BBC wasting £250k of fee-payers' money on taxis and hotels that are never used

16 December 2023 , 19:30

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Broadcasting House in central London (Image: PA)

BBC bosses wasted £250,000 on taxis, trains and hotels that were never used.

Over the last five years, 2,927 rail tickets, 580 rooms and 1,448 cabs were cancelled and the broadcaster was unable to claim a refund. The waste admitted by the Beeb equals around £4,000 a month.

Last night campaigners accused it of squandering licence-fee payers’ money. Andrew Allison, of the Freedom Association, said: “If travel plans are likely to change, the sensible approach is to book flexible tickets and hotel rooms which can be cancelled without charge. When your income is generated through a mandatory licence fee, every pound should be spent wisely.”

BBC figures show the biggest loss was on aborted train trips at £150,000, followed by cancelled hotel bookings (£86,000) and abandoned taxi journeys (£22,000). The average wasted train journey cost £54, while a typical empty hotel room was £130, and unused cabs were around £15.

Covid lockdowns boosted cancellations, the BBC said. A spokesperson said: "As a 24 hour international broadcaster, a significant amount of travel is inevitable and the nature of our work means plans can often change at short notice. We are always mindful of costs, we have strict policies in place to help keep expenses to a minimum, and wherever possible we will recover the costs.”

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