BBC employees have expressed fury that the corporation has failed to retrieve £200,000 in salary from disgraced former newsreader Huw Edwards, whilst the organisation implements substantial workforce reductions.
The broadcaster's news division recently announced that 155 positions would be eliminated as part of efforts to achieve £24 million in savings.
Workers' frustration has intensified as Edwards is understood to have retained wages paid to him following his arrest on child abuse image charges in November 2023.
"Everyone is raging about it - firstly at Huw, who is a disgrace, secondly that gutless bosses seem unwilling or unable to do anything about it," a BBC insider told The Sun.
Huw Edwards admitted to 'making' indecent images of children
| PAThe corporation formally requested last August that Mr Edwards return the money he received between his arrest and his resignation in April 2024.
Mr Edwards received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting to three charges of creating indecent images of minors last year.
The court found he possessed seven Category A images - the most serious classification - along with 12 Category B and 22 Category C images.
Westminster Magistrates Court was told that Edwards had received the illegal material from a convicted paedophile during a three-year period from 2018 to 2021.
Huw Edwards has failed to return the money to the BBC, GB News understands
| PAThe veteran broadcaster, who began his BBC career as a trainee in 1984, had been the corporation's highest-paid newsreader, earning between £475,000 and £479,999 in the 2023/24 financial year.
Despite his arrest in November 2023, the BBC continued paying Mr Edwards for five months until he resigned in April 2024.
BBC chairman Dr Samir Shah acknowledged in March that the corporation had been unsuccessful in recovering any funds from Edwards, describing the situation as "quite frustrating".
"We've obviously asked, and we've said it many times, but he seems unwilling," Dr Shah stated when questioned about the salary recovery efforts.
The chairman revealed that whilst there had been a moment when they believed Mr Edwards might "do the right thing for a change," he ultimately chose not to return the money.
"It's not right. He's taken licence fee payers' money and he knew what he'd done and he should return it now," Dr Shah said.
The BBC's director general has confirmed that legal counsel was sought regarding the matter, but concluded that no further action could be taken at present.
The BBC's inability to recover Mr Edwards' salary comes as the corporation implements significant budget reductions across its news operation.
BBC employees are understood to be furious over the situation
| GETTYThe cuts, aimed at saving £24 million, will result in the elimination of 155 roles within the news division.
Staff members have voiced particular frustration at the timing, with one source highlighting the contrast between the job losses and management's apparent powerlessness to reclaim funds from the convicted former presenter.
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Huw Edwards received a suspended sentence for his crimes last year
| PAThe BBC is understood to have stated in response to freedom of information requests: "Huw Edwards has not returned any money paid to him by the BBC after his arrest, in respect of any of his work for either BBC public service or the BBC's commercial operations."
GB News has contacted the BBC for a comment over the ongoing situation.