BBC's executives will reportedly receive more than £300,000 in bonuses this year, despite job cuts across the rest of the corporation.
The news is likely to attract severe criticism following a series of incidents which have brought the BBC's reputation into disrepute, including controversies over rigged phone-in votes for TV shows and a damning report accusing the corporation of Lo
ndon bias.
The pay out is also expected to spark a furious reaction from unions and BBC staff, who are still reeling from news of 2,500 redundancies and are unhappy about drastic reductions in budget for areas such as news and current affairs.
Conservative MP Philip Davies, who sits on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, said the bonuses were unjustifiable. "When Mark Thompson (director-general] keeps banging on about the tight licence fee settlement and how the BBC is short of cash, I find it astonishing that they can afford these bonuses."
Nine members of the executive board will share the pay out, including the deputy director-general Mark Byford, the director of BBC Vision, Jana Bennett, and the chief operating officer Caroline Thompson. Only Mark Thompson is expected to turn down his share of the windfall, for the fourth year running.
The BBC has refused to comment on the reports, saying that all details on bonuses will be included in its annual report, to be published next month.
The full article contains 242 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
