UK To Freeze BBC Funding For 2 Years, Opposition Says "Cultural Vandalism"
NDTV
The BBC has clashed in recent years with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, with ministers accusing it of failing to provide impartial news.
Britain said on Monday it would freeze funding for the BBC for two years and begin a debate on whether a universal licence fee should continue in the modern television age, drawing opposition complaints of "cultural vandalism".
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told the parliament that the corporation, at the heart of Britain's cultural life, needed to become a simpler, leaner organisation at a time when the British public was facing rising energy and tax bills.
Dorries said the tax on all television-owning households that funds the broadcaster would be frozen at 159 pounds ($217) a year until 2024 before it can rise in line with inflation for the next four years.
Dorries said the new licence spending settlement would give the BBC around 3.7 billion pounds. However, analysts have said a below-inflation budget will force the corporation to cut services.
