Ministers ditch plans for free TV licences for benefit claimants
The government has dropped plans to give free television licences to benefit claimants after an angry backlash.The radical proposals were unveiled by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in December as she set out her vision for the funding of the BBC from 2028.The government’s policy paper said it was considering 'further targeted interventions to support household budgets', and would look at the example of countries such as Germany which offer free TV licences or discounts to 'individuals who receive social benefits'.But at a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament the Media Minister Stephanie Peacock rowed back from the plans before the public consultation had been completed.She told MPs on Tuesday: 'We are not looking to expand free TV licences or give them free to those in receipt of benefits....I can be clear about that now.'Instead ministers are exploring ‘targeted interventions, such as new concessions or payment schedules’ to help those struggling to pay the licence fee, which costs £174.50 a year.Ms Peacock did not rule out middle-class households paying more for their licences after the public consultation stated: ‘New concessions could require other households to pay more.'Currently over-75s who claim pension credit are the only group who qualify for a free licence. The government has dropped plans to give free television licences to benefit claimants after an angry backlash ministers are exploring ‘targeted interventions, such as new concessions or payment schedules’ to help those struggling to pay the licence fee, which costs £174.50 a yearWhen the Daily Mail highlighted the proposal for a possible exemption for the six million working-age people currently in receipt of benefits, it prompted a furious response.John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It's absurd to squeeze middle-class taxpayers harder while floating new licence fee exemptions for benefit claimants. The licence fee is already regressive, and shifting more of the burden on to working households just entrenches unfairness and fuels resentment.'While shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston said: ‘It would be outrageous if people claiming benefits were given free TV licences while hard-working people footed the bill.’Another controversial proposal that was floated in the government’s green paper was to allow the BBC to raise more income by carrying advertising on its services.But Ms Peacock noted there were 'concerns about the potential for advertising on the BBC to impact commercial providers'. Ministers will now 'carefully consider the potential impacts' on commercial rivals of letting the BBC enter the advertising market.She added: ‘A thriving media sector involving ITV, Channel 4, our diverse local media providers and others is vital for the UK, and I wish to reassure him that we will carefully consider the potential impacts on this ecosystem.’A public consultation on the plans was launched in December and will run for 12 weeks. The Government's preferred proposals will then be published in a White Paper.Any changes would come into effect from 2028, after the expiration of the current BBC charter.It comes as outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie told Parliament’s Public Accounts committee yesterday that he was under 'quite a lot of pressure' to 'remove the BBC' from Elon Musk‘s X.His reference to the social media platform came as it faces criticism over its AI system Grok creating deepfake nudes.Davie said: ‘I have quite a lot of pressure to remove the BBC from X by the way. That is not what I will be doing. Because we need to be on these platforms, we need to give quality information onto the social media platforms and bring people onto them.'That is critical because otherwise the Chinese and Iranians are “flooding the zone” and they are investing very hard.'
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Ministers ditch plans to give benefit claimants free television licences after furious backlash
