The BBC licence-fee collectors are going to be more patient with women who haven't paid up. A new report says 75% of those convicted for licence fee evasion are women; but there's no hint it's because they're a target in any way.
The report quietly notes: In 2021, just under half (47%) of all prosecutions for female defendants were for summary motoring offences, and there are several offences where more women are prosecuted than men, including truancy and benefit fraud. As the Government recently highlighted women in contact with the criminal justice system are among the most vulnerable in society. There are also longstanding concerns about the disproportionate impact on women of other money-related matters such as nonpayment of Council Tax and more broadly there remain concerns about the disproportionate impacts of financial hardship and debt on women.
Nonetheless the BBC is adopting a ten point plan, "with more support for those facing financial hardship and better processes when TVL engages with unlicensed households, including: changes to communications, how visits are allocated, how payments can be made to reduce the likelihood of prosecution and how people can be enabled to flag up issues that are relevant to final decisions around their case."
Sadly the news will probably only encourage those husbands who bother, to put the licence in their wife's name....
No comments:
Post a Comment