BBC mulls asking pensioners to waive free licence

The BBC is considering asking pensioners to waive their right to not paying the licence fee and make a voluntary contribution.

The UK pubcaster agreed last year to foot the bill for the over-75s licence fee from 2020 at an estimated annual cost of £650 million.

It is now thought to want celebrities including Helen Mirren and Michael Parkinson to front a campaign designed to persuade older viewers to make a contribution.

The BBC is preparing a report on ways to attract voluntary contributions, with the findings to be released later this year. The campaign for said contributions would likely then start in 2017.

A debate over the BBC licence fee is continuing. It was thought to have been settled last year, with the Corporation footing the bill for over-75s in return for an inflation-linked fee. Government officials, however, subsequently made clear that the final settlement has yet to be reached.