BBC TV Licence fee penalty set to change under Labour

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, "agree" that failure to pay the licence should no longer be a criminal offence, according to reports.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


The new Labour Party government says it will "end" BBC licence fee prosecutions that "unfairly penalise women". Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, "agree" that failure to pay the licence should no longer be a criminal offence, according to reports.

Nearly 1,000 people are prosecuted every week for not paying their licence fee, which costs £169.50. More than two-thirds of those prosecuted are women, and now Labour Party officials want to end the criminalisation of not paying the fee.

A senior government source told The Times: “The administrative burden of policing non-payment of the licence fee should not be falling on the taxpayer. It should be carved out. It’s not worth the hassle it creates.”

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Former Conservative Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, said last year that prosecuting people for not paying the TV licence is "morally indefensible in modern times". A BBC insider told The Times that there had been a “conscious effort” to reduce the number of prosecutions.

They said: “We are busy helping people to avoid prosecution, but prosecutions will still happen. Without an enforcement mechanism, there is no system.” A TV Licensing spokesman said: “We have a duty to enforce the law when there is evidence that someone has avoided paying for a TV licence.

“What we have done is made considerable efforts to help people get licensed and offer help and support. So, while we take appropriate action where necessary, we work hard to support those most in need, offering a number of concessions and payment plans to ensure people can obtain a licence in the way that suits them best.

“Our focus on collecting the licence fee fairly and efficiently ensures that the overwhelming majority of households are correctly licensed.” The TV licence is a bill paid either on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis.