Advisory panel calls for BBC licence fee to be slashed

An advisory panel led by the former BBC director general Greg Dyke is expected to call for the BBC’s licence fee to be axed.

The panel of 12 senior media figures, including Elisabeth Murdoch, want the corporation’s funding to come out of general taxation or a government grant instead of from a public licence fee, according to reports.

If the proposal goes ahead, the money the BBC spends on collecting the annual fee could be saved and put into a fund to to help pay for public service broadcasting on commercial channels.

The upcoming report on media policy is due to be published next month.