BBC blows £120,000 on staff Christmas bash - as 2,800 workers face axe - News

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Revellers were offered unlimited free drink and had their own funfair.

Staff were given free transport to and from the Battersea Evolution venue in South-West London, as well as a disco which went on till nearly 2am.

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All the fun on the fee: BBC employees on one of the funfair rides

Licence fee payers effectively shelled out nearly £50 per guest at the party held by BBC Vision, the programme-making arm of the broadcaster.

Last night workers who are facing the axe as the BBC tries to plug a £2billion funding black hole said they would have preferred the money to be spent on saving some of the doomed 1,800 jobs.

A BBC insider said: "Considering this department lost about 30 per cent or 40 per cent of its total workforce and senior staff were demoted, receiving less pay, a lot of them feel that the money spent on this lavish party could have been used for better things."

A corporation spokesman said: "While we are very sensitive to the current situation, we still feel it is acceptable to put on a moderately priced event to thank staff for their hard work through the year."