THE woman in charge of the BBC’s radio output is to leave the corporation with what is believed to be the public sector’s biggest pension pot, valued at almost £4m, before taking up a job as a quangocrat.

Jenny Abramsky, 61, the BBC’s director of audio and music, will be able to draw an annual pension in excess of £190,000 when she steps down in the autumn to chair the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Although she has worked for the broadcaster for 39 years, critics have described the size of Abramsky’s pension pot as “obscene”.

Analysis of official figures show that four BBC executives - including Alan Yentob, the corporation’s creative director - are among the top 10 public sector workers with the most generous pensions.

Abramsky’s entitlement, accumulated at an average rate of almost £100,000 a year, dwarfs that of Britain’s most senior civil servants, including Sir Richard Mottram, the former security and intelligence co-ordinator, who retired on a package of almost £2.7m.

The finding has prompted concerns about the use of licence-fee money and has reignited the debate about the cost of public sector pensions to taxpayers.

“We’ve got to this really unfair state of affairs where huge numbers of people who don’t have a decent pension are having to pay ever higher taxes to fund gold-plated public sector pensions,” said Corin Taylor, research director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The BBC has for many years run one of the most generous pension schemes under which staff can choose to take early retirement at 50. It contributes more than three times the amount paid by employees.

By last year Abramsky, who earns a basic salary in excess of £316,000, had built up a pension pot of £3.89m. The figure has increased in the past 12 months and is now thought to be just under £4m.

Yentob, a former controller of BBC1 and BBC2 who now presents Imagine, an arts programme, is ranked second in the public sector league with a pension pot estimated at more than £3m. John Smith, head of BBC Worldwide, has a pot of £2.64m.

When she joins the Heritage Lottery Fund in October Abramsky will be paid up to £45,000 a year for working two or three days a week. She will replace Dame Liz Forgan, another former head of BBC radio.

Abramsky, who also chairs the Hampstead Theatre in London, joined the BBC as a studio manager in 1969 and went on to edit news shows such as World At One, PM and the Today programme.

She later presided over the launch of Radio 5 Live and five digital radio channels, as well as commissioning the Electric Proms pop concerts.

A BBC spokesman said: “Jenny is on exactly the same final salary scheme as other employees. She has paid significant contributions all her life, so her pension is not entirely publicly funded.”

PENSION POT WINNERS

Jenny Abramsky, BBC £3.89m

Alan Yentob, BBC £2.88m*

Sir Richard Mottram, Ex-Cabinet Office £2.66m

John Smith, BBC £2.64m

Sir Andrew Turnbull, Ex-Cabinet Secretary £2.62m

Sir Geoffrey Bowman, Ex-Cabinet Office £2.60m

Mark Byford, BBC £2.49m

Sir Michael Jay, Ex-Foreign Office £2.48m

Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer £1.96m

Colin Balmer, Ex-Cabinet Office £1.81m

Source: BBC and government

*Based on 2004-5 figures. Now thought to exceed £3m

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