BBC staff have expressed outrage over bumper salary increases for high-profile presenters such as Laura Kuenssberg, John Simpson, and Reeta Chakrabarti, while thousands of employees face job cuts and minimal pay rises. Spending on BBC presenters rose by £3 million to £143 million last year, with 42 BBC News journalists earning more than £178,000. This comes as the broadcaster pushes ahead with plans to cut around 2,000 jobs as part of a £500 million savings drive. Most staff received a pay increase of just 1%.
Rank-and-File Anger
The revelations have sparked fury among ordinary employees, who say colleagues are being asked to work longer and more antisocial hours for little extra reward, while high-profile presenters continue to see their salaries soar. One employee said: “When I read some of those presenter salaries I felt pig-sick. It feels like outdated legacy pay for an era that has gone.” Another added: “It has gone down like the proverbial cup of cold sick. Too many are earning too much while those who graft earn much less.”
Star Salary Details
Laura Kuenssberg became the BBC’s highest-paid journalist after receiving a rise that took her salary to as much as £409,999. Business editor Simon Jack enjoyed an increase of around 20% to up to £274,999, while world affairs editor John Simpson’s pay rose by about 8% to up to £209,999. Newsreader Reeta Chakrabarti also received a double-digit increase, taking her salary to as much as £329,999.
Value for Licence Fee Payers Questioned
A third BBC journalist questioned whether the increases represented value for licence fee payers during a period of sweeping cuts. They said: “Some of these presenters are already on huge salaries and there is a complete and utter lack of transparency about why they’ve been given these increases. If they didn’t get them they’re hardly likely to quit, so it’s really questionable about how it provides value for licence fee payers at a time of massive cutbacks.”
BBC Response
The BBC claims presenter pay reflects changing responsibilities, while deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said on-air presenter costs have fallen by around £20 million over the past seven years. He said the corporation was “very mindful of the financial pressures.”
