Prime Minister says BBC must not end free TV licence scheme

THE BBC must not end free TV licences for over-75s, Theresa May has warned.

The Prime Minister said many elderly people would lose out if they did not have “connection” with the world through watching television.

People over 75 are entitled to a free TV licence under a government-funded scheme which is due to end in 2020.

A public consultation on the subsidy closed this week. It had five options under consideration: continuing the scheme; scrapping it; raising the threshold to 80; giving over-75s a 50 per cent discount; or means-testing the payment by linking it to pension credit.

MPS and campaigners have warned that many over-75s will be worse off if the free scheme is ended.

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Rosie Cooper, the Labour MP, said: “Nearly 7,000 pensioner households in my West Lancashire constituency could lose their free TV licences – often that’s their only source of company.

“Is the Government going to keep their manifesto promise by taking back the responsibility they’ve outsourced to the BBC to ensure that older people keep their TV licences?”

Mrs May responded: “I recognise the value that people across the country place on having a television, and for many elderly people the connection that brings with the world.

“We want and expect the BBC to continue free licences when they take over responsibility for the concession in 2020.”

A BBC spokesman said: “Free TV licences for people over 75 are expected to cost £745 million a year by 2021-2022 … We will carefully consider all the responses and the BBC expects to make a decision by June this year.”