The BBC has spent £775,000 of licence fee payers' money on staff who spend part of their working hours acting as trade union representatives rather than carrying out their broadcasting duties. The disclosure is likely to renew criticism of how the corporation spends public money at a time when it is under pressure over the level of the licence fee and its wider spending priorities.

The figure relates to "facility time" arrangements, under which employees are permitted to carry out trade union duties during paid working hours, with the costs ultimately met by licence fee payers rather than the unions themselves. Such arrangements are common across large public sector organisations, though critics argue they represent a use of public funds that should otherwise go towards programming or reducing the licence fee.