This briefing provides a summary of the government’s recent proposals for the licence fee, assesses its motivations and consequences, and identifies some potential action points. The settlement: The government’s announcement for BBC funding covers the six-year period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2028. As Enders Analysis recently concluded: ‘It is these people who will be hardest hit by real-terms licence fee cuts’. The impression is that the Secretary of State is quite prepared to link BBC funding to how favourably she perceives the BBC to be covering the government. Sources close to Nadine Dorries told the Mail on Sunday that she intended to have abolished the licence fee altogether by the time the current licence fee settlement expires at the end of 2026.

Source: The Guardian February 12, 2022 15:02 UTC