While the broadcaster widely reported Alistair Darling's grim financial forecast and devoted this week's Panorama to tales of ordinary people up and down the country facing house repossession and redundancy, the news doesn't appear to have filtered up to the organisation's higher echelons.

According to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats, in the 12 months from April 2007 the Beeb spent an impressive £10m on flights – £3m of it on first class seats – £5m on train tickets and £13.8m on taxis. Admittedly, the period includes a time before any of us knew what a credit crunch was, but given that it sent 437 of its staff to Beijing last month, next year's bill looks unlikely to reflect the wider economic gloom.

In wake of accusations of a frivolous approach to the licence fee, the BBC remained bullish, insisting staff travel is rigorously scrutinised, and anyway the figures included flights by BBC Worldwide which aren't paid for from the public coffers.

"The BBC is a public service and we expect that journalists go where they need to as quickly as possible, and that has to be paid for," says Dexter Moscow, manager of television consultancy Audience Dynamics. "After the whole debacle with MPs' expenses and politicians paying family members for work they hadn't done, it's made us a little jaundiced about how any organisation runs its finances.

"Without a proper breakdown it's impossible to know whether these travel expenses were justified, but I think we should stop quibbling and allow the BBC to get on with its job."

Not everyone was prepared to be quite so kind and, with the BBC looking in need of a little financial advice, it perhaps wasn't the best day for its plans to drop its regular series of The Money Programme after more than 40 years to emerge. The Beeb confirmed the rumours, adding that the series will be replaced by a number of one-off specials, but the decision has further fuelled fears that while it is prepared to spend, spend, spend on fripperies, serious-minded programming
is losing out.

"I don't care what it costs to deliver great programmes," says Gordon Torr, a creative consultant, who advises media companies on how best to run their business. "However, I do think the BBC has taken its eye a little off the ball. Over the last few years it has become intent on producing the very best website the world has ever seen.

"We all know that digital platforms are important, but it seems to have gone internet mad. There seems to be far too many resources ploughed into this side of the business and if they pared it back it wouldn't affect the quality, but it would leave them with more than enough money to pay for the very best journalists and programme makers."

How best to divvy up the licence fee pot has become a thorny issue in times when many presenters can command astronomical salaries. Earlier this week, Fiona Bruce dismissed rumours she is paid £400,000 a year and described the BBC's current affairs department as stingy, particularly in contrast to the £18m salary reportedly paid
to Jonathan Ross.

In a sympathetic nod to staff, who were being warned of job cuts, two years ago director general Mark Thompson waived his right to a lucrative bonus. It was a clever move, but while
he was getting by on a basic £609,000 a year, many of his colleagues were more than happy to enjoy the inflation-busting rise. So can the good times really continue to roll?

"Historically, many of those employed by the BBC enjoyed a greater degree of job security than they would have in the commercial sector, but I don't think that's true any more," says Justin Lewis, head of the Cardiff School of Journalism. "However, when you look at what the BBC
costs and what it produces, it's hard to argue that it isn't value for money.

"It always amazes me that people grumble about the licence fee, yet they don't complain about the amount of money they pay for Sky,
which aside from sport, has very little original programming.

"I always get a little worried when people talk of dumbing- down and the need for more weighty programmes. When the same criticisms were
levelled at public service broadcasting in America, the channel listened and it now produces the most boring programmes in the world, which nobody watches.

"Being popular and being worthwhile shouldn't be mutually exclusive."