‘Pensioners face choice of no TV or no heating’

PENSIONERS will have to choose between watching television or paying their heating bills when the BBC begins charging over-75s for the licence fee, Age UK has warned.

From June the concession will be means-tested and only those over-75s receiving Pension Credit will be entitled to a free licence. The £145.50 annual cost is equivalent to a quarterly average electricity bill and the charity said it would come as “a shock to the budgets of many older people”.

Calling on the Government to take back responsibility for the scheme, Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, warned: “Hundreds of thousands of over-75s will struggle to pay for their TV licence. As winter bites this week we know that many pensioners worry about their heating bills and are cutting back on essentials, including food, to save money where they can. The last thing older people need is to be hit in the pocket again. For some, an extra £150-plus a year will be a bridge too far.”

Television is a lifeline for many older people, the charity said, and those struggling on a low fixed income, battling loneliness, ill health or disabilities would be hardest hit.

The charity believes that two in five of those eligible for Pension Credit do not claim it, because they are unaware of it, are unable to navigate the complicated application process or are too proud to accept benefits.

The Government remained adamant that the BBC had to shoulder the £745 million annual cost of the scheme. The Prime Minister did not respond to a petition from Age UK last year, which contained 630,000 signatures.

The BBC said maintaining the current scheme would mean closing down BBC Two, BBC Four, the BBC News channel, Radio 5 Live and BBC Scotland, plus local radio stations.

People over 75 have already begun receiving TV Licensing letters telling them the scheme ends on May 31.