Category Archives: bbc expenditure

Did you read that expenses claims lodged by Peter Horrocks, the director of the World Service and BBC Global News, show he travelled business class for a British General Election reception on May 6th held at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He flew back to London the following day.

The flights cost £1,780 with an additional £181.49 spent on his hotel room. Mr Horrocks, who earns £242,800 a year, also charged the corporation £79.60 for taxis to and from the airport in Washington and a further £19.44 for ‘access to secure BBC internet’.

Ain’t life grand when you can tap into £3bn per annum? Vital business, obviously.

So what do you make of the news that Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, has vetoed a review of executive pay because the corporation’s private polling shows that viewers care more about repeats? The Telegraph has the details here. I cannot see how the BBC can adopt such an arrogant approach although listening to David Cameron on Marr this morning did not inspire me into thinking that the day of reckoning is coming anytime soon. DC seemed very pally when he talking to some actress luvvies on the Marr couch.

Wonder how you feel about the news that the BBC will land taxpayers with a £3million bill to send staff from Manchester to cover the London Olympics – a year after relocating from the capital? All part of that very special relationship they have with us poor suckers.

Wonder what you make of the news that the BBC has been “stockpiling” thousands of doses of the swine flu drug Tamiflu? About 4,000 doses of the Tamiflu drug have been bought by the corporation. I rather agree with Scottish Tory public health spokesman Jackson Carlaw who has said that : “It is nothing short of disgraceful that a licence payer funded body is storing away an antiviral which is free on the NHS.”

I bet you feel all warm and content at the news how the BBC spends some of the many millions it takes from you…

The BBC has paid £1.2 million in fees in the last year to companies owned by close
relatives of senior executives in new allegations of cronyism.

The lion’s share was taken by Samir Shah, a non executive director of the
corporation, whose production company Juniper Communications was paid £715,000 last year.

Mr Shah, who owns 70 per cent of Juniper, is paid £35,000 as a member
of the BBC executive board which oversees the corporation’s management and
directs its editorial output. The payments to Juniper will also further
enrich the family of Jana Bennett, the BBC head of Vision, who is tipped to be
the first woman director general of the corporation. Miss Bennett’s husband
Richard Clemmow owns 10 per cent of Juniper. Last year Miss Bennett was paid
£535,000 by the BBC.

Isn’it it NICE to see how wisely your money is spent? All part of that very special relationship the BBC has with us.

Ah to be at the BBC, where it’s summertime and the living is easy.

The heads of BBC radio and TV stations and senior corporation management figures used public money to pay for flowers, champagne, hampers for stars and “thank you” lunches and dinners. Read the sordid details here!

It’s a luvvie merry go round oand we, dear reader, fund it. That’s what makes it so special, you see.

I see that the Sunday Times reveals how judging by the Golden Globe television awards, the prize for best free trip and luxury hotel stay should go to . . . the BBC!

It has emerged that the corporation spent tens of thousands of pounds flying directors, producers and stars from one of its leading costume dramas to Hollywood so that they could lobby for prizes at award festivals. A seven-strong contingent from the BBC1 series Cranford – including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton – flew business-class to lobby for nominations to the Emmys and Golden Globe awards last year. They and the BBC production team stayed at luxury hotels favoured by some of Hollywood’s biggest names. A second trip was made to the Golden Globe ceremony itself.

This strikes me as a criminal waste of our cash in order that the BBC can lobby for awards for itself. It’s narcissistic,indulgent and evidence of how the BBC promotes itself using our money.