BBC spent £600,000 plus dealing with employment tribunal claims

Media reports have suggested the BBC paid out more than £600,000 last year dealing with employment tribunal claims. A total of £379,125 went in payments to aggrieved staff to settle cases and a further £203,627 was spent in external lawyers’ fees in 2009-10. The BBC had to pay another £24,386 as a contribution towards one claimant’s legal costs. In total, the BBC paid out £607,138 plus tax of at least £34,201, depending on whether the costs were incurred before or after the VAT rate returned to 17.5% in January 2010.