The BBC licence fee will rise by £10.50 to £169.50 a year, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has confirmed.
The household payment, which funds much of the corporation’s operations, had been frozen at £159 and had been expected to rise in line with inflation next year. However, that increase, which, at 9%, would have meant an increase of about £15 from April 2024, had been reduced, the government said.
Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, Frazer said the increase would instead be based on September’s consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation, which was 6.7%.
The news came after the veteran TV executive Samir Shah was named on Wednesday as the government’s preferred candidate to become chair of the BBC.
Frazer said the government would launch a review of the BBC’s funding model. “The review will look at how we can ensure the funding model is fair to the public, sustainable for the long term and supports the BBC’s vital role in growing our creative industries.”
More details soon …
