The BBC spent £70,000 of licence-payers’ money on an annual party for local radio staff despite plans to axe 400 jobs, it has been claimed.
Costs for the Corporation’s annual Gillard Awards included a £35 Venison dinner for more than 200 people and free travel to and from a hotel, a source said.
The hotel costs alone for last year’s event topped £25,000, with thousands more spent on alcohol and transport, it was alleged.