The UK Government has confirmed it will be increasing the cost of a TV licence from 1st April 2021 in line with inflation.
As a result, all new annual licences issued after this date will cost £159.00, a year-on-year increase of £1.50. Effectively, the new fee equates to 43p per household per day.
The cost of an annual black and white licence will rise from £53.00 to £53.50.
Those who are blind (severely sight impaired) are entitled to a 50% concession on the cost of a licence. From 1 April 2021, this amount will be £79.50, a rise of £0.75. There is no change to the Accommodation for Residential Care concession, which is available to people living in certain types of residential care accommodation, which may include care homes or sheltered housing.
While the TV licence primarily covers the cost of BBC programmes, the BBC has been asked to continue to supplement its income through commercial revenues. The current TV licence model is fixed until the end of the BBC Charter in 2021.