Nice Carpet! BBC attacked over MediaCityUK relocation incentives

Tue 20th Jan, 2009 | Comments

The BBC has come under fire for it's generous relocation package, which could include up to £3,000 for new carpets and curtains for employees relocating from London to MediaCityUK. The payment package, paid for out of the licence fee, is intended to entice staff to make the move North. (We first heard about the relocation scheme in June last year.)

The TaxPayers' Alliance described the package as "a slap in the face to the ordinary taxpayer forced to subsidise such generosity when they are facing the consequences of hard economic times".

A BBC spokesperson said: “We seek to offer relocation assistance which is comparable to that offered across the private and public sectors and within clear limits. A review of the assistance available, in light of the current difficult economic climate, is currently being undertaken...this is important because some staff will shortly be making decisions about the move.” (All staff must make a decision whether to move or not by September 30 2009, with most relocating between April and December 2011.)

So is this package really obscene...or is it a case of newspaper overreaction mixed with some anti-BBC/anti-licence fee sentiment? What do you think?

You can read more at Crain's, the MEN and the Guardian.

Update: New BBC North Director Peter Salmon defended the relocation incentives at the Television for the Nations and Regions Conference at the Lowry. Salmon said, "We have to make sure that we take the right number of the best people from London. There's a degree of specialism, professionalism and experience which we need to make sure we've got." You can read the full story at the MEN.