TV licence fee to rise by FIFTEEN pounds?

Please please please don't push for the end of the BBC. It is a sad battered old thing now, doing the govt's bidding (have you seen the Board?), but there are still many gems. And radio, I would say, is better than anywhere else in the world (I know the licence is for TV, but I fear losing that would just begin the chipping away of the whole institution, as has already happened with the world service. We have lost so much of our cultural value in the past 13 years, let's hang on to what little we have left.

You are correct growstuff. I recognise the necessity of a car but I can’t square what MiY says about not going out and only having enough money to exist with driving and running a car - unless it’s provided foc by the government she hates and which doesn’t give her enough money of course.

Germanshepherdsmum

Your situation is not the fault of the government is it?

*Germansheperdsmum - Are you referring to me? If so, yes it is the fault of the government and their policies, and also misdiagnosis from the NHS over several years causing me to be completely wrecked, but nobody meant me any harm ... it's left me unable to work and led me to have to exist, as that is what it is, on disability benefits.

Scope's Disability Price Tag Report in 2023 has stated that
"On average, disabled households (with at least one disabled adult or child) need an additional £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households."

Disability benefit payments, like Personal Independence Payment (PIP), are designed to help offset these costs. However, even after taking PIP into account, the average disabled household (including at least one disabled adult or child) faces EXTRA costs of £975 per month.

It's people to do your cleaning, gardening, dog walking, jobs around the house that you cannot do - my house hasn't actually been 'cleaned' since July as I cannot afford to have anyone in to do it. I have a roof over my head that I own outright, but I can't afford to maintain nor improve it in fact I have 6 walls that are still bare plaster that need decorating

That's why I get cross with the people who say things like "it’s only 3-4 cups of coffee out each month". Some of us can't even afford one sadly ...

Doodledog

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m not sure how much you expect the government to provide MadeinYorkshire. You say you’re afraid to go out but on another thread just now you talked of parking your car. Cars are more expensive to run than the cost of 3 or 4 coffees. I really don’t understand what you’re saying,

Oh come on. If someone is disabled or suffering ill-health, a car is a necessity, not a luxury.

I don't often agree with GSM, but I don't think that's the point she's making.

Buttonjugs

I pay £3.99 for ad free tv on ITV and Channel Four (each). Why do the BBC need more than twice that?

Is that £3.99 a week, month or year?

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m not sure how much you expect the government to provide MadeinYorkshire. You say you’re afraid to go out but on another thread just now you talked of parking your car. Cars are more expensive to run than the cost of 3 or 4 coffees. I really don’t understand what you’re saying,

Oh come on. If someone is disabled or suffering ill-health, a car is a necessity, not a luxury.

I’m not sure how much you expect the government to provide MadeinYorkshire. You say you’re afraid to go out but on another thread just now you talked of parking your car. Cars are more expensive to run than the cost of 3 or 4 coffees. I really don’t understand what you’re saying,

Polly4t42

£15 isn’t too much to pay, it’s only 3-4 cups of coffee out each month

"it's only 3 - 4 cups of coffee out each month"

God, some people just don't have a bloody clue! I wish ...

£15 is a lot for people like pensioners and those not earning a huge salary with everything else going up again like utilities and council tax this will make it hard to find the money to pay for tv that could be the only source of entertainment they have

Your situation is not the fault of the government is it?

£15 isn’t too much to pay, it’s only 3-4 cups of coffee out each month

"Lefties don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the 'gummerment'" - wow what a lovely person you must be?

Lucky you, when your circumstances change, so do your political leanings - at least the 'lefties' gave us more of a decent NHS. I have had 24 lots of surgery through no fault of my own, and when Labour lost the election, it was just getting to be good. I have seen it's demise first hand!

I worked, paid tax and helped those less fortunate than myself. Being unable to work is just awful - the social isolation is the worst, I am very lonely, but scared to go out on my own since lockdown and the death of my daughter. However, have no fear, I and the rest of my ilk will soon be forced to look for and go back to work, although who would employ someone who has been out of work for over 14 years, I'm not sure, also would anyone insure me to be at work? I take many controlled drugs, am medicated with 20 tablets a night plus a very strong pain relief patch, and don't really come round again until lunchtime the following day. Know of any vacancies for doorstops? Of course, someone will say "oh it doesn't mean the likes of you", but it does, and people will be sanctioned for it eventually - the government and the DWP will have more blood on it's hands with this dreadful policy.

