2008 press releases

Norman investigates cost of BBC flights

The BBC has revealed that it spent more than £10m on flights last year, with more than £3m spent on business or first class flights.

The figures, which also show that just under £5m was spent on rail travel, were revealed in a letter to Local Lib Dem MP and Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker, following a Freedom of Information request.

Commenting, Norman Baker said:

"At a time when the BBC should be doing all it can to make sure it gives good value to licence fee payers, it is staggering to find that it has spent £10m on flights in the last year, let alone £3m on business or first class.

"The BBC's own guidelines say that flying business class should only happen in 'exceptional circumstances'. It is hard to believe that there can be £3m worth of exceptional circumstances in a single year.

"Licence fee payers have a right to assume their money is not being splashed around frivolously. BBC bosses must make sure that, where possible, their staff use trains rather than planes and that when they must fly, they get the best value for money possible."

|Home

|Issues

|Press

|Norman and his work

|Useful Links

|Contact Norman

|Site map and Search

|Norman's flickr page

|Norman's Facebook page

|National LibDem site