BBC spends �2m of licence fee on food and drink: Corporation accused of wasting money of 'boozy farewells' for its staff

BBC spent ?42,971 on alcohol and another ?33,745 on leaving partiesOrdered in 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider Another ?1.3million was spent subsidising canteens for staff to eat cheaply

By Tv Correspondent

PUBLISHED: 00:25 GMT, 30 August 2013 | UPDATED: 00:25 GMT, 30 August 2013

The BBC has been accused of wasting the licence fee on ?boozy farewells? for its staff

The BBC has been accused of wasting the licence fee on ‘boozy farewells’ for its staff after it emerged that it spent more than ?2million on food and drink last year.

Figures show the BBC spent ?42,971 on alcohol and another ?33,745 on leaving parties.

The corporation ordered in more than 13,000 bottles of wine and 11,000 bottles of beer and cider to fuel a series of celebratory drinks parties and ‘ad hoc team parties’.

Another ?1,655 was spent on spirits – including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka, 15 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky.

In 2008, it was reported that the corporation had introduced a champagne ban. But last year it splashed out ?4,673 on sparkling wine instead.

And the food and drink bill shows that the BBC is spending more than ?1,000 a day providing free tea and coffee to its staff. In total, the spend on hot drinks increased by around 60 per cent in a year.

Another ?1.3million was spent subsidising canteens to allow staff to eat cheaply at work, while ?293,000 was spent on water dispensers.

The figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also revealed that staff claimed ?3.2million in expenses for meals and drinks when they were not in the office, as well as ?187,000 for business entertaining.

The expenditure appears at odds with the BBC’s drive to reduce costs, which has resulted in deep cuts to programme budgets and thousands of job losses in recent years.

Some ?1,655 was spent on spirits – including 31 bottles of Smirnoff vodka, 15 bottles of Bombay Sapphire gin and a bottle of ten-year-old Isle of Jura whisky

And the news comes as it faces a scandal over its generosity to departing staff after last month’s revelation that it handed ?369million in severance deals in eight years.

Yesterday Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The licence fee should be spent on quality programming, not boozy farewells for departing staff.

‘BBC bosses should focus on reducing the burden funding the broadcaster places on families by ensuring it provided better value for money. That means spending less on subsidised wining and dining.’

A BBC spokesman said: ‘We are mindful of our obligation to the licence-fee payer when purchasing food and drink and the BBC has tight guidelines that govern the occasions when alcohol may be bought.’

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Reading festival death: Private schoolgirl, 17, may have had drink spiked in 'unexplained' fatal illness

Esme Blore taken unwell at last weekend's festivalDischarged from hospital but collapsed at home and died on Monday after being readmittedPolice investigating drug link to 'unexplained' deathEsme had been excited about going to the festival with friends for weeks before

By Inderdeep Bains

PUBLISHED: 00:43 GMT, 29 August 2013 | UPDATED: 01:01 GMT, 30 August 2013

'Unexplained death': Esme Blore was taken to hospital on Saturday

THE parents of a public schoolgirl who died after being taken ill at the Reading Festival have spoken of their ‘unbearable’ pain over her death.
Esme Blore, 17, had gone to the music festival with a group of friends and had tweeted excitedly about seeing her favourite bands.

But on Saturday she left the event early because she was feeling unwell and was taken to hospital. Esme was discharged but on Monday she collapsed at her family home.

She was taken to another hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

Police are treating her death as ‘unexplained’ and are investigating whether it could be linked to drugs.

There has also been speculation that her drink may have been spiked at the festival.
Esme’s devastated father, Sebastian Blore-Rimmer, said the family were in the dark about what could have caused her death.

Speaking at the family’s ?600,000 detached home in Stevington, near Bedford, he said: ‘At the moment we are in limbo. We don’t really know what to do until we find out how and why she died.

‘We just want to know the facts and at the moment we don’t know anything. Waiting around is just unbearable.’

