BBC criticised over US-Salford commuter

The BBC has again been criticised for hiring a BBC North executive who had to commute from the US, with MPs saying the move opened the corporation up to "self-inflicted and predictable ridicule".

MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee expressed concern over the decision to hire a US-based "migration manager" to oversee the relocation of staff from London to the corporation's new base at Salford Quays.

In February, it emerged that Guy Bradshaw commuted to BBC North in England's North West from his home in Kentucky. He worked in Britain for just 25 weeks last year, keeping him below the threshold for paying UK income tax. He spent so much time staying in hotels that he was awarded "diamond elite" status under the Hilton Hotel loyalty scheme.

Bradshaw's working arrangement was disclosed in a letter sent by angry BBC employees to The Mail On Sunday, highlighting the "waste of money and appalling decision-making" over the move to Salford.

In a report on the BBC licence fee settlement, the committee said: "Such decisions cannot simply be dismissed as inconsequential gaffes. They lower the esteem of the BBC, its senior management and the trust in the eyes of the public and its own staff.

"It is a task for the incoming chairman to ensure that the BBC is seen always to lead by example in the future."

In a statement, a BBC spokesman defended the decision to appoint Bradshaw to the BBC North project. He added: "The BBC carried out an internal audit which was satisfied that Guy Bradshaw was fulfilling his duties as migration manager, that he had the necessary migration and project experience and that he continues to be an essential member of the team as the move to Salford Quays begins."

The MPs warned Lord Patten, the incoming BBC chairman, that he had a "lot to get to grips with", and called on the corporation not to avoid the "hard choices".

John Whittingdale, the Conservative MP and committee chairman, added: "The big questions about the BBC's content and how they deliver that content still mostly hang unanswered after the BBC Trust's strategy review. Our sense is that the hard choices are yet to come, but they should not be avoided any longer."

The committee also criticised the way that the BBC's new licence fee was hastily agreed with the government last year, arguing that future settlement negotiations should be more transparent.

"The way the new licence fee was agreed - a short, private, negotiation between the BBC and the government - did not do much to inspire confidence in the independence, transparency or accountability of the process," Whittingdale said.

"We appreciate that time was of the essence in difficult circumstances, but if the BBC is going to continue to benefit from a universal licence fee then it is essential that the viewers who pay that licence fee, and parliament, are involved when these kind of far-reaching decisions are taken."

Under the new settlement, the BBC agreed to a six-year freeze to the licence fee at the current level of £142.50 - representing a 16% cut to its income in real terms - and accepted additional funding responsibilities, including World Service and Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.

The committee joined others in expressing concern about the S4C situation, arguing that it is "unclear how S4C can retain its independence under the new arrangements".

The MPs also said they found it "extraordinary that the government and the BBC should agree such wide-ranging changes without consultation or giving S4C any notice or say at all".