BBC accused of ‘bribery’ over allowances for MediaCityUK movers
posted Nov 10, 2009 - 04:27 AM | 2 comments
This week the shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt accused the BBC of 'bribing' staff to make the move to Salford Quays.
He was referring to the issue of London 'weighting' allowances (up to £4k a year), which BBC staff relocating from London to MediaCityUK will continue to be paid for the remainder of their careers.
Hunt said, "For the BBC to be using licence-fee payers’ money in this way beggars belief. Money should be spent on producing great programmes, not bribing people who want to stay in London to move to Salford."
The BBC has defended itself, saying it is "common practice" for employees to keep weightings when relocating out of the capital and that, "It would be unreasonable to expect staff to take a reduction in earnings as part of this process." (more at the Times).
The issue has prompted comments galore at the Times and How-Do, and the Salford Star has labeled it an 'apartheid wage system' that prefers London staff to new recruits.
It doesn't really matter how the BBC tries to justify it's various relocation incentives - in the middle of a recession these allowances are never going to go down well. And with a Conservative government breathing down it's neck, chances are we'll see less of these generous packages in the future (though probably no less media coverage).
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In some not-entirely-unrelated news, here's a cool little video from some Salford youngsters who visited MediaCityUK recently (featuring a very relaxed looking Peter Salmon):
Hopefully by the time these kids land jobs at MediaCity that £4k a year won't seem like such a big deal.
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I've just fixed the commenting system on the blog, which appears to have been malfunctioning for the past month or so. Apologies to anyone who has posted recently without any success, please do post again if you can be bothered! Jun 09, 2009 - 04:16 AM
CBBC are looking for new drama writers - if you fancy a future job at MediaCityUK check it out - http://bit.ly/10wvA0 May 21, 2009 - 01:14 AM
Not a lot of MediaCityUK news to report since the ITV bombshell, except perhaps this article from the FT about the positive impact MediaCityUK is likely to have on Salford and the surrounding areas. The article also provides a quick introduction to the local housing market - useful if you're looking at relocating to Salford. Mar 26, 2009 - 11:04 PM
Debate about the BBC's staff relocation packages continues to rumble on and on - Liz Hunt at the Telegraph says, "I can't be the only taxpayer with northern credentials who feels insulted by the implication that having to up sticks from the South East is akin to an enforced relocation to Mogadishu or Harare." (full article here). Meanwhile, Andy Spinoza at How-Do offers some relocation advice to BBC staff - "Some media people will find the value, community, and friendliness on offer in the likes of Monton and Eccles more appealing than the fancy nick-nack shops of Didsbury..." (full article here). Mar 13, 2009 - 12:22 AM
The Manyoo apartment towers in Salford Quays will be built, despite one of the developers behind it going into administration, reports the MEN. Manyoo will have 1,036 apartments over four towers that will `quite literally change the skyline of Salford Quays'. Mar 04, 2009 - 07:04 AM
« SideBlog Archive
1. Nick Robinson
Some staff I suppose are crucial to the move for the sake of continuity and taking away someone's London weighting could possibly be seen as a 'constructive dismissal', so the BBC may not have all that much choice in some cases.
posted November 10, 2009 at 05:53 AM
2. michael
posted November 10, 2009 at 04:29 PM