BBC is losing £1bn a year in potential licence fee revenue, say MPs

The BBC is now losing more than £1bn a year from households either evading the licence fee or deciding they do not need one, according to a cross-party group of MPs who warned the corporation is under “severe pressure”.

Attempts to enforce payment of the licence fee are also stalling. The number of visits to unlicensed homes increased by 50% last year, but it did not translate into either higher sales or successful prosecutions. BBC executives have said they face the increasing problem of householders simply refusing to answer the door.

The Commons public accounts committee said the BBC was not doing enough to enforce the collection of the licence fee, which it said was “unfair to the vast majority of households who do pay for a licence”.

Its analysis of BBC accounts found that the li