Spending on BBC presenters rose by £3million to £143million last year, with 42 BBC News journalists pocketing more than £178,000 but rank and file staff got just a 1% rise
Fuming BBC staff have blasted bumper salary hikes for stars including Laura Kuenssberg, John Simpson and Reeta Chakrabarti while thousands of workers face job cuts and “pitiful” pay rises.
Spending on BBC presenters rose by £3million to £143million last year, with 42 BBC News journalists pocketing more than £178,000. It comes as the broadcaster presses ahead with plans to axe around 2,000 jobs as part of a £500million savings drive. Most staff received rises of just 1%.
The revelations have sparked fury among rank-and-file employees, who say colleagues are being asked to work longer and more anti-social 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 It feels like outdated legacy pay for an era that has gone.”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.”
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.
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.”
The BBC claims presenter pay reflects changing responsibilities, while deputy director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said on-air presenter costs have fallen by around £20million over the past seven years.
He said the corporation was “very mindful of the financial pressures”.