UK Government plans to freeze the BBC TV licence and potentially scrap it all together in the years ahead have caused mass debate on the value of the mandatory licence on social media.
The broadcaster has hit out at recent criticism and warned the decision will lead to “tougher choices” that will impact on viewers.
The latest development has led to debate online, with many arguing they don’t use enough of the services offered by the BBC to warrant paying an annual fee.
In the quiz below you can work out exactly how much value you are getting for the annual licence fee.
Is your TV licence fee value for money? Find out here
The annual payment, which normally changes on April 1 each year, is expected to be kept at the current rate of £159 until April 2024, with additional ways of funding being considered by Nadine Dorries.
The Culture Secretary said the next announcement concerning the BBC’s licence fee “will be the last” as a new funding model is being considered for when the latest deal expires in 2027.
She wrote on Twitter: “This licence fee announcement will be the last.
“The days of the elderly being threatened with prison sentences and bailiffs knocking on doors are over.
“Time now to discuss and debate new ways of funding, supporting and selling great British content.”
How much is the BBC licence fee?
The annual TV licence fee is set by the UK Government, which announced in 2016 that it would rise in line with inflation for five years from April 1 2017.
In February last year, it was announced that the cost of the annual TV licence fee would increase from £157.50 to £159 from April 1 2021.
The cost of an annual black and white licence rose from £53.00 to £53.50.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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