This week in Parliament, Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries announced the TV licence fee will remain at £159 until 2024 and then rise in line with inflation for the following four years as the government moves to support families in the face of rising living costs..
The full announcement can be read here.
Commenting on the statement, Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire, said:
Following the announcement, I spoke in the House and commended the Culture Secretary for freezing the BBC license fee for the next 2 years and for launching an enquiry into its future.
Decisions on the license fee are entirely detached and separate from any questions of impartiality at the broadcaster, and I was pleased to hear the Culture Secretary unequivocally restate that position.
I pointed out that under their subscription model, Netflix has grown from 1/20th the size of the BBC 20 years ago, to now being 8 times bigger which suggests that creative thinking at the BBC could reap dividends in the medium term. I finished by hoping that the BBC leadership would be encouraged to respond positively and not with the defeatist and backward looking attitude of those on the benches opposite.
Richard's contribution can be watched here.
