Cost of television licence to increase from April

The cost of a television licence is to increase by £1.50 to £147 in its first rise since 2010, the UK Government has said.
The television licence fee will increase by £1.50 from April 1.The television licence fee will increase by £1.50 from April 1.
The television licence fee will increase by £1.50 from April 1.

Ministers aer responsible for setting the level of the licence fee, and last year announced that it would rise in line with inflation for five years from April 1 this year.

Licence fee payers will receive a payment plan or a reminder reflecting the new amount when their licence is next due for renewal. Those buying or renewing a licence after April 1 will pay the new fee while those already buying a licence on an instalment scheme which started before April 1–such as monthly direct debit or weekly cash payments–will continue to pay the current fee of £145.50 until their licence comes up for renewal.

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Fergus Reid, TV Licensing spokesman for Scotland, said: “The free concession for those aged over 75 remains, although as at present this is not issued automatically, and anyone entitled to the concession must apply for it. If you are blind or severely sight impaired you are entitled to a 50 per cent concession on the cost of a TV Licence.

“TV Licensing provides a range of ways to pay, including small weekly cash payments and annual Direct Debit. Payers can view their details on line at any time, and can choose to receive correspondence from TV Licensing by email, rather than by post,” he said.

Anyone watching or recording TV programmes as they are shown on TV, or watching or downloading BBC programmes on iPlayer needs to be covered by a licence. This applies whether they are using a TV set, computer, or any other equipment. For more information about when a licence is needed, visit tvlicensing.co.uk/info

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