Bafta membership chair says trustees may have broken charity law over free guest tickets

Mixed · 2Michael Pritchett, chair of Bafta's membership council, told members at the academy's annual general meeting that trustees may have breached charity and company law by accepting free tickets for guests at its awards ceremonies. 1 2 Mixed · 2Pritchett said legal advice obtained at his own expense concluded that "offences under the Charities Act and Companies Act are likely to have been committed by the trustees who approved those accounts", which stated that no trustees had received remuneration or benefits. 1 2 Mixed · 2He alleged trustees had received complimentary tickets for themselves and a guest at the film, television and games awards, possibly for as long as 20 years. The guest seats were at top tables, and a second ticket at the film awards sold for £2,000. 1 2

Left · 1Bafta's governing document says trustees may not receive remuneration or other benefits, and Pritchett said the 2024 and 2025 accounts and the public register stated that none had been received. 1 Mixed · 2Pritchett also raised possible tax liabilities, saying such a benefit was likely taxable since 2016 with national insurance payable by Bafta, and that Bafta had not told him whether anything had been reported to the authorities. 2 1 Mixed · 2He criticised a senior Bafta executive's refusal to provide records of who received complimentary tickets, saying no policy was cited, and noted that members had paid £4.7m in fees the previous year. He called on trustees to pay any taxes due, repay money owed and correct the accounts. 1 2

Left · 1Outgoing chair Sara Putt said the board ended the practice of giving trustees a guest ticket in 2025 on a governance committee recommendation, and that the guest ticket and accounting matters are being examined by an independent review group. She said trustees would "absolutely pay" any taxes they were told were due. 1 Mixed · 2Putt said the advice Pritchett and fellow committee member Sara Curran obtained was based on limited information, while Bafta's own legal counsel had a fuller picture. Deadline reported that Bafta's own advice has not been shared with Pritchett or other members. 1 2 Mixed · 2A Bafta spokesperson said trustees are invited to events in a working capacity as ambassadors, and that before 2025 they could bring a plus-one, a custom since discontinued. Trustees are volunteers, and the guest tickets are understood to be a longstanding custom from when ticket demand was lower. 1 2

Centre · 1Deadline reported that Bafta stands by offering trustees themselves free tickets as part of their duties, and that the review is led by three unnamed industry executives. 2