The BBC has been accused of keeping its licence fee gravy train rolling after earmarking a staggering £250million for flights, trains and hotel rooms while hundreds of staff face the axe.
Corporation chiefs are planning the eye-watering travel bill over the next seven years, on top of a round-the-clock taxi contract worth up to another £63million.
The spending plans come despite the Beeb pressing ahead with cost-cutting, with as many as 2,000 roles feared to be at risk over the next three years.
Senior executive travel expenses
Newly released figures also lift the lid on the travel bills of senior executives. Jonathan Munro, now the BBC’s interim chief executive, claimed £36,190 for ten return flights around the world in the year ending in 2025.
That included an £8,100 return flight to New York and another costing £4,985 to Washington, while he also claimed £960 for six taxi journeys.
Former director-general Tim Davie also billed the corporation £230 for one minicab trip in 2024 before claiming another £164 journey the following year.
Contract value increase
The new travel contract is worth £11million more than the previous deal signed in 2018, which was valued at £239million.
Former culture secretary Sir John Whittingdale questioned whether the spending could be justified while the broadcaster is under mounting financial pressure.
He said: “The BBC is facing a financial squeeze as a result of the steady fall in the number willing to pay the licence fee. However, it is very hard to justify this huge increase in travel and hotel costs for its staff when many commercial broadcasters make do with far less.”
BBC response
The broadcaster has already unveiled a £160million savings drive, with hundreds of jobs being cut and programmes facing the chop as bosses try to balance the books.
The BBC said “some travel costs are inevitable” but insisted it has “strict guidelines to ensure spending is appropriate and proportionate”.
It added that cost control measures have also been introduced “to reduce non-essential travel”.
