Entertainment Swindon

The government announced that the TV Licence will rise in line with inflation next year increasing the current yearly fee of £159 by £15

Lucy Frazer MP for South East Cambridgeshire & Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport on Thursday 7th December told MPs the increase would be based on September’s (CPI) consumer prices index which was 6.7%.

Frazer told the ‘House’ “Under the terms of the settlement, the licence fee must now increase annually in line with consumer prices index rate of inflation, with the first increase due in April 2024″. Frazer went on to say “The Government is committed to supporting families as much as possible during these difficult times. We recognise bill rises are never welcome and family budgets remain under pressure.

“Today I am announcing that we will use the annual rate of CPI in September to calculate the increase of the BBC licence fee in April 2024.”

Frazer stressed that the licence fee rise was being “kept as low as possible”.

Frazer added: “In April the licence fee will rise by 6.7% to £169.50 annually.

“This will minimise the rise for households, keeping it to £10.50 over the year, or 88p a month, rather than the rise of £14.50 which would have happened under the previous CPI measure.”

The TV Licence Fee, which funds much of the BBC’s operations, funding services such as its TV & Radio programming, the BBC website, podcasts, iPlayer & its apps. The cost of funding the BBC has gone from £3.7billion in 2013 to £3.74billion in 2023 where the TV Licence accounted for approximately 65% of the BBC’s total income of £5.73billion.

But do you need to pay for a TV Licence, well, lets see if you do or don’t need to pay…

When do you need a TV Licence?

You do not need a TV Licence to watch:

• streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus
• on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video
• videos on websites like YouTube
• videos or DVDs

You do need a TV Licence if you:

• watch or record live TV on any channel or service
• use BBC iPlayer

Are you eligible for a free TV Licence?

For those aged 75 or over who are in receipt of Pension Credit, the TV Licence can be obtained for free rather than costing £159.

Guidance from TV Licensing says: “Free TV Licences are only available if you’re 75 or over and you, or your partner living at the same address, are receiving Pension Credit.

“If you think you’re eligible for a free licence but can’t apply online, please call 0300 790 6117 and speak to one of our advisors to request an application form (our lines are open between 8.30am and 6.30pm, from Monday to Friday).

“Once we’ve received your application it may take a few weeks to process. If there are any problems we’ll write to let you know. We may also call you if you have given us your phone number.

“There are separate arrangements in place for over 75s on the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey.”