View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

BBC boss claims £400 for cancelled holiday as executive expenses soar 19%

By PA Mediapoint

A senior BBC executive who earns a six-figure salary claimed almost £400 when his holiday was cancelled in the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal.

Adrian Van Klaveren, who in June 2012 had a total remuneration of £193,150, claimed £387.50 for a "Cancelled holiday to return to work during Jimmy Savile issue".

A former controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, Van Klaveren left the station in December in the wake of the Pollard Report into aspects of the scandal.

He had temporarily headed the chain of command in news at the time of a bungled BBC2 Newsnight report into child abuse in north Wales, which led to Lord McAlpine mistakenly being linked to it. The BBC later made a financial settlement with the Tory peer.

Van Klaveren is now in charge of the BBC coverage of the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

A spokeswoman for the corporation said: "Due to a leading editorial role dealing with exceptional circumstances Adrian was required to return early from annual leave."

The expenses claims also reveal that current head of television Danny Cohen was given a box of wine at Christmas by Mrs Merton star Caroline Aherne.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Cohen, who at that time was BBC One controller, gave the wine to staff at the station.

The total expenses claimed by senior BBC staff has risen by almost a fifth compared to this time last year.

New figures show an expenses bill of £206,401 for the latest quarter for which figures are available, 19 per cent higher compared with the equivalent period a year earlier (£174,041).

The BBC spokeswoman added: "The majority of these expenses are unavoidable routine costs incurred in running a major international broadcasting organisation. Whilst there will inevitably be fluctuation in spend from year to year we are mindful that we are spending public money and are working hard to keep these costs to a minimum."

The corporation has been publishing quarterly expenses for all senior managers who earn more than £150,000 in a bid to increase transparency.

The rail bill has dropped by 21 per cent in a year, and internal hospitality has decreased by 22 per year in the same period.

The figures, which cover the last three months of last year, show that taxi fares claimed by senior bosses have also risen by 19% year on year, totalling £32,948 for the period covered by the latest expenses disclosure.

The BBC's head of Human Resources Lucy Adams, one of the corporation's highest earners on an annual salary of £320,000, claimed £792.64 on taxi fares during the period.

She also claimed £446.79 as external hospitality to discuss ideas to enhance "staff engagement" at a meeting attended by eight people.

The BBC's creative director Alan Yentob, spent nearly £1,000 on cab fares for the period. His claims for taxis amount to £977.87.

Former chief operating officer Caroline Thomson, who left the BBC in September of last year and had a salary of £307,000 for her role, had claims of £387.50 for taxis for the quarter, some of which are logged as being for October in the documents which have been published.

She was given a £670,000 payoff when she left the BBC last year, a figure which drew criticism from the Public Accounts Committee which suggested that the money had been paid to "compensate" her for missing out on the director-general job.

Topics in this article : ,

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network