Former BBC newsreader admits licence fee is "waste of money"

FORMER BBC newsreader Jan Leeming has vowed not to renew her TV licence after the corporation scrapped free licensing for over-75s.

The move by the BBC was met with anger from the Government and pensioner charities including Age UK who called the decision a “kick in the teeth”.

And now former newsreader, Jan Leeming, 78, has announced she will not be renewing her licence due to the BBC’s new stance.

Ms Leeming, one of Britain's best known news readers and presenters after becoming a familiar face to millions during the Seventies and Eighties, claimed the licence fee was once value for money but is not these days.

ever watch terrestrial TV - not interested in soaps, cookery and delving into people’s lives with so many reality programmes - there are so many other outlets nowadays.

“The licence has been around so long [I] can’t remember - is [the] licence only for BBC?

“If it is then I need not have paid it as there’s very little on it that I watch? Then I’ve just wasted my money.

“How do the police know whether you’ve paid or not? I like some BBC4 repeats but can live without it. Won’t renew next year.”

Ms Leeming went on to claim the licence fee money is used to pay the large salaries of some BBC employees.

She continued: “It’s the way our money is spent by the BBC that annoys me.

“There are too many overpaid people.

“My bets noire is the current ‘crop’ of news presenters who have celebrity status and salaries to match.”

Ms Leeming started working at the BBC back in 1980 but left seven years later.

She has criticised the TV licence fee in the past claiming if she had to pay she would request a refund.