Marion Ruffy, the company director of the Grove Hill Hotel, was ordered to pay a total of £690 by magistrates. Last year more than 1,000 other businesses across the UK were caught watching TV without a licence.
“We appreciate these are tough times for businesses, but to be fair to the majority who do pay the licence fee, we have to take action against those who watch TV illegally,” said Suzanne Stevenson, TV Licencing spokesman for London.
A survey of over 250 managers at UK businesses, conducted with the British Chambers of Commerce on behalf of TV Licensing, showed that where a business needs to make cutbacks, just 14 per cent would consider not paying for a TV Licence where one was needed. Of those asked what would motivate them to ensure they were correctly licensed, 98 per cent answered the potential reputational damage from negative press coverage of a prosecution for TV licence evasion.
The price of being caught
“As our survey shows, those businesses who do try to get away with it might find the price of being caught to be higher than just a fine,” added Ruffy. “We’d rather businesses think ahead and check if they need a licence than risk being prosecuted. A licence costs £145.50 and can be bought in minutes online."
Any business that shows television, as it is being broadcast, whether for customers use or in staff areas, must be covered by a valid TV Licence. In general, one licence will cover all the TV equipment a business uses on a single site. The only exception to this is hotels, which have separate licensing requirements.
Hotels with up to 15 rooms only need to pay £145.50 for one licence. For those with more than 15 rooms, there is another fee for every additional five units.
Those without a valid licence are breaking the law and run the risk of a court prosecution and fine of up to £1,000 per offence plus costs. A TV licence for hospitality businesses can be bought at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/business .
