The BBC has handed its chief Tim Davie an unbelievable £75,000 pay rise to £525,000 after millions of over-75s lost free TV licences.
The 16.6 percent rise also follows job losses at the broadcaster and millions of pounds in cuts to services.
Mr Davie, 54, who has only been in the role for a year, now earns more than three times as much as the Prime Minister, who is on £160,000.
Silver Voices director Dennis Reed told the Mirror: ‘This will be a publicity disaster for the BBC as it seeks to increase the licence fee in discussions with the Government, and will be used by the BBC’s enemies.
‘It will rub salt in the wound of the millions of over-75s who have been forced to pay the licence fee.
Over-75s previously received their £157.50 TV licences for free but have had to cover the cost since the end of July.
It followed the Government’s decision to pass the cost of funding the perk to the corporation, which said it could not afford to pay the additional costs.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘Tim Davie took a pay-cut when he was appointed Director-General, his current salary remains lower than what he earned at BBC Studios and is well below other UK broadcasting chief’s pay.’
A source said his salary was ‘well below the market rate for this type of role’ and noted that ITV chief Carolyn McCall at ITV is paid £833,000, and Channel 4’s Alex Mahon earns £991,000.
This comes as record numbers of elderly people are forced into fuel poverty and to decide whether or not to eat as they struggle with the cost of living.
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
