Double Standard of BBC Execs Staying 'South'

[Teddy Bear]

I think this story is great.
The BBC executive responsible for forcing 1,500 jobs to move from London to the corporation’s new £877million headquarters in Manchester is refusing to relocate his own family there. Instead, he will be entitled to up to £1,900 a month in rental fees for up to two years - paid for by the licence fee payer.

He claims it's because he doesn't want to disturb the education of his 2 sons. Both parents are originally from the North, but clearly they prefer life down South, and the wife privately admitted that she doesn't want to move back.

So what about the families of the 1500 staff being forced to move up North? Don't they have children in school here that will be disturbed? Any good leaders understand that it is necessary to lead by example. So it's entirely consistent that those at the BBC raking of hundreds of thousands of pounds from the licence fee are crap leaders.

Must be wonderful for morale of the staff to know they are led by such insidious souls.

Living the left-wing liberal dream

BBC chief sending 1,500 staff up North won't take his own family there

EXCLUSIVE By Paul Revoir
Last updated at 8:05 AM on 28th July 2010

The BBC executive responsible for forcing 1,500 jobs to move from London to the corporation’s new £877million headquarters in Manchester is refusing to relocate his own family there.

BBC North director Peter Salmon will instead rent a flat – which will be paid for by the licence fee payer – near MediaCityUK in Salford. The corporation says he will make a permanent move only when the ‘time is right’.

But his reluctance to relocate has infuriated workers who have accused him of double standards.

They claim he behaved like an ‘evangelist’ talking about the ‘Promised Land’ when trying to convince them to move.

Any BBC staff member is entitled to rent a property if they go to Salford, but crictics say Mr Salmon’s move sends out the wrong message.

The window cleaner’s son from Burnley is married to former Coronation Street actress Sarah Lancashire, so both have strong links with the North West. Much was made about his northern connections when he was appointed to his role.

The official reason for Mr Salmon – who previously worked in Manchester for Granada – not relocating his family is that he and his wife do not want their children’s education to be disrupted at a critical stage.

But Miss Lancashire is understood to have told friends she does not want to go back and intends to remain in the South East.

The couple live with their children in a four-bedroom property worth £1.85million in leafy Twickenham, South West London.

Mr Salmon married Miss Lancashire in 2001 and they have a son together. He has three sons from a previous relationship and she has two sons from a previous marriage.

It is understood that one of their children is doing A-levels while another has a year to go at primary school. Mr Salmon, a former BBC1 controller, will be entitled to up to £1,900 a month in rental fees for up to two years.

Critics say many rank and file staff will not have the option to commute between the two cities because they do not earn anywhere near the salary of Mr Salmon, who got total pay of £430,000 last year. And many could not afford to run two homes.

Among those being forced to move to the new base are the BBC’s children’s department, Radio 5 Live, parts of its new media arm and BBC Breakfast.

A BBC insider said last night: ‘People at BBC Breakfast are absolutely disgusted. If the man in charge of all this can’t be bothered to move up there then why should the rest of us?
Relocation: Many BBC staff has moved to the North after their departments where shifted to MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester

Relocation: Many BBC staff has moved to the North after their departments where shifted to MediaCityUK development in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester

'The thing about Salmon is that he has been like an evangelist about the move to Salford, giving us his great vision and saying how exciting it all is – now he says he is not going to properly live there.

‘The man who is supposed to be the visionary leader of this great project does not appear to be as committed about it and is not setting a very good example.’

It has also emerged that head of religion and ethics Aaqil Ahmed, who is from the North West, has declined to move to Manchester.

The BBC said it was clear from the beginning that Mr Salmon’s post would be split between the two cities. He will be based at Salford Quays when it opens next year and spend the majority of his working time there.

A spokesman added that he will move home to the North West at a later date, and the option to rent in the short term is ‘available to other relocating staff who will make individual choices based on their family circumstances’.

[Teddy Bear]

It's the story that just goes on giving.
The plain corruption, waste, double standards, greed, incompetence, poor judgement, and total disregard for public needs exhibited by the BBC on this issue makes further evidence to privatise this foul self-serving organisation unnecessary.

Just consider this: The BBC was plunged into fresh turmoil last night after a top executive hired to persuade 1,500 staff to move from London to Manchester suddenly quit his job – because he doesn’t want to live there himself.

Paul Gaskin, the £190,000-a-year human resources director for BBC North, had been with the Corporation for less than two months.

His departure has astonished colleagues, who say he left without explanation and had been contractually obliged to make the 200-mile move to the new Salford Quays base.

Speaking at his Hertfordshire home, Mr Gaskin, 47, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I did not want to move to Manchester and so decided to leave. It is as simple as that.’

The BBC added that ‘unforeseen family circumstances’ prompted the apparent change of heart, although neither it nor Mr Gaskin would elaborate.

