The BBC has been given powers to control the TV licence fee normally reserved for elected politicians, Tony Hall, the corporation’s director-general has admitted.
Mr Hall did not deny that the corporation has now become “a branch” of the welfare state as it was announced that the BBC would bear the £650million cost of funding free TV licences for the over-75s.
The BBC will be entitled to means test the licence fee or change the age at which it is available from 2020, the government announced on Monday.