Culture Secretary Considers Ending BBC’s Power to Prosecute For Licence Fee Evasion

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer is considering ending the BBC’s authority to prosecute members of the public over licence fee evasion, saying it is inappropriate for a broadcaster to possess such “criminal tools in its armoury.”

This statement comes amidst a sweeping review of the BBC’s operations and funding.

Speaking to Times Radio on Monday, Frazer questioned the very notion of the licence fee in today’s era, suggesting that it would “probably not” be invented in the current media landscape.

Responding to the host’s question around the BBC’s ability to pursue anyone who evades paying the licence fee, Frazer said: “The BBC is operationally independent and these are a matter for it, but it should, they should be thinking in all cases: ‘What is the appropriate mechanism to ensure people pay?’ I think that there are issues in relation to criminal prosecutions, especially for those people who are the most vulnerable.”

“The way we all consume media is changing and we used to just look at the TV which was, you know, in our room, in our living room, and we’re looking at it on our phones and on our iPads,” the minister said.

She continued: “What we’ve seen over the course of the last few years is the number of licensed fee payers has gone down as a result of the vast choice that people have. So, I have launched a review into how the BBC should be funded in the future and part of that is to make sure that the BBC continues to thrive, because I think it’s a great institution and its funding revenues are going down from the licence fee payer.

The host asked: “You wouldn’t invent the licence fee now, would you, if you were trying to find a way of funding the BBC?”

“Probably not,” Frazer said.

The government’s stance is part of a broader mid-term charter review aimed at overhauling the BBC to “improve ­accountability and boost public ­confidence.” The government laid out a series of reforms it says are designed to enhance the broadcaster’s impartiality and revamp its complaints system.