The BBC hired a guy for £190,000 pa simply to persuade 1500 staff to move up north.
Any private company making decisions like the BBC would be bankrupted. First by spending nearly £1 billion on new studios purely to serve the desires of the local Labour councillor, who at the time was controlling the licence fee contract, then millions more on bribing staff to move there, while the hierarchy remain down south, yet giving the excuse that the move is necessary to make itself less 'Londoncentric'.

I'm not moving up North, says BBC HR boss: £190,000-a-year executive quits as he joins growing number of BBC 'refuseniks' who want to stay in South

By Ian Gallagher
Last updated at 12:10 AM on 22nd August 2010

The BBC was plunged into fresh turmoil last night after a top executive hired to persuade 1,500 staff to move from London to Manchester suddenly quit his job – because he doesn’t want to live there himself.

Paul Gaskin, the £190,000-a-year human resources director for BBC North, had been with the Corporation for less than two months.

His departure has astonished colleagues, who say he left without explanation and had been contractually obliged to make the 200-mile move to the new Salford Quays base.

Speaking at his Hertfordshire home, Mr Gaskin, 47, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I did not want to move to Manchester and so decided to leave. It is as simple as that.’

The BBC added that ‘unforeseen family circumstances’ prompted the apparent change of heart, although neither it nor Mr Gaskin would elaborate.

However, Mr Gaskin, who was based at Television Centre in White City, West London, conceded that his decision and its timing were acutely embarrassing for the BBC. Laughing, he admitted: ‘Yes, yes, I know.’

The controversial £877 million relocation – aimed at making the BBC less ‘London-centric’ and more diverse, but dismissed as a scandalous waste of public money by critics – has been beset by problems from the start.

Many household names, among them BBC Breakfast presenter Sian Williams, have threatened to resign because they are unable or unwilling to make the move. The same goes for hundreds of rank-and-file staff.

At the same time, senior executives have been accused of hypocrisy for not relocating their own families.

Earlier this year, there was concern that BBC North director Peter Salmon was not sending the right message to staff when he admitted that he will rent a flat at licence-fee payers’ expense near Salford.

BBC North director Peter Salmon with actress wife Sarah Lancashire, will rent a flat in Manchester while she stays in the South East

Mr Salmon, a window cleaner’s son from Burnley, is married to former Coronation Street actress Sarah Lancashire.

The official reason for Mr Salmon not relocating his family is that he and his wife do not want their children’s education to be disrupted.

But although much was made of her husband’s northern connections when he was first appointed, Miss Lancashire has reportedly told friends that she does not want to go back and intends to remain in the South East.

In addition, Richard Deverell, chief operating officer for the new base, has yet to decide whether he will make a clean break.

Among those being forced to move to ‘Media City’ in Salford – dubbed the Canary Wharf of the North because of its planned gleaming landscape of glass skyscrapers, hotels, shops and piazzas – are the BBC’s children’s department, Radio 5 Live, parts of its new media arm and BBC Breakfast.

Mr Gaskin’s decision to leave rather than relocate is the biggest blow so far to the BBC’s ambitions. A source said: ‘There are real worries the BBC move north is facing problems. It doesn’t make sense for him [Mr Gaskin] to quit such a big job in the middle of such a prestigious project.’

Mr Gaskin, who is married with children and lives in Stevenage, left the BBC at the end of July.

He had joined the Corporation from the giant outsourcing company Serco and was ‘responsible for the overall HR direction and leadership to meet the medium to long-term strategic objectives for

Other responsibilities included ‘training and development, recruitment, reward, diversity, employment, policy and organisation design’.

He was one of three new recruits whose appointments caused controversy because their pay packets were vastly in excess of the Prime Minister’s salary. At the time, the BBC was accused of making a mockery of public sector spending.

Mr Gaskin’s total remuneration package was worth £197,900 while David Cameron gets £142,500.

Jeremy Hunt, the new Conservative Culture Secretary, has previously said that the Corporation should not pay any of its executives more than the Prime Minister, but Ministers accept that because of the BBC’s independence, they cannot force it to act on pay.

To cajole staff to move, Mr Gaskin and his team used the offer of expenses of up to £1,900 a month to cover rent, bills and a weekly return to the South for up to two years.

And there have also been reports that some staff were taken on ‘all expenses paid’ trips to Manchester last year.

This involved being shown around the city over two days, a stay in a hotel and £50-a-head meal with their partners.

‘Even people who had already decided they wouldn’t be making the move to Manchester went on these tours because it meant two days off work,’ said a BBC source.

Slow progress: Broadcasting begins in less than six months but Media City is far from complete

Former Labour Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears, MP for Salford and Eccles, was one of the most prominent supporters of the move, believing it would bring jobs and regeneration to Greater Manchester.

However, Chris Hollins, a sports presenter on BBC Breakfast and last year’s Strictly Come Dancing winner, said the move was simply a ‘political decision’ – not an economic or editorial one.

The BBC, which will begin broadcasting from Salford in less than six months, also faces criticism for its decision to relocate sports staff before the Olympics.

