The government is holding an inquiry into the decriminalisation of the BBC. This is a sham consultation. Johnson's party wants to "prune" the BBC and destroy our public broadcaster. Make your views known.
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said:
"This quick and dirty consultation over decriminalisation of the BBC licence fee is a deliberate and ideologically motivated act of sabotage on the part of the Tory government. It will undermine the core ethos of public service broadcasting and the principle of universality at a stroke.
"This nothing to do with care for the tiny proportion of individuals who end up with fines for non-payment for a service that reaches 91 per cent of the British public every week. It's about dismantling the BBC and its values as we know it, with no care for the catastrophic impact it will have on jobs and the breadth and quality of programming and journalism that emanates from the BBC. "
Tell the inquiry:
-
To keep the current system. David Perry QC's report just five years ago said it was a "broadly fair and proportionate response" to evasion and provided good value for money for licence fee payers and taxpayers. - Decriminalisation could result in a shortfall of between £200m-£500m. This will mean cuts to your favourite programmes and jobs will go.
- In 2018, no-one was imprisoned for not paying their TV licence; this number was five in 2017, 21 in 2016, and 23 in 2015.
- The BBC is free from shareholder pressure, advertiser influence and the chase for ratings. It is an essential driver of the creative industries, bringing in £100-plus billion to the UK. It educates, informs and it produces trusted news at a local, national and global level; this universal service must be defended.
- Read the NUJ's full response: