New calls to scrap £159 TV licence fee for all households ahead of planned rise next April
dailyrecord.co.ukA new online petition is proposing that the TV licence fee is abolished for every household across the country and a subscription service for the BBC is offered instead.
The TV licence is set to rise in line with the rate of inflation from April 2024, following a two-year freeze at £159. The September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figure was 6.7 per cent which would see the TV Licence increase by £10.65 to £169.65 - the exact amount has still to be confirmed.
The e-petition, created by Marie Davis, argues that the TV licence is “more expensive than a lot of subscriptions” and believes that people “should have the choice as to whether we pay to watch it”.
Earlier this week, Independent MP Julian Knight asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) if it would consider ‘freezing the television licence fee in 2024’.In a written response, Sir John Whittingdale MP said: “We agreed a fair settlement with the BBC that will see the licence fee remain at £159 until 2024 to protect licence fee payers from inflationary pressures, and then rise in line with inflation until the end of 2027 when the current Charter is due for renewal.”He added: “Exactly how a future increase would be calculated is yet to be confirmed.” In a separate question, Mr Knight asked if there had been “discussions with the Television Licensing Authority on the potential merits of expanding payment exemptions for the television licence fee”.
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