The BBC is under fire for spending almost £200million of licence-payers’ money on golden goodbyes for staff as part of streamlining its operations.

The sum, largely comprising redundancy pay-offs, has been generated since Mark Thompson was appointed director-general in June 2004.

According to a Freedom of Information disclosure, the BBC has forked out a total of £190,488,000 – including £167.4million on redundancies between October 2004 and September this year.
Mark Thompson

The Axeman: Mark Thompson, with actress Kate Winslet at a charity dinner, has cut a total of 5,500 jobs at the BBC

Other payments include £11.5million to staff who had contracts terminated and £8.3million to employees in lieu of working their notices.

But the BBC says that long-term savings will be made from reduced staff costs.

In 2005 the Corporation cut 3,780 jobs as part of swingeing reductions.

Two years later it made 1,800 more redundant in Mr Thompson’s plan to create ‘a smaller, fitter BBC’.

Then, two months ago, the BBC unveiled a plan to cull more than 100 high-earning senior managers.

The BBC has refused to reveal the status of those employees who have left the organisation or how much any individuals have been paid.

Some of the redundancy payments have been made to staff who are unwilling to transfer to a huge new multimedia broadcast and production centre in Salford as part of the Corporation’s £240million move to make the BBC less ‘London-centric’.

Staff have been offered relocation allowances of up to £46,000.