BBC 'drops Money Box pensions special'

An internal edition of Radio 4's Money Box on the BBC's controversial pension scheme cutbacks has reportedly been dropped after management asked to vet the show before transmission.

In an internal email, seen by The Guardian, Money Box presenter Paul Lewis confirmed that the programme had been cancelled.

He said that the move followed a decision "at the highest level" of the BBC that the show must be "pre-approved by internal communications" before going live.

"These decisions were all taken way above me, though of course as a journalist I would never have been willing to make a programme which would be subject to vetting by PR people," said Lewis.

"As someone who is not a member of the pension scheme I have had to find out a great deal about it, and the plans for change, in the last week. I am disappointed that information will not now be made use of for the good of the staff and the BBC."

Last month, the BBC announced plans to close its final salary pension scheme to all new employees and cap the contributions of existing members. The move is designed to reduce the scheme's massive £2bn deficit.

The BBC said that it had already run 23 seminars throughout the UK on the proposed changes and will run a further 100 by the end of August.

"A comprehensive internal communications plan is already underway which allows staff to put questions directly to senior managers," said a BBC spokesman.

"A programme idea by the Money Box team was one of the options considered; however, a live phone-in was already scheduled, as we have done in the past, where staff can put any questions to senior managers in an open and frank manner."

Broadcasting unions, including the NUJ and Bectu, are currently considering possible strike action for their members against the pension plans.