Taxi! Now BBC fatcats waste £20,000 on cabs that weren’t needed when they arrived
THE BBC wasted more than £20,000 on taxis that were not needed when they arrived, figures reveal.
The BBC wasted more than £20,000 on taxis that were not needed when they arrived
The bloated corporation, which costs the licence fee payer £145.50 a year, also spent more than £50,000 on cabs that were left waiting for clients with the meter running.
The figures, released following a Freedom of Information request, show that in 2015 the corporation spent £23,000 of licence fee-payers’ money on more than 1,500 taxis it never used.
More than 9,000 cabs were left waiting for customers at the cost to the taxpayer of £50,666. Last night the TaxPayers’ Alliance blasted the broadcaster.
Wasting more than £20,000 on unwanted taxis is just not responsible behaviour
Dia Chakravarty, political director at the Alliance, said: “Wasting more than £20,000 on unwanted taxis is just not responsible behaviour.
“Hard-pressed households expect their licence fee to pay for quality programmes, not to be squandered away. We simply can’t afford it.” In 2014, the BBC paid out for 2,098 taxis, 421 train tickets and 257 hotel rooms that it never used.
A BBC spokesman said: “Overall more than a third of taxis are to get guests to and from shows.
The taxpayer pays £145.50 a year for BBC
More than 9,000 cabs were left waiting for customers at the cost to the taxpayer of £50,666
“The BBC broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and live broadcast demands will often affect advanced bookings at short notice.
“Rigorous guidelines ensure taxi travel is proportional and waiting time instances have come down by 10 per cent.”
The corporation spent £23,000 of licence fee-payers' money on more than 1,500 taxis it never used