Decriminalising non-payment of TV licence

Plan is right. Young people often don't watch live TV, but You Tube etc. I have always paid the license fee for DDs student houses, judging that as a group they will decide it is too much money yet one is likely to watch at some point and could be caught potentially leaving all of them with criminal records. I suspect her current house have no idea that they do in fact have a licence. They have never discussed it.

But elderly people do watch live TV. They also may not be able to use the internet/box. For the last decade of her life, my mum was only able to push the on off button. She watched a huge amount of daytime rubbish.

(Actually come to think of it, putting her in prison would have saved a lot of care costs....I'm joking, but I suspect someone on Boris' team had thought about this.)

CAptainkirk,
Its just live TV or BBC live and catch up that requires the license.
There is lots of TV you can watch legally with no license:
You can watch all nonBBC channels on catch up with no license-eg channel 4
You can watch Netflix or Amazon Prime video with no license (any subscription TV)
You can play mp4s, DVDs etc with no license.

The landscape has changed. Fewer people, other than the elderly, watch via ariel. The basis through which the BBC charges for its licence fee can and should be reviewed, perhaps on a Netflix model which interalia would make it easier to pull in revenue from overseas viewers.

At the very minimum Boris is ensuring that there won't be a bunch of pensioners locked up when TV licenses cease being free for the elderly'. Sensible. The sight of granny being dragged into jail on her mobility scooter would have made a hell of a front page picture.

There is a whole different debate on BBC bias and wokeness, and the extent to which its programming should lead on social change. Boris will feel he has a mandate to address this, but I don't think the two are linked.

Or you could just not watch the BBC? No one is forcing anyone to watch the BBC. People have a choice. Its not like a mother shoplifting food to feed her kids.

Just to make a correct you mean not watch TV, not just the BBC.

A lot of people don't know the law around what the license covers, which isn't their fault, the BBC actually scares them. Ive corrected a few people in the past who thought it also covered receiving radio.

If its a problem for single mums paying perhaps we should also allow them not to pay road tax, council tax or motor insurance.

Why is the licence fee not waived for people under a certain income threshold?
The government can subsidise it for those on a low income, those who rely on benefits or are unemployed, those who are elderly etc.

Are there any other laws that are inappropriate since the demographic of people convicted is unequal?

Cwen
Or you could just not watch the BBC? No one is forcing anyone to watch the BBC. People have a choice. Its not like a mother shoplifting food to feed her kids.
Why? Because watching Strictly Come Dancing is not essential like food is. I’m afraid you sound daft by prioritising a dance show over food, heat, shoes, etc.

Not sure I agree. I’d be uncomfortable to be in favour of abolishing a criminal law solely because more women than men break it. That doesn’t seem feminist to me but rather favouritism towards female tax dodgers. And I don’t agree with the poverty excuse because a TV license is not that much money. A poor person’s working or child tax credit for 1 month would cover the entire year. These people just choose not to pay because they think they can get away with it.

It would be like a misogynist abolishing speeding tickets just because more men are prosecuted for these than women.

I also think stumbled in has a point about independent news source funded by taxation not lobbying advertisers. Can you imagine a pseudoscience show about trans issues funded by a trans lobby group? How scientifically independent do you think that would be? Or an environmental show brought to you and funded by BP oil in partnership with Russian natural gas? Or how about health news funded by KFC?

would we ever have seen blue plannet or horizon on a commercial service?
Yes, in fact Netflix made "our planet"...

I think the BBC should be protected at all costs. An independent news service, public message broadcaster is a thing to cherish. Programming doesn't only have value when it's popular or commercial, would we ever have seen blue plannet or horizon on a commercial service?

Good move. I cant see why it needs to be party political, or why ulterior motives need to be attached. I would have welcomed it even if Jo Swinson had become PM.

If it becomes a civil only issue people will simply not pay as I doubt the BBC could make that many civil claims so in effect it would simply be abolishing it.

Versus single mums being imprisoned and their children taken? Yeah, I don't think it's a contest.

I think there is a double motive in this. Yes it looks good, because in terms of public knowledge it is usually single mothers struggling to make ends meet, so this seems a caring thing to do.

But it is also part of the Tory strategy to destabilise the BBC and its core purpose.

If the Tories really cared then they would also say, sorry it was a bit meant to tell the BBC you should now pay what is essentially a benefit (free tv for over 75s) because really what we want to do is cut your budget.

Just as the foreign office used to fund the world service. The unexpected consequence of the reach of the BBC and there "balanced" reporting is one of the reasons so many people in different countries think it is a good place to live. Not the benefits system as right wing tabloids like to say, but because the WS makes it seem the UK is totally anti racist, supportive of gays rights etc.. It is a rude awakening for many when they arrive.

And I think if the face of the onslaught of trash tv gushing out of stations funded through advertising, with the pressure to go for mind numbing escapism has contributed to the dumbing down of news presentation and factual reporting.

Because like lemmings we all chose the easy option so the BBC has now slid into trying to compete.

I always find it bizarre to say that it is a problem that young people dont watch it. That's fine. Young people are entitled to occupy themselves with what it there priority. Nobody goes its awful old people dont listen to which music station is currently the most popular.

But I think what the BBC should be valued for. ie proper in depth news reporting, and balanced reporting happens less and less.

So to go back to the original point, if you add together the cutting of the free licence (a Tory cut not a BBC one) the effective change in status of the licence fee, it is about sidelining and financially undermining its status.

I obviouls think it is wrong to send someone to prison for non payment of the tv licence, but this could be overcome if there was a proper benefits system or an equal one, ie if you are on pension credits maybe you should get a free tv licence just as over 75s should.

''Nearly three quarters (72%) of people prosecuted for TV licence evasion in 2017 (137,913 in total) were women, with the crime accounting for 30% of all female prosecutions (compared to 4% of male prosecutions) – making it the most common offence for which women were prosecuted, according to government figures. In addition, a greater proportion of women (94%) than men (92%) were convicted.''

www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/07/237240/tv-licence-evasion-women

One things that's rarely mentioned is that when women are imprisoned for crimes of poverty, they often have kids who are taken into care.
Apart from the disruption and harm caused to children, the cost to the taxpayer is disproportionate to the offence.

I believe most of the people prosecuted by the BBC for dodging the license are women, is this still the case?

The sooner the BBC becomes a subscription service the better, they've had far too much control and influence for far too many years.

Fat The BBC is a multibillion dollar world wide company, the public service but is tiny in comparison.

It's unbelievable that poor women can end up in prison for not paying their tv licence.

I think it's usually the fine for not paying the licence that is what they get jailed for, is that right? Which is way more than the actual licence.

If it becomes a civil only issue people will simply not pay as I doubt the BBC could make that many civil claims so in effect it would simply be abolishing it.

Definitely a civil and not a criminal matter. Can't stand Boris but agree with this move, whatever his motive.

@BigFatLiar how would this have any effect on funding?

I 100% agree with this. Debtors prison isn’t supposed to be a thing in the 21st century.

It's returning it to being a civil issue.

Knocking the BBC back down a step is always a good thing in my opinion.