Taking the biscuit

In April, a regular Freedom of Information inquirer asked the BBC to say how much it had spent on catering for the regular meetings of its Executive Board and News Group Board over the past year. The BBC refused the request on the grounds it would take more that two and half days (the allotted maximum under the law) to work out.

The inquirer asked for an internal review, pointing out that the BBC had managed to provide the same information for the previous year without demur. The BBC lawyer conducting the internal review has found it took 18 hours to do the job, and the information (below) has been released. Anyone like to bet that the total costing of this sorry fandango was more than the total spent on tea, coffee and avocado wraps ?

*On 8 June 2015 the News Group Board held an away-day at the BBC’s Television Centre.

 The BBC would like me to include this line: “These meetings can be lengthy and substantive, with attendees having to work through lunch so limited food or refreshments are provided.”