Despite an 8 million increase in the UK’s population, the same amount of people pay their BBC licence fee as they did 20 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost twice as many people as ten years ago are believed to be at risk of going to jail for watching TV without a licence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not paying the licence fee when you should is illegal, and about 1,000 people are prosecuted each week for not paying the required amount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost three million users declared in August that they no longer wanted to see BBC material, making them unwilling to pay the yearly fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With fewer people feeling they have to pay, TV Licensing (TVL), the body responsible for selling licences and collecting fees, has observed a sales decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2022, the establishment sold 23.50 million new licences, over 400,000 fewer than the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
License fees make up a significant amount of the BBC\u2019s funding, so fewer sales weaken the broadcaster\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As sales declines, the BBC has racked up its license fee\u2019s price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The BBC license fee per year currently stands at \u00a3159 per household for colour TV, however in April 2024, this will rise to \u00a3169.50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u00a310.50 license fee increase, which was announced earlier this month, has also enraged many, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looking to intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Prime Minister also urged the corporation not to push for a large increase in the licence fee and be \u201crealistic about what it can expect people to pay at a time like this\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over a century ago, people were paying just 10 shillings (50p) which equates to \u00a329 in today\u2019s money. However as of April, the new fee will be nearly six times that.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Despite an 8 million increase in the UK’s population, the same amount of people pay their BBC licence fee as they did 20 years ago. Almost twice as many people … <\/p>\n