One in ten BBC staff given pay rise of more than 10 per cent last year

bbc

Nearly 1,800 members of BBC staff received a pay rise of more than 10 per cent last year, figures have revealed.

The large pay rises – amounting to £8,000 per person on average – were handed out to 1,763 members of staff. The group make up 9.1 per cent of the total number of people employed by the corporation.

The BBC said the figures reflected staff being given promotions or taking on extra responsibilities.

But critics, reported in The Telegraph, say the figures showed the “gravy train continues to roll”, with the increases coming at an overall cost of £13.9million.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said: “It underlines why so many people despair of the BBC. The gravy train continues to roll. The BBC talks about austerity but they have clearly never experienced it.”

The salary increases were released following a freedom of information request by the Sun newspaper.

A BBC spokesman said: “BBC staff received a one per cent pay rise last year but in any large organisation – especially when making significant back office savings like the BBC – there will be people who are promoted or take on significant extra responsibilities which will be reflected in their salary.”

It comes after a row over the disparity between pay for women and men at the corporation.

This week it was revealed that Andrew Neil is to step down as host of the BBC’s Sunday Politics, and will be replaced by BBC Scotland editor Sarah Smith.

Neil is the first high profile presenter to take a salary cut in the wake of the controversy over gender pay.