Future BBC licence fee pricing still up in the air
Culture secretary John Whittingdale has indicated that the future rate at which the BBC licence fee will be set is still up in the air pending the outcome of the ongoing charter review.
During a grilling on the matter on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show Whittingdale refused to set a figure for the levy, pointing out that this would be dependent on the size of the organisation and its remit going forward.
The BBC is currently in a state of flux ahead of expiration of its current royal charter at the end of next year, after which the broadcaster is expected to be downsized.
Previously the government had allowed the BBC to increase its £145.50 annual fee in line with inflation from 2018-19 and begin charging people who currently watch on-demand content without a licence in return for the BBC meeting the £608m cost of providing TV licences for those aged 65 and over.
Now Whittingdale indicates this is not the end of the matter, saying: "What happened in July was not the licence fee settlement.
"We've made it quite clear that the decision as to the future level of the licence fee is connected with charter review, where we are having a full public consultation in which everybody is invited to express a view.”