TV licences were set to go up in price to more than £60, Home Secretary Douglas Hurd was announcing in the Commons.
The existing fee of £58 for colour was fixed in April 1985 and had remained frozen since.
The new fee was likely to be £62.50 - and from then on the cost was to go up each year in accordance with changes in the cost of living.
Previous news story
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article