NEWS that the cost of a TV licence will increase from April twinned with the announcement of a government review into the BBC’s funding model has shone a spotlight on a debate that has raged for the last decade.

This week, the BBC confirmed the licence fee would rise to £157.50 - an extra £3.

The Government is responsible for setting the price of the licence and it has risen every year in line with inflation since 2016.

Baroness Morgan of Cotes, the culture secretary, also said the government was consulting on decriminalising licence fee evasion by 2022.

“Ahead of the next charter review process, we will undertake a detailed look at the future of the TV licence model itself,” Lady Morgan said in a speech.

“The licence fee will remain in place for this charter period, which ends in December 2027. However, we all must be open-minded about the future of the licence fee beyond this point.”

The issue has sparked debate between our readers in both our comments section and on social media.

Here’s what you said.

A new model?

Lady Morgan suggested a Netflix-style subscription fee could be introduced.

And it’s an idea that resonates with our readers.

One person asked “Why can’t the BBC set up their own subscription fee for all BBC channels and radio?

“That way, you can choose what you pay for.”

And another wrote: “The fee should be abolished, or at least subscription based so you have a choice to use BBC or not.”

Should over 75s pay?

Over-75s will have to pay for a licence from June 1, unless they qualify for pension credit.

One person said she had “no problem” paying for her TV licence, but she “objected to our pensioners paying” for one.

Another said: “Unfortunately, for many older people, often housebound - the television is their only company.

“They will feel that they must pay or go without.”

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Scrapped altogether?

Others were less flexible, suggesting the government should no longer ask people to pay for the fee.

One person said: “Charging for the channel is such an outdated thing now.

“We have hundreds of free channels available but only one we have to pay for.

“You should be able to opt in like we do for Sky channels.”

And another said we should no longer have to pay for the fee and “should have a choice over which TV network we pay for”.

Defending the fee

One person cited statistics to support his view that the BBC should stay.

Figures from Statista claim BBC One had a reach of around 55 million views, as of the third quarter in 2019.

“They must be doing something right,” he said.

“Not bad for the price of a coffee a week.”

What the BBC said

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: "The BBC tried to set up a Netflix service a decade ago while they were still sending DVDs in the post, but was prevented from doing so by regulators.

"There is a danger that politicians catastrophise the situation.

“The BBC is the most-used media organisation in the UK.

“It reaches the most people. It's used for the most time.

“You wouldn't think that from some of the things being said today."