Then the others gave us 'austerity' and beyond - and I am literally trying to scrape by on the pittance that they think it is ok to survive on. It's not living, it is merely existing, I had no heating on last year and it is the same now - I'm literally being kept alive with a heated throw. This 'caring and compassionate Conservative Government' gave the disabled £150 towards the cost of living, and mine went on paying money back that I had to borrow when my budget for energy was £80 a month which left me with the grand total of £31.88 a week for food after paying my bills. I wrote to my MP - the one that claimed £3500 for heating his 2nd home - unsurprisingly I got no response.

So no, I can't really pay, but do, although don't watch much of it other than dramas and Strictly. I suppose I could cancel and rejoin next year when Strictly comes back on ... no there's a thought.

There by the Grace of God go you ...

Think the licence fee is good value when you think how much it pays for, all the BBC TV stations, radio, bbc sounds and the website. No ads.
And when you think how much subscriptions to other providers like Netflix, sky, paramount and Disney plus cost it seems even better value. Presenters at ITV and Sky get paid more than BBC presenters but they don’t have to declare their earnings.

Buttonjugs

I pay £3.99 for ad free tv on ITV and Channel Four (each). Why do the BBC need more than twice that?

I would imagine that you’d have to pay more for ITV ad free if the rest of us didn’t have to watch those programmes with advertisements.

Doodledog

NotSpaghetti

orly - I consider myself generally "leftie" and am, like most other "lefties" happy to pay my TV licence fee - as well as my taxes (which are, in my opinion, too low).

Where is your evidence that "lefties" want everything free?

Lefties just don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the "gummerment"
I think this is a rude and rather supercilious statement.

It is very rude, and the 'gummerment' comment is perplexing, unless you are suggesting that so-called 'lefties' have speech impediments?

I think it was possibly a rather pathetic attempt at humour. Ill thought out if it was, so called 'lefties' are usually happy to pay tax to provide services, even if they do not need them themselves.

NotSpaghetti

orly - I consider myself generally "leftie" and am, like most other "lefties" happy to pay my TV licence fee - as well as my taxes (which are, in my opinion, too low).

Where is your evidence that "lefties" want everything free?

Lefties just don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the "gummerment"
I think this is a rude and rather supercilious statement.

It is very rude, and the 'gummerment' comment is perplexing, unless you are suggesting that so-called 'lefties' have speech impediments?

orly - I consider myself generally "leftie" and am, like most other "lefties" happy to pay my TV licence fee - as well as my taxes (which are, in my opinion, too low).

Where is your evidence that "lefties" want everything free?

Lefties just don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the "gummerment"
I think this is a rude and rather supercilious statement.

I watch a lot on BBC iPlayer so I have to still pay. Its not that much more but I do not think it's good value for money. If I didn't watch Sky Live stuff and iPlayer I would cancel it.

I pay £3.99 for ad free tv on ITV and Channel Four (each). Why do the BBC need more than twice that?

@Madeleine - but Spitting Image was not made by the BBC!

Spitting Image is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by ' Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV network . The series was nominated and won numerous awards, including ten BAFTA Television Awards, and two Emmy Awards in 1985 and 1986 in the Popular Arts Category
So your point is…….?

orly

Granny23

I think it is time that we had a mass campaign as we did for the Poll Tax. IE "Can Pay, Won't Pay"

Even if you meant "Can't Pay, Won't Pay" - absolutely not! Lefties just don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the "gummerment"

As a proud "Leftie", I'm more than happy to pay the licence fee

orly

Granny23

I think it is time that we had a mass campaign as we did for the Poll Tax. IE "Can Pay, Won't Pay"

Even if you meant "Can't Pay, Won't Pay" - absolutely not! Lefties just don't want to pay for anything and expect to get everything free from the "gummerment"

what a silly comment.

The BBC provides a myriad of services including, BBC sounds, audiobooks, language programmes and many many more especially educational. They are worth every penny we pay them. In my experience those who moan do not fully understand what the BBC provides.

I am more than happy to pay the fee. We also have Netflix, Amazon Prime and NowTV but still tend to watch the BBC or the iPlayer. 9 times out of 10 we scroll through the other services before returning to the BBC, either because of the content or we can't bear the many adverts. I'll join the Can Pay, Will Pay campaign. 😉

So long as they don't axe BBC4 - it's the only station we watch