DailyMail
21:10pm 31st March 2006
Viewers will no longer be able to buy their television licence from the Post Office, following a change in the supply of "over-the-counter" licences which the BBC hopes will save £100 million.
Instead, TV owners will be able to obtain a licence from one of 15,000 PayPoint outlets in selected Co-ops, Spar, Londis, Costcutter, Texaco, Somerfield, One Stop and independent retailers, the BBC said.
Under a six-year contract, PayPoint will issue new TV licences, renew existing licences and process payments for the Cash Easy Entry payment scheme for those on state benefits, the corporation said.
The over-the-counter licence services will be available from PayPoint from May 2, with the company taking over supply fully from the Post Office by July 31.
TV Licensing will also be phasing out its savings stamps and replacing them with a savings card.
Pipa Doubtfire, head of revenue management at the BBC, said: "This contract will provide better value for the licence payer and will enable the BBC to put more money into programmes.
"PayPoint services offer a convenient way of paying for a TV licence if people want to buy one 'over-the-counter' rather than through the website, by phone or by post.
"We aim to make it as easy as possible for people to buy a TV licence which is why we offer many different ways to pay."
Dominic Taylor, chief executive of PayPoint, said the contract was a "significant win" for the payment collection network, which processes five million transactions a week.
But the Countryside Alliance warned that the new deal raised further concerns about the viability of the rural Post Office network.
