TV licence dodgers to face bigger fines if they have Sky

Magistrates may soon be told to come down harder on television licence dodgers who have paid subscriptions to services such as Sky or Netflix.

The principle is that if people can afford these premium services, they can afford the licence fee too.

The proposal comes as part of a wide-ranging overhaul by the Sentencing Council that's aimed at making sentencing more consistent. It covers 27 common offences that are normally dealt with by magistrates, from animal cruelty to school non-attendance.

And in the case of TV licence evasion, the council wants cases to be considered more serious when there's been no attempt to obtain a licence, where the licence-dodger has tried to evade detection - and where they have an 'additional subscription television service'.

Cases will be considered less serious when the lack of licence is an accident or there's been confusion over whose responsibility it is to pay.

"Our revision of the guidelines will ensure magistrates in England and Wales have clear guidance using a consistent approach to help them sentence fairly and proportionately," says Sentencing Council member and magistrate Jill Gramann.

"We are keen to hear people's views of our proposed changes, whether they are magistrates, others working in the criminal justice system or anyone else with an interest in this area of sentencing."

If the proposals are put into practice, licence dodgers who are Sky or Netflix customers will pay a Band B rather than a Band A fine - up to a week and a quarter's pay, rather than half a week's.

A television licence currently costs £145.50, and around 13% of all cases heard by magistrates relate to licence dodging. In 2012, for example, more than 180,000 people appeared before the courts for non-payment of their licence, of whom 155,000 were convicted and fined.

However, TV licensing rules have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years with the rise in rival services.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale recently pledged to stamp out a 'loophole' allowing people to watch the BBC without paying, as long as they stick to the iPlayer catch-up service and avoid live TV.

Meanwhile, many people believe that the licence fee should be scrapped altogether. In a recent survey for financial website Lovemoney.com, almost 80% of people said they thought the BBC should be funded in a different way.

Around 30% said it should pay its way through advertising, while almost as many believed it should be funded from general taxation. One in five thought it should become a paid subscription service.