Excited: Esme had been posting messages on social media as the Reading festival approached saying how much she was looking forward to going

Mr Blore-Rimmer, 48, added that he hoped that the wait for answers would finally be over after the post-mortem examination is held today.

‘We don’t want to pre-empt the results,’ he said. ‘Only then can we really comment.’
His wife Sharon, 44, said: ‘I could give all the tributes in the world, but nothing is going to bring my baby back.’

Esme, a pupil at the ?4,000-a-term Bedford Girls’ School, had gone to the festival with a group of her friends to watch some of her favourite rock bands including Don Broco perform.

She had posted messages on her Twitter page in the days running up to the event talking of her excitement. But on Saturday she fell ill and was taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
She was discharged and returned to her home where she collapsed and had to be taken to Northampton General Hospital on Monday.

Laugh and smile: Esme was attending the festival with a group of friends

Mr Blore-Rimmer was driving home so he could pack an overnight bag when staff telephoned telling him to return immediately. Esme’s condition had deteriorated and she died hours later.
Northamptonshire and Thames Valley police, along with the two hospitals, are working together to establish the circumstances of the death.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: ‘The investigation into the cause of her death is ongoing and as such we are unable to comment any further. Our thoughts are with her friends and family at this sad time.’

A Thames Valley Police spokesman added: ‘We are aware there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the cause of her death, and numerous rumours have been circulating.

‘All the relevant agencies are liaising closely with each other to establish if there is any risk to public health, which does not seem to be the case at the moment.’

The spokesman urged social network users to consider the family’s feelings when writing about Esme after a troll posted a distasteful  message about her death.

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Pop lyrics encourage young to binge drink: Quarter of chart music lyrics over three-year period mentioned alcohol

Rap, hip hop and R&B were most likely to mention alcoholFour brands of spirits made up more than half of references to labels

By Liz Hull

PUBLISHED: 23:49 GMT, 29 August 2013 | UPDATED: 01:49 GMT, 30 August 2013

Pop songs which refer to alcohol brands could be encouraging young people to binge drink and have sex, experts have warned.

Almost a quarter of chart music lyrics over a three-year period mentioned booze, analysts said.

Four brands of spirits – Patron tequila, Hennessy cognac, Grey Goose vodka, and Jack Daniel’s whiskey – made up more than half of specific references to labels.

Songs by Rihanna (left) and Kanye West (right) feature specific references to brands of alcohol

The songs almost always showed alcohol as a good thing. More than one in ten, or 16 per cent, linked getting drunk with sex.

Rihanna’s song Cheers states: ‘I drink to that/ Oh let the Jameson sink in’.

In Bittersweet, Kanye West raps: ‘This relationship it even got me back to drinkin’/ Now this Hennessy it’s going to be the death of me’.

Rap, hip hop and R&B were most likely to mention booze, at 38 per cent, then country music at 22 per cent and pop at 15 per cent.

In How We Do, British pop star Rita Ora sings: ‘You look so sweet while you’re dreaming/ Holding your bottle of Tanqueray’, while in his song Jack Daniels, country idol Eric Church says: ‘I’ve thrown a punch or two .?.?. But Jack Daniel’s kicked my ass again last night.’

US experts analysed the 720 top songs of 2009, 2010 and 2011 as ranked by Billboard Magazine. In all, 167 mentioned alcohol and 46 songs mentioned brands.

Four brands of spirits, including Patron tequila (right) and Grey Goose vodka (left), made up more than half of specific references to labels

Professor Michael Siegel, of  Boston University, said: ‘Many songs glamorise underage drinking and excessive alcohol consumption and their association with sex and partying.’

He said: 'A small number of alcohol brands and beverages appear to make frequent appearances in popular music.

'If these exposures are found to influence youth drinking behavior, then further public health efforts must be focused on youth exposure to alcohol portrayals in popular music.'

The songs almost always showed alcohol as a good thing. More than one in ten, or 16 per cent, linked getting drunk with sex

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