London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

BBC spends £38 million on call centres and staff to chase over-75s for licence fee

BBC spends £38 million on call centres and staff to chase over-75s for licence fee

The BBC is spending £38 million on chasing over-75s for the TV licence fee, warning that it will "enforce the law" if pensioners refuse to pay but continue to watch television.
Letters have begun going out to 4.5 million pensioners across the country, an administrative task that is expected to take at least two months.

The BBC has set up new call centres and hired 800 staff to take payment and deal with queries. The implementation cost of the scheme will be £38 million, the corporation said, and £13 million per year thereafter – a total of £90 million over the next five years.

The 16-page letter gives recipients two months to respond, or their licence will be cancelled automatically. It also offers the option of cancelling an existing licence if recipients no longer watch or record live television programmes or use iPlayer.

Asked what would happen if over-75s did not pay for a new licence but were later found to be watching television, a BBC spokesman said: "When TV Licensing is informed a property does not need a licence, our records are immediately updated to reflect this and no further letters are sent for approximately two years.

"TV Licensing may visit the address to verify the situation. TV Licensing does its best not to trouble genuine non-viewers. TVL never presumes guilt, but people do sometimes say they do not need a licence when they do. TVL has a duty to enforce the law on behalf of those who pay."

Campaigners are urging pensioners to disrupt the payment system by using cheques rather than direct debit.

Silver Voices, a group that lobbies for the rights of the over-60s, said it had gained 500 new members in the past week after launching its Gum Up The Works campaign.

It is asking people to come up with "creative" ways of complicating the system for the BBC. They include stopping direct debit payments and only settling licence fee matters by cheque or postal order, and sending 12 post-dated cheques rather than paying the £157.50 charge up front.

Dennis Reed, the director of Silver Voices, said: "We have been getting a fantastic response. People have been coming up with interesting new ideas.

"At the moment, paying by monthly cheque is not an acceptable method – you are only allowed to pay by monthly direct debit – so TV Licensing would have to write back and tell you this is not an appropriate way of paying.

"But we would urge people to appeal and say it is clearly age discrimination to accept monthly direct debits but not a form of payment that older people may prefer to use."

The objective of the campaign is to make implementation of the over-75s scheme so laborious that the BBC goes back to the Government and asks for another way through.

Mr Reed said: "Imagine if 100,00 or 200,000 pensioners managed to delay their payment by four or five months, what that would do to the cash flow. Up until now, the Government has been blaming the BBC, and vice-versa. There needs to be some discussion about a solution."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×