BBC licence fee 'will be gone in a decade'

The BBC licence fee will be scrapped within 10 years and the corporation "dismantled" to become just one TV channel and one radio station, a damning new report claims today.

It claims feepayers' cash is being wasted with resources spread too thinly, resulting in a lack of quality.

The Centre For Policy Studies report states that the BBC no longer represents its viewers and is seen as a propaganda machine for the liberal elite.

It was written by former BBC producer and Yes, Minister script writer Antony Jay who says viewers will refuse to pay the fee once they start watching programmes online.

The report said: "There is no longer a case for taking £4 billion a year from the public to produce programmes they do not want or can obtain free elsewhere.

"There is a strong case for dismantling the BBC. It spends over £4 billion every year, most of it on undistinguished programmes. It seems likely that within 10, or at most 20, years, the licence fee will be indefensible in theory and unenforceable in practice.

"Once viewers receive all their programmes on their PCs, the licence fee will be gone."

The report says the BBC should fund itself by selling popular shows like Dad's Army and Life On Earth and not waste money on bureaucracy.

It continued: "The BBC's resources are too thinly spread over too many channels. A smaller, selffunding public service broadcaster on the other hand would have a unique role in our national life."

Jay added: "People have got two views of the BBC - they like a lot of the programmes but they do not love the institution."