BBC bosses blasted over bumper pay rises of up to £75k… as Auntie threatens to scrap free TV for OAPs
The eye-watering raises are worth up to £75,000 a year and have been branded as 'scandalous' by furious MPs
SOME of the BBC’s highest-paid executives have received annual wage rises of up to 30 per cent.
The raises are worth up to £75,000 a year and come as the Beeb threatens to scrap free TV licences for OAPs.
Six bosses have been awarded the eye-watering annual wage rise,
Ken MacQuarrie, director of nations and regions, got the biggest pay rise from £250,000 to £325,000 a year, which is a 30 per cent increase.
He also claimed £30,000 in expenses last year - more than the other 98 highest-paid chiefs.
Other top execs to receive a bumper pay rise include Charlotte Moore, the director of content, whose money went up from £325,000 to £370,000 - a 13.8 per cent hike.
James Purnell, the director of radio and education, has received a 6.8 per cent raise to £315,000.
Peter Ranyard, head of the commercial legal department, now earns £180,000 - a 15 per cent rise.
John Shield, the BBC’s head of communications, rose 12.8 per cent to £220,000.
Lastly, Gavin Allen, controller of daily news programmes, received a 11.5 per cent pay rise from £143,500 to £160,000.
The move has been branded “scandalous” by MPs as the average annual pay rise in the UK is just 3.3 per cent.
The news comes as the BBC considers scrapping the free TV licences for OAPs that it introduced in 2001.
TV licences cost £150.50 a year but over-75s don't have to pay.
The costs of providing the free licences are split with the Government for about 4.5million homes, but that arrangement expires in 2020.
The BBC is also slashing programme budgets, The Mail On Sunday reports.
Director-General Tony Hall says the BBC has “lost great programmes” because of budget cuts, which include losing the rights to Formula 1 racing and Six Nations rugby as well as the Great British Bake Off.
It is also reported that the number of BBC managers earning more than £150,000 increased to 102 after the corporation promised to bring that number down.
The National Audit Office questioned the organisation a year ago about why the number of managers being paid that much had increased from 89 to 98 in the past five years.
The broadcaster only spends just over half its income to make programmes directly.
Its latest annual report said £2.8billion was set aside out of its £5billion income to make content for TV, radio and online.
The rest of it is spent on “operational costs”, which includes broadcasting the programmes and collecting the licencing fee.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told The Mail on Sunday: “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.”
Labour MP Ian Lucas said the corporation should take “a long hard look at itself”.
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The BBC said it had halved the number of senior managers since 2009/10, saving £38million.
It added: “Where people take on significant extra responsibilities or make an exceptional contribution to the business, it’s recognised in their pay.
“For example, Ken MacQuarrie has joined the board and taken on the English Regions division, James Purnell has a bigger job with wider responsibilities and John Shield has joined the executive committee.”
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