BBC Gives Bumper Pay Rises Despite Threatening Over-75 TV Licences

The BBC has given eye-watering pay rises to top executives, at the same time as plotting to ditch the over-75 TV licence in order to save a few quid.

If you believe everything the BBC says - not that we do - then it is currently slashing programme budgets in order to balance its books.

In this latest act of BBC hypocrisy six of the broadcaster's most senior managers have been awarded inflation busting rises of up to thirty percent in the past twelve months.

The BBC bosses mentioned in today's Mail on Sunday article include:

• Ken McQuarrie, Director of Nations and Regions, who saw his salary increase from £250,000 to £325,000 (a 30 percent increase);
• James Purnell, Director of Radio and Education, who saw his salary increase from £295,000 to £315,000 (a 7 percent increase);
• John Shield, Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, who saw his salary increase from £195,000 to £220,000 (a 13 percent increase);
• Charlotte Moore, Director of Content, who saw her salary increase from £325,000 to £370,000 (a 14 percent increase);
• Gavin Allen, Controller of Daily News Programmes, who saw his salary increase from £143,500 to £160,000 (a 12 percent increase);
• Peter Ranyard, Assistant General Counsel and Head of Commercial Legal, who saw his salary increase from £156,500 to £180,000 (a 15 percent increase).

The number of BBC managers earning more than £150,000 has also increased to 102, despite promises to bring the figure down.

Labour MP Ian Lucas, a member of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, condemned the pay rises as 'staggering'.

"Licence payers will be completely mystified that the levels of pay seem to be increasing in the way they are," he said.

"People are very fed up with the disparity between their own lives and these pay levels. The over-75s concession is a difficult one for the BBC, but they are making it much harder for themselves by giving their senior managers massive hikes in already very high salaries."

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, a well known critic of the BBC, said: "These scandalous pay rises will only confirm what the hard-pressed licence fee payer already knows – that there’s never been any austerity at the BBC.

"The BBC enjoys every benefit of a private company, while enjoying the security of being funded by the taxpayer."

Funding for the BBC's UK services has shrunk by 20 per cent since 2010, leading to a £700 million budget cut. It has a target to slash another £700 million off its annual bill by 2022.

The BBC defended the salary increases by saying that the beneficiaries had extended their roles.

A BBC spokesman said: "We have halved the number of senior managers since 2009/10, with the cost reduced by £38 million. It’s well known that the BBC pays less than the private sector but we still need to attract and retain the right talent to create the very best programmes and services for licence fee payers.

"Where people take on significant extra responsibilities or make an exceptional contribution to the business, it's recognised in their pay, just like at other organisations."

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