Grated carrots

The hot weather, and a fear of repeats replacing the Commonwealth Games Opening ceremony, have produced some carrots from Anne Bulford's back pocket. They, and the promise of a 2.5% rise in August next year have averted the planned BBC strike next Wednesday.

The existing offer, to be implemented on 1st August this year is largely unimproved - but in January everyone gets an extra £150 consolidated into their salary. DG Tony Hall has also agreed to talk about perceived discrepancies in pay for World Service and Monitoring staff; and a niggle about when staged pay rises for individuals are implemented has been removed, with an agreement that they'll come on the anniversary of the job starting, not the 1st of August.

The offer will be put to members, with no recommendation either way from the unions, in electronic ballots which will close on August 5th. The Commonwealth Games finish on August 3rd.

• A Government-produced average of independent forecasts suggests RPI will be running at 3.3% in 2015, with CPI at 2.1%.