BBC spent £775,000 of licence fee payers' money on employees moonlighting as trade union reps during office hours

Published: 00:02, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 00:10, 23 July 2026 The BBC spent more than £775,000 of licence fee payers' money last year allowing hundreds of employees to moonlight as trade union representatives during office hours. The bill covering the work of so-called union pilgrims emerged as the cash-strapped Corporation faces a mounting battle over the future of the £180-a-year television licence. Cabinet Office figures reveal that 316 BBC employees were paid £775,701 in 'facility time' payments in 2024-25 effectively paid time away from their normal jobs to perform union duties. Two members of staff spent 100 per cent of their working hours on union business while continuing to be paid by the broadcaster. A further eight devoted more than half of their working time to union activities. The disclosure will fuel anger over the BBC's spending priorities as bosses warn that the licence-fee system is becoming unsustainable. Hundreds of thousands of households are cancelling their licences each year, while audiences increasingly turn to Netflix, YouTube and rival streaming services. Rebecca Ryan, campaign director of Defund the BBC, said: 'At a time when families are still struggling with a cost-of-living crisis, energy bills remain painfully high, the tax burden is at historic levels and young people are struggling to find work, the BBC should be examining every penny it spends. It comes as it was revealed that licence fee income has dropped by more than £1billion in real terms in the last decade. Half a million licencees stopped paying the fee in the last financial year and the price has now been bumped up to £180 a year New director-general Matt Brittin, 57, has been in the job just six weeks but is already potentially bringing in a major shake-up with a mandatory household levy to replace the 'busted flush' optional TV licence model 'It is extraordinary that licence-fee payers have spent more than £775,000 funding hundreds of BBC employees to carry out trade union business, including two who apparently spent 100 per cent of their working hours on union duties. 'Meanwhile, more than half a million households a year are walking away from the licence fee. Instead of asking why, cutting its bloated costs and making programmes people actually want to watch, the BBC is spending licence-fee payers' money on self-congratulatory adverts telling us how wonderful it is. 'People facing higher taxes and household bills should not be forced to bankroll this kind of largesse. 'The BBC's spending culture is yet another reason why the outdated licence fee should be scrapped and replaced with a voluntary subscription model.' The figures show that 306 BBC staff spent up to half their working hours away from their usual roles dealing with union matters. Overall, representatives of the National Union of Journalists and broadcasting union Bectu spent an average 20 per cent of their working time on union business. The total bill was higher than the £752,682 recorded in 2023-24. The revelation comes days after the BBC used its coverage of the World Cup final to broadcast a lavish four-minute promotional film asking: 'What has the BBC ever done for me?' Romesh Ranganathan has said he is really proud of an advert called What Has The BBC Ever Done For Me?, which has divided viewers Louis Theroux appears beside a giant on-off power switch and warns: 'None of this exists if we don't want it to' The cap-in-hand appeal, fronted by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and featuring scores of the corporation's leading talent, was a remake of a 1985 John Cleese advert. But the glossy production prompted accusations that the Corporation was indulging in a self-congratulatory plea for survival while families continued to struggle with household bills. William Yarwood, campaigns director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Licence fee payers will be stunned that the BBC found more than £775,000 for staff to carry out union work. 'At a time when households are abandoning the licence fee and the corporation is pleading poverty, this kind of taxpayer-funded facility time is completely indefensible. 'The licence fee should be abolished and trade union facility time restricted across the BBC and wider public sector, so households are not forced to bankroll union business through a hated TV tax.' The row also comes as BBC bosses threaten to reduce the salaries of highly paid presenters who use their broadcasting profiles to secure lucrative outside work. Chairman Samir Shah said executives would take presenters' external earnings into account during future salary negotiations. Mr Shah said: 'They make a lot of money out of presenting for the BBC in my view. 'Maybe their view is [that] they don't. But they leverage the fact that they present on the BBC [to get] gigs outside.' The Corporation's latest pay disclosures showed that several of its best-known presenters - including Laura Kuennssberg and Greg James - received packages worth more than £400,000 in 2025-26. Chairman Samir Shah said executives would take presenters' external earnings into account during future salary negotiations Former Radio 2 host Scott Mills was its biggest earner - with a salary of £750,000 - before his sacking in March over an historic sex abuse allegation. Speaking to The Sunday Times, Mr Shah said the Corporation would 'factor [moonlighting] into the deal we do' when deciding what stars should be paid. A number of BBC journalists and presenters have supplemented their salaries through external engagements. Radio 4 presenter Sarah Montague received up to £5,000 from coffee chain Caffè Nero, while economics correspondent Andy Verity earned up to £10,000 from insurance company Aon. The BBC's union bill forms part of a far wider public-sector facility-time bonanza. Across councils, police forces, NHS bodies, schools and other public organisations, almost £90million was spent allowing trade union representatives to carry out union duties during paid working hours. More than 20,300 public sector pilgrims enjoyed paid time-off. Town halls accounted for the largest share of the bill, spending £29.4million. Education bodies spent £19.4million, while NHS organisations reported costs of £18.9million. Whitehall and civil service departments ran up a £13.8million bill and police bodies spent £5.3million. The biggest individual spender was the Ministry of Justice, which paid £3.29million in facility-time costs for 647 union representatives. HM Revenue & Customs reported a £2.29million bill for 776 representatives, while the Department for Work and Pensions spent £936,412 on 1,014 officials. The BBC said it spends 'considerably less' than other public sector organisations on facility time. A spokesman said: 'It is a legal obligation to consult with our recognised trade unions, and we are required to provide reasonable paid time off for employees to carry out union duties alongside their BBC roles.'