THE old adage that “money talks” did not apply when Persimmon’s CEO, Jeff Fairburn, was asked by BBC Look North’s Spencer Stokes about his excessive £75 million pound bonus. He was speechless and slinked out of shot.

The event, to launch the new manufacturing line of Persimmon brickmaking, has been an unmitigating PR disaster. The clip has been used on national television on BBC Newswatch and has had 500,000 hits on social media. The question Spencer Stokes asked was basic as Mr Fairburn had not previously dealt with the criticism, so he was badly briefed.

This publicity is unfortunate for a highly successful York company and Mr Fairburn. But what did the board expect when they agreed to this outrageous bonus scheme - which was to be £131 million?

A £75 million personal bonus is the unacceptable face of capitalism; grossly unfair during austerity in an industry that requires highly skilled trades people working in all weathers and based around a government ‘Help to Buy’ scheme that has failed.

If Persimmon could afford giving the CEO a Euro Millions lottery win for being in the right place at the right time then they are making too much profit or not spreading the money among staff more equitably.

The losers in this sorry saga are young desperate couples needing a roof over their head at an affordable price.

Keith Massey,

Bishopthorpe,York

Persimmon boss ambushed by BBC

Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn was obviously ambushed by the local BBC reporter asking about his huge bonus when he was there to talk about his company’s new brick manufacturing factory.

His interview was then taken up by the national news just to cause mischief.

I have never met Jeff, but his parents are good friends of mine.

Knowing them and their values, I am sure Jeff was brought up with these same values.

Once again we have a national media organisation skewing their output to suit their own agenda.

Geoff Robb,

Hunters Close,

Dunnington, York