UK NEWS

VOTERS CALL TO SLASH BLOATED BBC BUDGET

More than two thirds of Britons want BBC budgets cut

Sunday November 8,2009

By Kirsty Buchanan

MORE than two thirds of Britons want to see bloated BBC budgets cut as the nation suffers a record debt crisis.

With Britain facing a £175billion deficit, the first major survey of public opinion reveals voters view swingeing cuts as inevitable but are not prepared for the axe to fall across the board.

While most want to safeguard spending on schools and hospitals, budgets for the BBC, arts spending and the international aid programme are seen as fair game.

The survey, by influential think-tank Policy Exchange, could help ministers in the next government avoid an embarrassing repeat of the Territorial Army fiasco – which saw Labour vow to cut £20million from its budget only to climb down faced with public fury.

The most popular target area among those questioned was the BBC, with 67 per cent calling for the corporation to face budget cuts.

Many people are angered by the massive salaries it pays some presenters. Jonathan Ross, 48, is said to receive £6million a year, while other big earners at the BBC include Sir Terry Wogan and Jeremy Clarkson.

The poll of more than 3,000 adults revealed that benefits spending was another area singled out for cuts, even among those who are out of work.

However, budgets for health, schools, police, transport and defence attracted the greatest support.

More than half thought soldiers and nurses were not paid enough while civil servants, administrators and doctors topped the poll of professions voters thought were most overpaid.

Among specific policy proposals, almost half of Britons backed Tory plans to scrap Regional Development Agencies to save cash and to means-test child benefit so it is only received by low-income families.

However, there was no support for scrapping winter fuel payments to the elderly or free TV licences to the over-75s – even though many recipients are wealthy.

Neil O’Brien, director of Policy Exchange, said: “The Government faces tough choices in the next few weeks in the countdown to the pre-Budget report. Government borrowing will hit £175billion in the current financial year and that level of spending is simply not sustainable.

“We need to know now where departmental cuts will fall.”

The report follows news that Britain remains in a slump – while the US, Japan, Germany and France have emerged from recession.

The revelation forced the Treasury to push back the pre-Budget report to next month, amid rumours of clashes between Downing Street and the Treasury over spending.