A Yorkshire MP has challenged the BBC to be transparent and publicly explain the costly and lengthy absence of star regional presenter Christa Ackroyd.
Ms Ackroyd is understood to have been paid in excess of £30,000 of licence feepayers’ money over the last ten weeks despite not appearing on the BBC’s flagship news programme Look North.
Shipley MP Philip Davies, a member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said the public had a right to know why the presenter was not doing the job she is highly paid to do. He said he will be writing to the BBC to press for an explanation.
A BBC insider joined the calls for greater transparency and said staff had questioned why the corporation had not explained the absence to viewers and why no news story had been run on an issue widely reported elsewhere.
The BBC has steadfastly refused to offer any clarity over Ms Ackroyd’s ongoing absence but continues to state she still works for the BBC.