A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC Proms is the world's largest classical music festival and a major cultural event managed and broadcast by the BBC and money raised from tickets and programmes goes towards the running costs of the festival.
'The BBC works hard to ensure value for money for its licence fee payers. The cost of providing this hospitality has been strictly controlled by corporate guidelines.'
More than 300,000 people attended 88 concerts that made up this year's Proms, the worlds largest televised classical music festival.
- Broadcaster spent £15,000 on tickets and £9,000 on entertaining attendees
- They also provided printed programmes to guests cost an additional £3,000
- Those hosted included cabinet members Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May
- Brian Cox, Clare Balding and Chris Evans all given VIP treatment too
By Tim Lamden For The Daily Mail
The BBC spent more than £25,000 wining and dining cabinet ministers and celebrities at this year's Proms festival, prompting accusations it was lobbying the government over threats to the licence fee.
Cabinet members including Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Theresa May were invited into the BBC's Royal Albert Hall boxes during the festival earlier this year.
During the Proms, Lord Hall, the corporation's director-general, spent nearly £27,000 on hosting high-profile guests, including Brian Cox, Clare Balding and Chris Evans, all of whom signed the now infamous 'luvvies' letter' calling on the government to abandon plans to reform the broadcaster.
Figures released by the BBC show just under £15,000 was spent on buying tickets, while £9,000 was spent on entertaining the famous attendees. Providing printed programmes to guests cost an additional £3,000.
This year's Proms began on July 17, one day after the government published a green paper on the future of the BBC that questioned whether the corporation had grown too large and should still strive to be 'all things to all people'.
It raised questions over how the BBC is funded and whether the licence fee should continue in its current form.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen described the hospitality as outrageous.
He said: 'We've found out how much money the EU spends on promoting itself, and the BBC is just as bad.
Cabinet members including Home Secretary Theresa May were invited into the BBC's Royal Albert Hall boxes during the festival earlier this year
'It is spending an outrageous amount of taxpayers' money trying to lobby for its position at the time of charter renewal. I want Lord Hall to tell us how much money the BBC is spending promoting itself.'
Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said that 'schmoozing luvvies' was a waste of public funds.
'Licence fee payers will be furious that the BBC is using their cash to host celebrities in luxury boxes,' said Mr Isaby.
A BBC spokesman said: 'The BBC Proms is the world's largest classical music festival and a major cultural event managed and broadcast by the BBC and money raised from tickets and programmes goes towards the running costs of the festival.
'The BBC works hard to ensure value for money for its licence fee payers. The cost of providing this hospitality has been strictly controlled by corporate guidelines.'
More than 300,000 people attended 88 concerts that made up this year's Proms, the worlds largest televised classical music festival.