A further £11 could be added to the current licence fee.
Britain would have the second highest fees for TV licences in all of Europe (Image: Getty)
British households could face another BBC television licence fee increase. Inflationary pressures could cause the licence fee to cost £191 as of next year.
If this decision were to go ahead, Britain would become the second most expensive country in Europe for public broadcasting charges, only behind Switzerland, which charges households £317 for their annual licences. Germany currently prices public broadcasting annual fees at £190.
In April of this year, the annual television licence fee already increased by £5.50, taking the cost to £180 per household right now, reports GB News.
Despite 94% of people using BBC services, only 80% pay their TV licence fees (Image: Getty)
More and more households have stopped paying the fee altogether, which has put pressure on the BBC’s current funding model.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee have stated that around 3.6 million households have declared they no longer require a television licence, reducing BBC income by an estimated £617 million. Last year alone, 300,000 households stopped paying the licence fee.
This means the gap between those using the BBC services and those who fund them is growing. About 94% of UK households continue to access BBC content, but only 80% actually contribute to the licence fee system.
However, the Bank of England has warned that rising energy prices connected to conflict involving Israel, Iran and the United States could push inflation to 6.2% in 2027, when the licence fee is next due to be adjusted.
BBC insiders have acknowledged this and ministers are currently understood to be examining proposals to require subscribers to Netflix and Amazon to pay the licence fee also.
The BBC could be changing the TV licence fee to £191 next year (Image: Getty)
Media analyst Alex DeGroote has questioned if the public would support a steep increase in the licence fee while the country is facing a period of continued financial pressure.
Mr DeGroote said: “There is no way that a 6.2% level of fee increase would be supported by the UK public in these times.”
He added: “The simple answer is more cost-cutting at the BBC.”
The BBC declined to comment directly on future price points for the licence but warned that inflationary pressures were impacting their operations too.
Switzerland’s annual CHF 335 broadcasting charge remains the highest in Europe after voters rejected proposals in March to reduce the fee to levels closer to Germany’s system.
A BBC source also indicated the corporation is “open to offering more concessions to support affordability”.
