Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Deferred
BBC faces over £1.1 billion in lost income from licence fee evasion and declarations.
Conclusion
Potential lost income for the BBC in 2024–25 is estimated to exceed £1.1 billion. Licence fee evasion increased to 12.52%, up from 12.04% in 2023–24, representing up to £550 million in lost revenue. The BBC did not set a target for evasion during this period. In addition, 3.6 million households declared that they do not need a licence, which could equate to as much as £617 million in additional income in 2024–25 if converted to paying households. These declarations have continued to rise, and increased by 0.3 million (10.5%) compared with 2023–24.8 The BBC told us that it has been addressing licence fee evasion through various measures, including visits to unlicensed households and targeted communications. The BBC explained that it changed the reaffirmation period for “no licence needed” declarations from two years to one year, which drove an extra £13 million in revenue for 2024–25. In addition, it said that it improved its website journey and trained agents to ensure that people understand the wide range of licensable activities, such as watching a live overseas channel on YouTube, to prevent inadvertent “no licence needed” declarations.9 6 BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25, p. 58, 59, 61 7 BBC Group Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25, p. 62, 64 8 Television Licence Fee Trust Statement for the Year Ending 31 March 2025, 15 July 2025, HC 1182, p. 26, 29 9 Qq 7, 9 7
Government Response Summary
The government responded by discussing measures related to 'Britain’s illegal meat crisis,' biosecurity at the border, and animal vaccine development, entirely unrelated to the BBC or licence fee evasion.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. government response to the recent EFRA Select Committee report ‘Britain’s illegal meat crisis’. Biosecurity at the border: Britain's illegal meat crisis: Government Response The department has noted calls to do more to educate travellers about the consequences of bringing illegal food products into the United Kingdom. In recent months, it has worked with travel operators and other government departments to step up communications informing travellers of the restrictions on personal imports of food products, including via GOV.UK, posters and social media channels. This includes the reasons for the restrictions and the consequences of non-compliance. The department’s communications team conducts regular surveys to assess awareness of its public communications. The department is focussing on developing its relationship with Dover Port Health Authority and establishing a revised strategic approach to the issue of illegal meat imports via the Short Straits. As part of this, the department will draw on the expertise of the operational staff at Dover to better understand the seizure data. The department is now actively considering increases to the funding for Dover Port Health Authority to improve operational coverage to tackle illegal meat imports. Funding decisions will take account of preventing the costs of major disease outbreaks. Border Force is funded by the Home Office. APHA sought views and opinions from relevant experts in 2025, to improve estimates of illegal meat imports. It aims to publish details of the new methodology in early 2026 with data analysis to follow at the end of 2026.