BBC reveals executive's £10,000 claim for taxis

A SENIOR BBC executive has increased her spending on taxi fares despite the corporation's efforts to cut back overheads, new figures reveal.

Chief operating officer Caroline Thomson claimed 2,814 on cars in three months - 100 up on the previous quarter. The claims, for quarter four of the past financial year, were disclosed as the BBC said that expenses claims were down overall on the previous year.

Ms Thomson - who receives a salary of 307,000 - had claimed 2,715.59 for the previous quarter. For the full financial year she ran up a total taxi bill of 10,381.

Another big taxi user was BBC creative director Alan Yentob, who used cabs to the value of 1,766.55 in the claim period. It included nine fares which exceeded 100, the biggest of which was for 180. Figures released yesterday show BBC 1 controller Danny Cohen made a claim of 38.50 for water at an awards ceremony hosted by Broadcast magazine this year.

The BBC said the latest figures showed the total amount of expenses claimed by leading senior managers was down 15 per cent on the previous financial year.

Since August 2009, the BBC said that its senior manager paybill had been cut by 17.6 million (22.4 per cent) and the number of senior managers by 117 (18.3 per cent).