TV licence fee 'unenforceable' and 'unfair to women', Culture Secretary warns
26 April 2025, 12:45
The Culture Secretary has warned that the BBC licence fee is unenforceable and unfair to women.
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Lisa Nandy has previously said she could be open to replacing the flat licence fee with a sliding payment scale after a suggestion by the BBC's new chairman Samir Shah.
She has ruled out the licence fee being replaced by general taxation, and in November last year, said the Government would use a review of the BBC's royal charter to consider alternative ways of funding the corporation.
The MP for Wigan told the Telegraph: "We recognise there are problems with the licence fee. Fewer and fewer people are paying it.
"It's unenforceable and particularly I've been very concerned about the way it's been enforced in the past, with women - particularly vulnerable women - targeted for enforcement action, and the BBC itself has accepted that.
Read more: BBC could make the rich pay more in latest 'progressive' license fee shake-up
"So we know that there are problems with the licence fee system as it currently exists. We're about to kick off the charter review and as part of that we're reviewing the licence fee."
She also said that she is "open to a different system, but we haven't put forward any preferred options at this stage", and called on the public to suggest what "a fairer, more sustainable system would look like".
"We know that the licence fee and the BBC as a whole has to command public support in order to survive and thrive, and that's why we're putting the power back into the public's hands to be able to drive that conversation," Ms Nandy said.
The BBC launched a poll in March, which it called the corporation's "biggest-ever public engagement exercise", and said would inform the upcoming charter review.
Among the questions are "what the BBC should provide overall?", "how you feel the BBC is doing now", and "what the BBC should stand for in the future".
The Government has committed to increasing the licence fee in line with inflation each year until 2027, starting with a rise from £169.50 to £174.50 next month.
That rise follows years in which the licence fee was first frozen and then increased at a slower rate than the BBC expected, leaving the corporation increasingly cash-strapped.
In 2023, the corporation published a review into gender disparity and the licence fee, which said "societal factors" explain the gender disparity, not enforcement, after noting that around 75% of those convicted for evasion are women.
It also outlined a 10-point action plan for the TV licensing body, which included supporting "people in financial hardship and debt", and helping "people stay licensed and avoid prosecution".
A BBC spokeswoman said: "The public cares about the BBC and we have launched our biggest-ever public engagement exercise, so audiences can help drive and shape what they want from a universal and independent BBC in the future.
"We want to continue to reform and evolve and look forward to engaging with Government on the next charter and securing the long-term future of the BBC."
According to the 2024 TV Licensing annual review, "approximately 89% of addresses that need a TV licence have one, with evasion estimated at around 11%".
