Cameron Calls for Licence Fee Freeze

Conservative leader David Cameron has called for the cost of the licence fee to be freezed for a year.

David Cameron, leader of the Conservative party, has called on the government to freeze the cost of the licence fee for a year. It was recently announced that the cost of the licence fee would once again rise this year by £3 which has prompted calls from all political parties to freeze the cost due to the current economic climate.

“I am a supporter of the BBC and a supporter of the licence fee. It is good for British television, more original production and better quality news. [But] I think a frozen licence fee right now is the right thing. I’m not talking about making deep cuts.” Cameron speaking at a press conference.

The licence fee pays for the BBC although it isn’t without its critics who would like to see the fee greatly reduced for scrapped altogether. However, supporters of the BBC and the fee point to the current economic woes of ITV as proof positive that the licence fee is a good thing. There has recent been talk of dividing the fee out between the struggling broadcasters in the UK although this has been rejected by most experts as unlikely to happen.