Magistrates' Courts in England and Wales could become overwhelmed by over-75s belligerently refusing to pay for a TV licence.
That's the view of the chairman of the influential House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
TV licence evasion cases are normally dealt with "on the papers" by the single Magistrate (a process known as the Single Justice Procedure), but defendants can elect to appear before a full court in person.
Julian Knight, the Conservative MP for Solihull, said: "The danger is that because there are very particular circumstances in this instance you may end up with people wanting to appear (in court) in person.
"That is where you could end up with court time being taken up. I would imagine that many of those who don't want to pay will feel very strongly about it, will want to represent themselves, therefore that may take up more court time."
On 1st August 2020 the eligibility criteria for the concessionary over-75 TV licence changed for the first time since it was introduced in the year 2000. The "free" TV licence, which was always available to every over-75 household, is now only available to those with at least one occupant in receipt of Pension Credit.
Those over-75 households now ineligible for the concession will have to stump up the full TV licence fee if they wish to (legally) receive TV programmes or BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer.
Campaign groups are encouraging their older members to become a thorn in the side of the BBC, by interacting with TV Licensing in as painstaking a manner as possible.
One group, Silver Voices, has called on all pensioners to cancel their TV licences in support of over-75's losing out under the new eligibility rules. It has asked any pensioners wishing to retain a TV licence to pay by cheque, as that method represents a greater administrative burden for TV Licensing. Similarly it has asked any pensioners wishing to communicate by TV Licensing to do so by normal post, as that is far more costly and onerous for TV Licensing to process.
The BBC has taken on 800 additional TV licence enforcers to specifically target over-75s now eligible to pay the annual £157.50 fee. The impoverished national broadcaster has invested £38 million in ensuring that those over-75s that now need to pay the licence fee actually do so.
MPs are concerned that large numbers of over-75s are up for the fight. Some TV licence martyrs will want to appear in court, make their voices heard and gain valuable political and media traction for their cause. The Government has already made it abundantly clear that the future funding of the BBC is under very close scrutiny at the moment. Likewise, it is no secret that there is currently a massive backlog of court cases as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
A BBC spokesman said: "We know most members of the public are law-abiding, so our focus is on helping people transition to the new scheme as easily and safely as possible.
"People over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit can claim a free TV licence."
If you've found this article useful please consider liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or downloading our free ebook.
4 comments:
"A BBC spokesman said: "We know most members of the public are law-abiding,"
So why does BBC TV licensing send monthly letters threatening court action to people who have no legal need for a TV licence?
They are law-abiding. We now know this because A BBC spokesman said so :-)
Thanks for your comment NonRoadUsr.
You are probably aware already of the statistic that at least 80 percent of TV Licensing threatograms are destined for properties that do not legally require a TV licence. TV Licensing finds it much cheaper and more effective to threaten the law abiding majority than to do any proper enquiries to weed out the fewer than 20 percent of evaders. As far as TV Licensing is concerned, if a few law-abiding folk are scared into buying a TV licence they don't legally need that's a nice little bonus.
I rather think the BBC are forgetting that people in this age bracket are Baby Boomers - you know, the generation which made protest an art because of nuclear weaponry, Big Business despoiling the planet, abortion rights, wars, etc. etc.
The BBC might just have bitten off more than they can safely chew...
There has never been such a perfect storm for the BBC as the one it is currently heading into. I am sure Gordon Brown didn't intend this when he created the "Over 75's exemption" back in the day, but then again, some whirlwinds take a while together.
The fact that the BBC appears blissfully unaware of this (or at least has applied a liberal amount of 'tin ear' to the problem), makes it even more enjoyable for those of us who want an end to this bullying, biased and leftwing organisation.
When the old biddies start turning up to court with their nightgowns and toothbrushes packed to get sent down next Spring, I wonder how long it will take for the Tory MP's pouring over their constituents mailbags to finally pass legislation making TV License evasion (not to be condoned) a non-criminal offence?
After that we only have the TV license renewal discussions to look forward to in 2025. Unless the BBC suddenly starts getting a lot more self-aware (possible, but unlikely), I'm hoping that this time around there will be a clear refusal to renew on behalf of MP's worried about re-election.
BBC licensing might have made some sense when it was introduced for radio a century ago. It makes no sense at all now. Time the BBC was weaned off it and forced to stand on it's own two feet like Netflix, Amazon and the rest.
The only "unique" thing about the BBC is the way it is funded...and that is an outrage that MUST end.
Post a Comment