Department for Culture, Media and Sport written question – answered at on 5 March 2026.
Jim Shannon
DUP, Strangford
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the trends in the level of the tv license.
Ian Murray
The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As of 1 April 2026, the annual cost of the colour TV licence will increase by £5.50, in line with CPI inflation. This uplift will provide the BBC with a stable financial footing to continue delivering for audiences and supporting the wider creative industries.
Under the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement, the cost of the licence fee was frozen for two years and then required to increase annually in line with CPI inflation until the end of the current Charter Period (2027). The Culture Secretary committed to increasing the licence fee in line with CPI annually for the remainder of this Charter Period in a Written Ministerial Statement in 2024.
As part of the Charter Review, the government is looking at a range of options to ensure the BBC’s funding model is sustainable while also being fair and affordable for households.
Yes2 people think so
No0 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
