Where is FOI when you need it?

Why is there a lack of accountability of the BBC to the fee-paying public regarding all their expenses?

We have not heard anything about publication of the BBC-TV expenses, but we have heard that legal issues regarding staff contracts are prohibiting the scrutiny of the BBC-Radio expenses.  All we know is that the BBC presenters’ salaries are significantly higher than for those on commercial stations. The BBC argues “that disclosing payments risks driving up the fees commanded by talent, working against efforts across the BBC to drive down costs”.

What a load of nonsense!  First of all, Jonathan Ross is not a talent.  You could get at least a dozen to replace him and they’ll do it for much less than 6m a year.  If these so-called talents think to drive up costs by demanding higher pay, scrap them and see how quick they’ll change their minds.  I’d say cut all their salaries by 90% and give that back to the taxpayers.  Such greed is intolerable.  With two million unemployed, I’m very sure you could easily find replacements.  But, I’ve said that multiple times now.

The public does not pay their TV license fees in order to view one particular programme or to hear one particular presenter.  They pay it in order to have the freedom to watch anything and everything, and that includes non-BBC programmes.  But their fees do not fund anything but the BBC.  Therefore, the BBC has responsibilities to the public.  This includes public disclosures of all their expenditures and incomes, including overseas income.  Why are so many laptops and electronics equipment going “missing” at the BBC?  How can they have no way of tracing them, or such laxity in security?  The public does not want to feel that yet another government agency is misusing its money.