It is paying £3 million to send them back to London to cover the Games less than 12 months after the move. Licence-fee payers will foot the bill for the flights, train fares, taxis and accommodation for up to 500 employees making the 400-mile round trip.

The estimate, based on the figure spent sending 437 staff to last year’s Beijing Games, will include paying for workers in sport, children, Radio 5 Live, learning and technology departments to stay in London for the two-week event.

In a statement to staff, the BBC’s director of people, Lucy Adams, said of Mr Gaskin’s departure: ‘It is with regret that I have to let you know that Paul Gaskin has made the very difficult decision to leave the BBC at the end of this month.

‘Unforeseen family circumstances mean Paul is now unable to relocate to Salford and he felt it would be unfair to continue in his role knowing that he could not commit to being part of the future North team.

Ken Lee will be heading up the North HR team on Paul’s departure.’

The BBC’s director of television, Jana Bennett, has promised a new wave of regional accents across its networks.

She said she wanted to better reflect ‘the nations and communities’ of Britain and as part of this the BBC will increase ‘distinctive voices’ which have an ‘authentic sense of place’.

[Teddy Bear]

BBC North director Peter Salmon has finally backed down and agreed to relocate to Salford - after accusing critics of a smear campaign.


Smear Campaign???
The prick was trying to get out of moving up north permanently while trying to get the rest of the 2300 staff to do so. This is what he is paid £430,000 a year for, and when it was revealed, this moron calls it a 'smear campaign'. I say moron because he really doesn't seem to get it - and his response either shows a psychologically unbalanced personality where truth is an elusive reality, or a psychologically unbalanced personality who does his best to manipulate truth.

Either way it shows the BBC mindset - and for this he gets paid £430k p.a.

He goes on to say He insisted: ‘People are throwing mud and hoping it might stick at the north which I think is unforgivable.

‘We are trying to build on what Manchester has had in its DNA for years and years – lots of entertainers, great storytellers, wonderful journalists, a great television company, the world’s first soap.

‘Instead, they dredge out all those old stereotypes about why it is so dreadful in the north and so wonderful in the south which I think is out of date and pathetic.’

Just who was it that didn't want to go?

I wish they'd move to the North Pole.

Under fire BBC boss finally agrees to relocate to Salford with 2,300 staff (although it could take three years)

By Liz Thomas
Last updated at 6:13 PM on 27th August 2010

BBC North director Peter Salmon has finally backed down and agreed to relocate to Salford - after accusing critics of a smear campaign.

The 54-year-old came under fire when it was revealed he would not move full time to Manchester with thousands of his staff. Instead, he planned to rent a flat at licence-fee payers’ expense.

However, today, the £430,000-a-year executive vowed to buy a ‘family home’ near the new £877million Media City site – despite the fact his move could take as long as three years.

He insisted: ‘People are throwing mud and hoping it might stick at the north which I think is unforgivable.

‘We are trying to build on what Manchester has had in its DNA for years and years – lots of entertainers, great storytellers, wonderful journalists, a great television company, the world’s first soap.

‘Instead, they dredge out all those old stereotypes about why it is so dreadful in the north and so wonderful in the south which I think is out of date and pathetic.’

More than 2,300 BBC staff are expected by the Corporation to make the move out of London, including those based in key departments such as Sport and Children's, BBC Sport, BBC Learning, parts of Radio 5 Live and Future Media and Technology, by 2012.

Mr Salmon, who is married to former Coronation Street actress Sarah Lancashire, confirmed he will buy a home in Salford as soon as his children finish their school education.

He said: 'I was very honest and said that it would be difficult to buy a house here because I’ve got one kid doing A levels and one finishing up at primary school.

'As a husband and father I am putting their interests first. I support that for every member of the BBC who is thinking of moving, they have to put their family first.

'But equally as soon as they have finished that round of their education I’m going to buy a family home [near Salford].'

Much was made of Mr Salmon's northern connections - he is a window cleaner’s son from Burnley - when he was first appointed to the role.

But critics have said his reluctance to move is damaging to the BBC's strategy and his decision not to relocate has been followed by a number of senior managers.

Mr Salmon's deputy Richard Deverell announced he would not be moving north immediately.

Last month Paul Gaskin, the HR director employed to oversee the staff move, quit his £190,000-a-year role because he had decided not to move North, although senior sources said this was for personal reasons.

Mr Salmon said: 'These are two very different things. One is, sadly, someone who can’t come on the journey with us for personal reasons.

'I don’t want to go into that. The second is someone who is very committed to this. Richard Deverell is going to rent initially because he has got a complicated family, and then intends to buy.

‘People are managing elderly parents, young kids, partners with complex lives, people with terminal illnesses.'

Last week it was revealed that almost half of Blue Peter’s staff are refusing to make the move to Salford and two of its three presenters may quit.

While BBC Breakfast presenter Sian Willams have voiced her unhappiness at the planned move, while fellow presenter Bill Turnbull spoke of the 'the very big question' of getting 'bottoms on the sofa' when the show moves so far out of London. And Chris Hollins called it a 'political decision.'