THE price of the BBC TV licence will rise by £3 from April 1 – increasing the cost from £154.50 to £157.50.

In 2016 the UK Government stated the price would rise every year for five years to coincide with inflation.

However, there is added controversy over the fee this year, as over-75’s across the UK will have to fork out the full amount for a TV licence, whereas previously they would have tuned in for free.

The new price works out at £13.13 per month.

Nicky Morgan, UK culture secretary, will hold a meeting this week to look at whether non-payment of the hotly-debated fee should be decriminalised.