It comes as the cost of the licence fee went up by £5 on 1 April.
Samir Shah, who took over as BBC chairman in March last year, told the Sunday Times he would be in favour of a more progressive way of paying for the corporation, saying: “Why should people who are poor pay the same as people in wealthy households?”
Had a knock on the door today from the TV licence inspectors. Asking why I had a licence but hadn’t yet watched Adolescence. Told me it was a final warning before a fine and possible imprisonment.
— David Moore (@belfastDGM) April 1, 2025
But who is eligible for a discount?
Those who are severely sight impaired are currently eligible for a 50% discount on a TV licence.
At present, they pay £84.75.
83-year-old Stan Fritton, a retirement home resident, says demands for payments have even been sent to those with dementia.
“They’re not listening and they’re choosing not to listen,” he said. He fumed: “They’re choosing to antagonise residents here needlessly.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for TV Licensing said they “continue to liaise with the managers of St Crispin’s… and hope to have this matter resolved as soon as possible.”
Former BBC News controller and government communications director, Sir Craig Oliver, said: “I think everybody has come to the conclusion, including privately the BBC, that they have to come up with another model.
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“I think that there will probably be some element of the licence fee still existing, but it may be that there are subscription models on top of that.
“The problem with all of that, of course, is that the devil is in the detail… how do you make sure that people aren’t hacking in? Lots of people are saying it’s a very dated system.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The public cares about the BBC… We want to continue to reform and evolve and look forward to engaging with government on the next Charter and securing the long-term future of the BBC.”
