Today (Thursday, May 11), the BBC has announced it will increase help and support for those struggling to pay their TV licence fee.
The new plan aims to help women who are dealing with severe financial hardship. This news comes as a response to the BBC’s Gender Disparity Review, which was originally constructed to inspect and find out the reason why 75% of the people prosecuted for failing to pay their licence fee are women.
The Gender Disparity Review showed that it was caused by societal factors. Expert stakeholders, an analysis of TV Licensing data and processes and research on social inequality proved this evidence.
BBC Licence fee prosecutions
There is no proof that TV Licensing deliberately discriminates against any group, including gender. There are some factors, however, that were found in a previous review that dates back to 2017.
The study showed that 60% of single adults in households are women. The statistic for men is less than 40%. Women are more likely to be at home as well as deal with “severe financial hardship” than men.
In England and Wales, there has been a reduction of 66% in TV Licensing prosecutions in the past five years. This means that the number of women accountable for the majority of prosecutions has decreased. That said, they still make up for most of the prosecutions.
Numerous actions will take place to increase the help
“The BBC’s Action Plan has the potential to lead to fewer people – particularly those in real financial difficulty – being prosecuted and that is something to be welcomed,” Baroness Young of Hornsey, the independent advisor for the Gender Disparity Review said.
“This was a rigorous review which scrutinised a raft of new evidence and concluded there is no single source of the disproportionality that we see in prosecutions.”
As a result, the BBC is going to be extending the simple payment plan. It will also be partnering up with the debt advice charity StepChange.
The BBC plans to “run a pilot to ensure that anyone experiencing financial difficulty will have access to free, independent support”.
It will also provide a two-month “breathing space” on enforcement action for those struggling financially and anyone that signs up for a referral for free, independent debt advice from TV Licensing.
Read More: BBC TV licence fees to soar as payers facing end of two-year freeze
