The annual BBC television licence fee will increase by £3 to £157.50 from 1 April 2020, following a 2016 government agreement to raise it in line with inflation for five years. The rise comes amid ongoing debate about the licence fee's future, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating in December that it needs 'looking at'.
The government announced last year it would consider decriminalising non-payment of the fee. This follows controversy over plans to end free TV licences for most over-75s from 1 June, and Gary Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter, calling for the fee to be made voluntary.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: 'A £3 a year increase to the TV licence fee may not sound much but will be yet another blow to the hundreds of thousands of over-75s who will struggle to afford a TV licence from June.'
The new fee equates to £3.02 per week or £13.13 per month, funding BBC services including nine national TV channels, ten national radio stations, local radio, websites, BBC Sounds and iPlayer. Outgoing BBC director general Tony Hall defended the licence fee, saying it 'guarantees... commitment to creativity and risk-taking'.
A licence is required for watching or recording live TV, or downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer. The government and BBC will negotiate the fee level after 2022, when the current inflation-linked agreement ends.
