| Archive for urbanglasgow.co.uk For lovers of Urban Exploration of Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
| james73 |
12,000 caught in Glasgow with no TV licence (Evening Times)
GLASGOW has the highest number of TV licence dodgers in Scotland. Latest statistics from TV Licensing reveal almost 12,000 people in Glasgow were caught watching TV without a licence during the first six months of this year. Across Scotland, a total of 40,500 people were caught without a licence. Glasgow had the lion's share of offenders, with 11,940 licence evaders - almost six times more than its closest city rival Edinburgh, which had 2138 offenders. In larger towns, Paisley had 1163 licence dodgers, Kilmarnock 825, Ayr 781 and Airdrie 715. The figures also show that across the UK, 5000 more licence dodgers were caught between January and June this year, compared with the same period in 2008. The average evasion rate is just 5%, which means 95% of properties are correctly licensed. Licensing bosses also claim TV licence collection costs fell to 3.4% of total income collected, from 3.6% the previous year. Fergus Reid, spokesman for TV Licensing, said: "These figures show our continued effectiveness in catching people who watch TV illegally and therefore penalise the honest majority who do pay. "While evaders come from all income groups, we understand that in the current economic climate some people may find it difficult to pay their licence fee in one go. This is why we provide numerous ways to spread the cost, including monthly direct debit, which can be set up quickly online, and a weekly cash payment plan." A colour TV licence costs £142.50. Anyone not holding one risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1000. ________________________________ 
The bit in bold is a curiously worded sentence, given it's not true... James H |
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| Saltmarketeer |
Do you mean if you've not got a telly you don't need a licence or did they get the fine wrong? |
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| james73 |
Yes, that's what I mean. It basically says every household must have a TV licence. Utter rubbish of course and nothing but scaremongering. James H |
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| Saltmarketeer |
I got a letter from them the other day because of the new flat. It was the usual threatening overtones; first the 'THIS ADDRESS IS UNLICENCED' followed by the classic 'YOU ARE NOW SCHEDULED FOR A CALL FROM OUR ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS' all in bright red ink of course. I noticed also the definition of a television seems to be expanding. Now it's a TV or a computer capable of watching or recording live TV broadcasts blah blah blah. I'd like to see them prove my PC is being used for that. I think the TV licence is the only tax you can't get a rebate from. Shame it's not optional as most of the stuff available is lowest common denominator sh!te. |
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| james73 |
Absolutely. I refuse to believe a Freeview box cant be made that blocks BBC channels with, say, an optional pay card slot so you can pay for the BBC if you want to. In fact, I know this COULD be made but the BBC and everyone riding on it's massive gravy train would never want this to happen as the arse would fall out of their world. As for the TV Licencing letters, it's that threatening tone that boils my piss, scaring auld folk and the poor into fearing prosecution. Not what the morals of a so-called public broadcaster should be all about IMO. James H |
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| Saltmarketeer |
You hit on an important point there too. The BBC lost it's public service mission a long time ago. The only thing the BBC now exists for is to propagate ever-more BBC and continue the way of life BBC employees and Execs have come to enjoy. I wonder how much extra programme time would be freed up if they didn't advertise their own programmes on their own channels all the time. I also think that the BBC itself is using funds from what is essentially an involuntary tax to compete with the likes of Sky. We don't need four channels, a 24-hour news channel and countless radio stations all paid for from the public purse. With things like NHS Direct having their own channels this is an admittance to me that the TV has gone from an optional luxury to a modern necessity (regardless of what you think of the content it carries). I think a good litmus test would be to suspend funding for a period and see if the BBC could support itself commercially. The services which fail could them be trimmed with the exercise being repeated every time they want their charter renewing. As for the tone of the letters; the TVLA no longer do the enforcement. It's been outsourced to a private company. Crapita I think. |
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| james73 |
I knew that about the TVLA - this stuff is all over the tinterweb. I agree - let the BBC support itself. Too much of the 'old boys' associations for my liking. None of the major parties seem too keen to derail this gravy train. That, to me, says a lot. The BBC rakes in a fortune from DVDs and BBC America etc. It should be made to stand on it's own two feet. James H |
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| Saltmarketeer |
I've not heard tinterweb since I moved back from Lancs. 
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| james73 |
Is it time Auntie abolished the TV licence fee? (Evening Times)
When it comes to TV, we've endless choice nowadays with freeview, digital, cable and satellite channels. But one thing we don't have any choice about is the BBC licence fee. Or do we? With the news that 12,000 Glasweigans dodged paying their licence fee last year, is it time for a shake up of the whole system? ________________________________________________ Yes... James H |
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| Saltmarketeer |
Agreed. Their Charter was secured not long ago, though, so they're protected for a while. |
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| cybers |
Is this quote released by the same guy who prices up drug seizures and has no real grip on the true figures. Even so if the figure is to be believed then out of a population of 1.5million (Census UK numbers) 12,000 is almost a negligible amount. And for the crap that the beeb is churning out these days whilst it sits on some of the best archived documentries in the whole world but only see's fit to release to DVD for profit... Then they should be made to fend for themselves. Bugger them 1 quid in licence fee's would be too much to pay for the dross that is on the box just now. |
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| james73 |
BBC bosses reveal expenses claims (Evening Times)
BOSSES from BBC Scotland used public money to claim for Uefa Cup final tickets to see Rangers and to buy a cheeseboard for comedian Griff Rhys Jones. The organisation's 10 most senior managers charged £1000 meals, thank-you dinners, wine, sculptures and bouquets of flowers to their personal expense accounts. Information obtained under the Freedom Of Information Act, by our sister paper The Herald, show a total bill of nearly £80,000 over the past five years. Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland, has the highest total, £22,550. Second is Ewan Angus, the head of sport, at £10,880, and third is Donald-Iain Brown, head of talent and operations, at £10,756. Mr Angus claimed for £190 for the price of two tickets to the 2008 Uefa final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg. Andrea Miller, head of factual, claimed for a £42 cheeseboard gift for Griff Rhys Jones, £44 of flowers for Culture Show presenter Lauren Laverne, and a hamper for arts broadcaster Jonathan Meades worth £50. Other items included in the documents were a £1555 bill for a thank-you dinner for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in China. The BBC said the tickets for the Rangers match in Manchester were bought and claimed for so "on-air talent" could attend the game. It said the amount claimed by the 10 managers over the five years worked out at an average of £1500 each per annum. James H |
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| cybers |
Thats why the fookers should be made into a commercial station cheeky basturts.
Scrap the licence fee i say... And Mr Jones needs to have a word with his manager about his riders... A Cheeseboard by jings
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| samscafeamericain |
that's not much of an entertainment budget over 5 years, in fact for the organisation and the industry these guys work in, that's pretty restrained |
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| scallopboy |
No mention of the fact the Beeb use Glasgow TOA taxis as their chosen courier company to run stuff all over the place? Bet you wondered why there are a stream of them outside the place all the time, it's not for the Science Centre punters.... | ||||
| Stuball |
No, not when they queue up at 11pm | ||||
| cybers |
Any personal use of public monies is a travesty... call it gift call it what you will it's wrong and they have had it too good for too long...
Take the Chauffered limo off that fat bald bloke make him use the fecking taxi .... it will work out cheaper than feeding his ego every day. |
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