A Conservative MP has called for the BBC TV licence fee to be scrapped - saying when it comes to the broadcaster’s control of its funding it “cannot be trusted”.
And a Welsh MP has compared the fee to the Poll Tax.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said ahead of the next charter review process politicians “will undertake a detailed look at the TV licence model to ensure it is fit for the future”.
She called it a “beacon for Britishness” and “for what is excellence in broadcasting”, but said “even the editors at the BBC and those who run the BBC accept that there have been some problems, and they are being dealt with, and that’s part of the ongoing discussions”.
However, Conservative MP Philip Hollobone (Kettering) said the BBC “abolishing free TV licences show they cannot be trusted”. He described the BBC’s treatment of pensioners as “disgraceful” - and called for the Government to use the 2022 funding review “to scrap the licence fee altogether”.
Ms Dorries said the future of the licence fee will be decided at the charter renewal in 2027 but said “those discussions … both from the editorial perspective, and a number of layers and recently highlighted during the response to the Serota review, are in all in consideration moving forward. His comments have been noted.”
Another Conservative MP has compared the BBC licence fee to the poll tax.
Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan) said he believes there is “potential” to cut or freeze the licence fee.
He said much of the funding is used to create “quality broadcasts” but “significant sums” are “used to squeeze out competition from the independent sector”. He said the licence fee “is the most regressive form of taxation, akin to the poll tax”.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said her priority is to “secure a settlement that delivers value for money” while making sure the BBC can continue to provide “very high quality services”.
She said: “I have been having constructive discussions with the BBC and I believe that we are close to reaching an agreement.”
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