BBC scraps TV licence fee rise
The BBC will freeze the licence fee at £145.50 until 2013, after coming under fire from the Conservatives for what it sees as spending largesse.
BBC Trust chairman Michael Lyons said yesterday the move to scrap a two per cent annual rise will create a £144m shortfall, adding:?“A freeze in income will not be pain-free, and this decision was not taken lightly.”
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt cheered the news. “The BBC needs to take proper account of the current economic climate,” he said.