Dodging the TV licence will remain a criminal offence for the foreseeable future, as Tory ministers gave up on trying to overturn it before the election. MPs had pushed for reforms to the system which sees those who do not pay the £145.50-a-year charge hauled before magistrates. Around 150,000 people a year are convicted. But the Government was accused of a u-turn yesterday after backing down on their intention to decriminalise non-payment before May. MPs had pushed for reforms to the system which sees those who do not pay the £145.50-a-year charge hauled before magistrates - but Tory ministers have given up trying to change it before the election . Licence fee evasion accounts for around one in ten cases heard by magistrates who can impose a fine of up to £1,000. Around 50 a people year are jailed for non-payment of the fine. In a historic vote last year, MPs from all parties backed the replacement of a criminal charge with a civil fine similar to those for not paying a gas bill. But last month, peers led by former BBC chairman Lord Grade of Yarmouth blocked any changes to the system until April 2017, warning that ‘dark forces’ were seeking to scrap the licence fee altogether. Lord Grade’s intervention reflected fears about among BBC executives that removing criminal sanctions would lead to a rise in evasion that could the broadcaster £200million a year in revenue. Downing Street and the culture department had insisted at the start of February following the House of Lords amendment, that they would try to overturn this deadline. Yesterday however, ministers dropped their opposition to it, claiming they now believe it should wait for the outcome of an independent review into decriminalisation by David Perry QC at the end of June. Chris Bryant, Labour’s culture spokesman said it was an ‘adroit about-turn’ by the Conservatives who had talked tough about the need to reform an outdated system without delay. Culture minister Tom Brake, a Liberal Democrat, confirmed to the House of Commons yesterday that any change to the licence fee, which generates £3.6billionn a year for the BBC, would be shelved until after the election. Chris Bryant, Labour’s culture spokesman, left, said it was an ‘adroit about-turn’ by the Conservatives, while Lib Dem culture minister Tom Brake, right, confirmed any change would wait until after the election . But he said the law would be changed to require the next government to respond to the findings of the review within three months (must keep). It is expected this will now happen as part of the renewal of the BBC Charter at the end of 2016, and not be implemented before the current licence fee settlement ends in April 2017. Mr Brake said: ‘The government is clear that this review is a high priority…We must not make any presumptions about the recommendations David Perry will make nor how the government of the day will decide to take them forward.’ Mr Bryant, who backs the continuation of the licence fee said: ‘Anybody would think that this has been a smooth path and everything they intended from the very beginning. The honest truth is that if the Government were to proceed too swiftly you would simply see a significant fall in licence fee take-up almost immediately of £200million or £250millon – that’s almost all children’s broadcasting. ‘That’s why we have to consider the timetable very carefully. The government is doing an adroit about-turn for which I am deeply grateful. Our argument has always been if you decriminalise the licence fee you have to do it as part of the Charter renewal process and licence fee settlement, otherwise it is like pulling a thread from a jumper, you pull apart the whole the jumper.’ Andrew Bridgen, the Tory MP who led the campaign for decriminalisation, called the delay imposed by the Lords a ‘cynical, eleventh hour attempt by friends of the BBC’ to stop vulnerable people being pursued by the courts. But he supported yesterday’s move to accept their timetable, as he said pushing the issue could have put the rest of the Deregulation Bill, which includes important measures about terrorism, at risk. Mr Bridgen pointed out that in Scotland where TV charges have been decriminalised, evasion has remained at around the same rate. He said: ‘Horror stories about the losses to the BBC, emotive closures of local radio and TV stations. We’ve heard it all before. ‘The fact is that the evasion rate in Scotland is very little different to what it is in England even though we criminalise 150,000 to 180,000 of our citizens a year whereas in Scotland they only criminalise around 30 people a year.’ A spokesman for the culture department said the Government did not wish to ‘make any presumptions’ about the outcome of the review, which will lay out the potential impacts on BBC revenue.
MPs have pushed for reform of system which takes non-payers to court . Argument to replace criminal charge for non-payment with a civil fine . But Government now backed down on plans decriminalise non-payment . Any changes have been shelved until after the General Election . Chris Bryant, Labour’s culture spokesman said it was an ‘adroit about-turn .