Capita accused of whitewash over inquiry into licence fee bullies

THE firm that collects the BBC licence fee has been accused of a ‘whitewash’ after an internal review of its bullying agents found it does not have a ‘systemic’ problem.

In February the Daily Mail exposed the ruthless tactics of TV licence fee collectors. But now an investigation by Capita, the outsourced firm that collects the £147-a-year charge, has said there was ‘no evidence’ of a big problem.

The BBC said it was ‘grateful’ and accepted its findings. But Conservative candidate Andrew Bridgen said yesterday: ‘The BBC’s blatant whitewash won’t wash with the BBC licence fee payer.

‘The people out there know how heavyhanded the collectors’ tactics are.

‘It’s not a surprise [that the review found this], but they’re wrong. Constituents have written to me over years complaining about just this sort of behaviour.’