But annual report says broadcaster will still save £1.5bn by 2017
The BBC’s staff numbers, wage bill and talent spend have all risen this year, despite a £1.5bn cost-cutting programme, according to its annual report.
Figures published in the 2014/15 report show that the BBC’s staff headcount now stands at 18,974, compared to 18,647 in 2013/14, while the total wage bill has climbed from £955m to £976.5m in the same period.
However, the report said that the broadcaster has continued to find efficiencies, with £484m already saved this year, while the organisation remains on track to save a further £700m by 2016/17.
BBC director-general Tony Hall has also previously announced plans to save an additional £50m through a number of measures including merging divisions and reducing the number of managers.
The number and cost of senior managers has already been cut, the report said, with the pay bill now standing at £52m compared to £78.5m in August 2009.
However, the cost of on-screen talent is now £208m, up from £194m the previous year. But the report said that the current figure represents 12.2 per cent of content spend, which is within the 16 per cent target for overall talent spend that the BBC set itself last year.
The amount paid to star talent who earn between £1m and £5m has increased from £4.2m to 5.1m, however, the amount paid to those earning between £500,000 and £750,000 has fallen from £6.5m to £2.9m.
Severance pay for senior management staff was cut from £3.6m to £1.6m, while a cap on redundancy payments of £150,000 was introduced for all staff in 2013.
The report was published ahead of the government’s green paper, expected to be unveiled today, which will set out the details of a new BBC charter and include a review of the broadcaster’s future size and funding.
BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead said: "As we head into the charter review with much more clarity on the funding than expected, the focus must now be on deciding the shape and role of the BBC for the next generation. The trust will be working tirelessly to ensure that the voice of those who pay the licence fee, the UK public, will be pivotal in that debate."
Hall emphasised his belief in protecting the BBC’s independence, adding: “I believe in giving creative people creative freedom, and trusting them to get on with it.
“I have real difficulty with the idea of artificial restrictions on creativity – after all, the last time politicians tried to be creative, we ended up with the Millennium Dome. So it will be hard to support any proposal that stops us finding the next Strictly, the next Bake Off, or – dare I say it – the next Top Gear.”