Elsie’s TV plea will fall on deaf ears

■ IT was heartbreaking to read wonderful 101-year-old Elsie Allcock’s plea to the Government not to take away her free TV licence (Mirror, July 17).

Sadly, it will fall on deaf ears, so perhaps, instead, she should plead with the Tory voters who actually put this Government in power.

The Tories don’t know the meaning of words like commitment and honour. They broke their manifesto pledge to keep the free over-75s licence, along with all the other promises made and not kept. But things are going to get much worse unless Parliament forces a noconfidence vote and we get an election. Reg Barrett, Southminster, Essex

■ Thank you for taking up Elsie’s story and for your campaign to demand the Tories honour their election pledge to keep the free TV licence. Dame Helen Mirren and other stars have joined the fight but I fear this millionaire-led Tory Government just doesn’t care. It was this crew who closed the Remploy factories taking away the dignity of thousands of disabled people and forcing them into isolation. I hope when it comes to the ballot box the electorate does not forget these two issues.

D Dunbar, Sherburn Village, Co Durham

■ George Osborne’s decision in 2015 to force the BBC to fund the over-75’s free TV licences seemed like a great way for the Government to save money, but now as the BBC axes the perk, millions of elderly viewers are going to be out of pocket and might be prompted to claim £1.6billion in Pension Credit they wouldn’t have previously.

So, the real losers are us the taxpayers and the pensioners. Same old story, I’m afraid.

A J Smith, March, Cambs

■ I fear that the attack on the free over-75 TV licences is just the tip of the iceberg and that a new Tory Government would try to roll back other pensioner entitlements. Notice how Tories promise to preserve entitlements “for the lifetime of this parliament” which could just be another few months.

Having attacked every other social group, I’ve no doubt that if re-elected the Tories will turn their fire on pensioners. Only the Labour Party has pledged to protect pensioner entitlements after the election. John Bainbridge, Penrith, Cumbria

■ It beggars belief that the Tories have gone back on their word to keep the free TV licences for the over-75s. It’s an absolute disgrace that 11,688 people who are over 100, many of whom are housebound, are to be denied this small perk.

It is an absolute scandal that the Tories have failed to honour their election pledge, so let’s all get behind your campaign.

Dave Mellor, Warrington, Cheshire

■ Reading about Elsie Allcock and the others who are about to lose their free TV licence, I’m an 80-yearold widow and can easily afford to pay for a TV licence and know there are lots like me. So why not let some of us pay if we wish to without bothering about means testing?

Rita Jackson, Torquay

■ I fully support your campaign to save the free TV licences for the over-75s. I’m 90 and wonder what would happen if we all refused to pay. I doubt they’d have room in prison for us all! Harry Johnson Leicester