BBC chief’s concern over firm chasing licence non-payers

TELEVISION licence collectors have “fallen short” of the standards the BBC expects, the corporation’s director general has claimed following reports they are deliberately targeting vulnerable people who have not paid.

Enforcement officers at Capita are ordered to catch 28 evaders every week and promised incentive bonuses of up to £15,000 a year, according to the Daily Mail.

The company is reportedly paid £58 million a year to collect licence fees for the broadcaster, and its staff were said to have targeted vulnerable people, including a war veteran with dementia and a young mother in a women’s refuge.

In a letter to Capita’s chief executive Andy Parker, the BBC’s Tony Hall expressed his “serious concern” about the reports and called for “urgent clarification and reassurance” that vulnerable people were “targeted”.

He wrote: “Enforcement is clearly important for public confidence in the licence fee system. However, it must always be carried out in a way that is fair and reasonable. In particular, it must deal sensitively with vulnerable people. not being

“There is a very clear Code of Conduct that sets out the BBC’s expectations from Capita. It is vital your enquiry officers adhere to it and conduct themselves to the highest of standards.

“Public trust is the cornerstone of the licence fee system. It is clear that, in this instance, Capita has fallen short of the standards the BBC has a right to expect on behalf of the British public.”

The BBC has ordered an urgent investigation into the report and said financial incentives were offered only for licence sales, not prosecutions.