MP challenges PM over TV licences
WEST Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper has challenged the Prime Minister on the Conservatives’ manifesto pledge to retain the free TV licence for the over-75s.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, the MP asked Theresa May to ensure that older people keep their free TV licences.
Millions of older people could lose the benefit in 2020.
The Conservatives’ 2017 general election manifesto promised to protect free TV licences until 2022.
As part of the last BBC charter, the Government devolved responsibility for the free TV licence policy, and the cost, to the BBC and it is now up to the BBC to decide what to do with the benefit from 2020.
It is currently consulting on a number of options, including scrapping the free TV licence concession for the over-75s altogether, raising the eligible age to 80, and means testing it, for example by linking it to pension credit.
The House of Commons Library calculated that were the free licence linked to pension credit, ie means tested, more than three million people would lose it.
If the eligibility age were raised to 80, more than 1.8 million would lose out.
The House of Commons Library has also calculated local figures, with 6,820 older households in West Lancashire at risk of losing their free TV licences.
Ms Cooper said: “Almost 7,000 constituents in West Lancashire, benefit from the policy of not charging for TV licences to those over the age of 75.
“Many of these people are the most isolated and lonely in our society and for many the TV is their only source of company and key source of information.
“Hundreds of these pensioners would be plunged into poverty if this fee were to be introduced, or plunged into further and isolation, which would be an absolute disgrace and a tragedy.
“The Conservatives made clear in their 2017 party manifesto their promise to protect the free TV licences for over 75s, but it seems clear that yet again, the promise was not worth the paper it was written on.
“While taxpayers, customers and viewers want and expect to see the BBC spend their money wisely, investing to provide a universal service to educate, entertain and inform, they want and expect to see the Government keep their promises and stand up for and protect our older people and not remove the concessions they have such as their free TV licence.”