Petition · past parliament
Offer choice to buy a TV License OR donate the same amount of money to the NHS
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
We really need a world class national health service but as a national broadcaster the BBC is now just expensive vanity item. The law says we have to pay the BBC license fee but the cash would be better spent on the NHS and people should have the option to chose whether they pay the BBC or the NHS.
Many people now distrust the BBC as no longer fair, balanced or impartial. The BBC coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak had nothing that set it apart from many other broadcasters. The NHS however had almost universal praise. The government should introduce an option where households who make payments to the NHS, (either annually or monthly direct debit) equal in value to the BBC license fee, are then exempt from the BBC License fee for as long as they continue to make the payments to the NHS.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 13 Apr 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 28 May 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
28 May 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.