Jo Coburn accepted £2,500 from Brent City Council for holding events about £54million budget cuts

The presenter of the BBC’s Daily Politics is being paid £2,500 by a Labour-run council – for chairing meetings on how to cut its budget by £54million.

Residents expressed astonishment that Jo Coburn had received such a fee from cash-strapped Brent Council.

The 46-year-old mother of two, who presents the weekday current affairs programme on BBC2, chaired two consultation meetings at the council’s civic centre in Wembley, north-west London, on Tuesday.

Her involvement came hours before her director-general, Lord Hall, reminded the corporation’s staff to act ‘without fear or favour’ yesterday.

Sujata Aurora, a community campaigner who attended one of the council meetings, said: ‘With the greatest respect to Jo Coburn, is there no council officer who’s capable of chairing a couple of meetings? It seems that yet again Brent Council has a very skewed sense of priorities.

‘We’ve already had a 25 per cent increase in councillor allowances, £100,000 spent on an opening ceremony for the civic centre and £700,000 spent on laying granite outside the civic centre … they’ve got to get a grip on spending money on ridiculous things like this when they’re cutting services to vulnerable people.’

A TaxPayers’ Alliance spokesman added: ‘At a meeting to discuss savings, it does seem strange to spend a four-figure sum to bring in a chair, despite Jo Coburn’s undoubted experience as a well-regarded broadcaster.

‘The council has to provide a far fuller explanation of why this spending was approved, particularly in the context of a multi-million-pound savings programme.’

Cuts proposed by the council for the next two years include pulling funding to youth services, shutting a sports centre and cutting back on children’s centres and respite care.

A day care centre for disabled residents is also under threat.

The council claims it has been forced into the cuts by central government, which has cut its funding by half.

HALL 'WON'T GIVE INTO BULLIES' The BBC will not give in to ‘naked bullying’ from its critics, Tony Hall said yesterday. The corporation’s director-general insisted that as May’s election approaches, his organisation must cover political issues ‘without fear or favour’. Referring to the BBC’s next Charter Review in 2017, which will see the licence fee come up for renegotiation, Lord Hall told staff: ‘There may be some – I hope only a few – who try and use the impending Charter Review to influence our coverage of politics in this most sensitive of political years. 'We will never let that happen, because to do so would betray the public and the ideals of the BBC.’ He admitted: ‘We will get things wrong – it’s inevitable – and we will reflect and put things right where we have. But we will never confuse justifiable complaints with naked bullying.’ He called on the corporation’s workers to help make the case for the BBC by ‘spending every penny’ of the £145.50 licence fee ‘as if it were your own’. Advertisement

Council leader Muhammed Butt said: ‘Ms Coburn is a powerful independent voice and an expert chair.

'She will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to look carefully and objectively at the budget savings proposals being considered by the cabinet, and to provide honest and independent advice on the whole budget process. This is in addition to hosting two consultation events with the public.

He added: ‘It is extremely important for councillors to get the views of residents, community groups and voluntary groups when making difficult budget decisions imposed on us by severe reductions to our government grant.

'For this we are paying £2,500 which I believe represents value for money, considering the importance of the council having to save £54million.’

A BBC spokesperson said: "Jo was an independent chair for these events, during which she questioned and cross examined council members remaining neutral and impartial, just as she does in her role on the Daily Politics. Acting as a neutral chair of a public debate is not a breach of BBC editorial guidelines.'