By David Williams
BBC director general Mark Thompson used his CIPFA conference address to announce a series of measures intended to make the broadcaster one of the most transparent organisations in the public sector.
Speaking on June 25, Thompson outlined a five-point plan to publish more details of salaries and expenses.
The programme ‘represents a very significant advance in openness of the BBC, and places the BBC where it should be – at the front tier of disclosure practice across the public sector’, he told delegates.
Thompson revealed the BBC is to publish an exact breakdown of the salaries paid to its 50 top-earning managers, and also its top ‘decision-makers’ – those with the greatest responsibility over how licence fee cash is spent.
The expenses claims of both groups will also be published ‘line by line’ each quarter.
Thompson said future expenses publications would have fewer details blacked out than had been the case in the past.
‘I have asked all my colleagues to ensure that they only remove or anonymise information when it is absolutely essential.’
However, presenters’ salaries will still not be disclosed – although the totals spent on ‘talent’ and the highest earning stars will be published.
The director general defended the BBC’s stance, saying: ‘We operate in an industry where confidentiality is the norm. If the BBC was the only broadcaster forced to reveal these fees, there would be a real danger that talent might migrate to other broadcasters and independent producers, leaving the BBC and the public service programming it produces poorer.
‘Our on-air artists are not public decision-makers or public officers of the BBC. They’re not the kind of individual public servant that the Freedom of Information Act envisaged disclosure about.’
BBC director general Mark Thompson used his CIPFA conference address to announce a series of measures intended to make the broadcaster one of the most transparent organisations in the public sector.
Speaking on June 25, Thompson outlined a five-point plan to publish more details of salaries and expenses.
The programme ‘represents a very significant advance in openness of the BBC, and places the BBC where it should be – at the front tier of disclosure practice across the public sector’, he told delegates.
Thompson revealed the BBC is to publish an exact breakdown of the salaries paid to its 50 top-earning managers, and also its top ‘decision-makers’ – those with the greatest responsibility over how licence fee cash is spent.
The expenses claims of both groups will also be published ‘line by line’ each quarter.
Thompson said future expenses publications would have fewer details blacked out than had been the case in the past.
‘I have asked all my colleagues to ensure that they only remove or anonymise information when it is absolutely essential.’
However, presenters’ salaries will still not be disclosed – although the totals spent on ‘talent’ and the highest earning stars will be published.
The director general defended the BBC’s stance, saying: ‘We operate in an industry where confidentiality is the norm. If the BBC was the only broadcaster forced to reveal these fees, there would be a real danger that talent might migrate to other broadcasters and independent producers, leaving the BBC and the public service programming it produces poorer.
‘Our on-air artists are not public decision-makers or public officers of the BBC. They’re not the kind of individual public servant that the Freedom of Information Act envisaged disclosure about.’
