The BBC Licence Fee is becoming more and more controversial as consumers turn to subscription platforms, disruptor TV and radio networks, and independent content providers.
Now, the rate the national broadcaster is demanding from anyone who wants to use a TV is set to shoot up from £159-a-year to £173.30 in April.
The BBC claims it provides “great value world class” entertainment and news, and that it only prosecutes those refusing to pay the compulsory charge “as a last resort”.
But now the Manchester Evening News has spoken to those being dragged through legal proceedings for non-payment of the licence fee.
LancsLive reporter Amy Fenton spent a year working as an enforcement officer in the early 2000s. She’s shone a light on her hair raising experience that came about because of her unusual job.
Amy’s story
The year was 2003 and Amy had just turned down a place at Durham University to take a job as a TV licence enforcement officer.
During the year she was enforcing the payment of the licence fee, she said she was assaulted and someone attempted to trap her in their house.
Writing in the MEN, Amy explained that didn’t exactly look like the typical licence enforcement officer. She said: “I joined what was then the Liverpool team and was welcomed by a group of mainly male, ex-military or retired police officers, who were perhaps somewhat bemused that this teenage girl was joining their ranks. I was trained up by a Liverpudlian called Lol (Lawrence) who was remarkably patient and who told me then when visiting certain areas of Liverpool officers had to work ‘in twos’ because of the dangers involved.
“My ‘patch’, once I had completed my training, covered the majority of south and central Lancashire and every couple of weeks I would be sent a batch of ‘visits’ with details of each unlicensed address and any names or previous occupants’ information. I regularly visited Preston – my main ‘hunting ground’ as well as Chorley, Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Southport and Wigan.
“As a (relatively) young enforcement officer, and as someone who no doubt looked as far from an ‘official’ debt collecting-type, I often found people were happy to open the door to me, only to discover the nature of my visit.
“On one occasion in Leyland in fact, and this is 100 per cent true, a woman once opened the door to me and said ‘I’m afraid Eloise isn’t playing out tonight’ so I must have looked even younger than I was.”
The officer-turned-reporter revealed that some of the residents she was forced to confront over non-payment of the licence fee weren’t afraid to take the fight to her.
Her inexperience as a new member of the team saw her land in hot water with one woman in Chorley, just north of Wigan.
She explained: “After seeing the TV on through the front window, I returned to my car and I realised I’d made a mistake.
“An irate resident had followed me down the path. She was now leaning through the window trying to steal my paperwork. Then smack. She punched me in the face. One of the first things you learn as a TV Licence enforcement officer. Always lock your car door.”
On another occasion, the fresh-faced enforcement officer ended up in an even more dangerous position, after a male resident told her to check his upstairs bedroom for a television.
She wrote: “… in Great Harwood, I was invited inside a man’s house to ‘inspect it’ after he told me he didn’t have a TV. Whenever anyone says this to an enforcement officer we have to ask if we can look inside (as more often than not they would be lying).
“After a cursory glance downstairs, and spotting no television, I was making my way to leave when the man said ‘hang on, you need to look upstairs too’.
“My naivety led to me saying ‘ok’ and I walked up the stairs with the man behind me. At the landing I was trying to turn round to go back downstairs and make a sharp exit when he then said ‘you need to check the front bedroom’.
“Stupidly, I did, and as I entered the room I heard the door close behind me. Stunned, I couldn’t think of anything to say other than ‘I’m going now’ and fortunately he opened the door.”
