Most British Pensioners over 75 To Lose Free TV Licence (Usually 154.50p a year).

For those of you that don't know for around 20 years now, British Pensioners have been entitled to a FREE TV licence which is money which goes directly to the BBC to fund TV programming which for one thing, does not carry any commercial advertising.

Up to 2 years ago that free TV licence was always funded by the government out of general taxation.
Then the responsibility for that free TV licence was handed to the BBC.

To try and keep a long story short the BBC has said it will stop the free TV licence for all except those on a particular type of benefit.

This is an outrage, and if you read the newspaper link below, some of which is copied below so as to give you a flavour of the argument better than I can at the moment.

I would be interested in your input though.

Thank you.

Kenny

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Stars including Jeremy Paxman and Michael Palin line up to blast licence fee decision | Daily Mail Online

Royle Family actor Ricky Tomlinson joins stars including Jeremy Paxman, Michael Palin and Ben Fogle in blasting the decision to axe BBC-funded free TV licences for 3.7m over-75s as charity's petition tops 450,000

• The BBC plans to strip 3.7m households of their free TV licence from June 2019
• Stars savaged decision and called on government to return to funding benefit
• Meanwhile, three petitions have racked up hundreds of thousands of signatures
• Angry pensioners also joined fightback by vowing to cancel their direct debits

Stars including Jeremy Paxman, Sir Michael Palin and Ricky Tomlinson have blasted the decision to axe BBC-funded free TV licences for 3.7million over-75s, as a petition to reverse the move topped 450,000 signatures.

The former Royle Family star marched with pensioners on the BBC's northern headquarters to protest against plans to axe free TV licences for the over-75s this afternoon and branded and politicians a 'blood shower of hypocrites.'

Tomlinson was among around 60 pensioners who held a noisy demonstration at the corporation's Media City offices at Salford Quays, home of BBC 5 Live and BBC Sport.

The fightback over the decision is continuing today, with furious viewers tweeting that they were cancelling their direct debit payments to the BBC in outrage.

Mr Tomlinson, 79, an ambassador for Age UK, said of elderly people: 'One of the biggest things they've got to keep them going is the television.

'It's a lifeline to them and we are talking about taking it away and if not taking it away, charging them for having it.



Stars including Jeremy Paxman, Sir Michael Palin and Ricky Tomlinson have blasted the decision to axe BBC-funded free TV licences for 3.7million over-75s, as a petition to reverse the move topped 450,000 signatures.

The former Royle Family star marched with pensioners on the BBC's northern headquarters to protest against plans to axe free TV licences for the over-75s this afternoon and branded and politicians a 'blood shower of hypocrites.'

Tomlinson was among around 60 pensioners who held a noisy demonstration at the corporation's Media City offices at Salford Quays, home of BBC 5 Live and BBC Sport.

The fightback over the decision is continuing today, with furious viewers tweeting that they were cancelling their direct debit payments to the BBC in outrage.

Mr Tomlinson, 79, an ambassador for Age UK, said of elderly people: 'One of the biggest things they've got to keep them going is the television.

'It's a lifeline to them and we are talking about taking it away and if not taking it away, charging them for having it."

Pensions expert Baroness Altmann wrote in a letter to The Times yesterday: 'One week our country salutes the magnificent D-Day veterans who fought for our freedom, the next it snatches away their much-valued benefit.'

 

I'm still not sure wht at 75 they got it free, there are more people in dire need of that money.. I think they should have a reduced rate... for sure.
Why do they get it free? I'm not being disrespectful at all, but I see people in their 60s who cant leave the house..
Look at the people in that picture.. why do they need it more than say people in their 60s who cant leave the house.

People who are blind, have only ever recieved a 50% reduction in their licence...

Personally I dont think anyone should pay for a TV licence, or everyone should pay a monthly fee..

 

I do not know what you have said morrow, as you are the only person in this forum I have on ignore.
On past experience your post would only be in the negative anyway.
No offence meant of course.

 

Boozer, you put her on ignore for her saying you didn't know her well enough to say something that you said. (I forget what)
Hardly worthy of the ignore button!
Her opinions are often worth reading. It seems childish to ignore anyone, let alone for so little.

Anyway her post on this was close to what I would say, so I shall just quote:

 

If you care to look back, I put her on ignore for a number of reasons which I do not have to explain to you.
The ignore facility is there by Admin for good reasons you best work out for yourself.

Regarding you agreeing with what that person said I don't know what that was.
And it looks like that would be two negatives then, so I have no intention wasting my time arguing the toss with you.

Except to say:

These was further controversy last night as it emerged people forced to buy TV licences will help top up generous BBC staff pensions.

Some former corporation bosses are entitled to six-figure handouts in retirement as members of a gold-plated payment scheme.

But the BBC faces a financial crisis with a black hole in its pension pot, its accounts reveal. It plans to spend £2billion plugging the gap by 2028 at a rate of around £200million a year, some of which will come from licence payments.

Tory leadership hopefuls condemn licence fee move
Six Tory leadership hopefuls have spoken out against the move to strip over-75s of free TV licences if they do not receive Pension Credit.

Matt Hancock, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey all condemned the BBC's decision.

Miss McVey, a former TV presenter, said: 'As someone who used to work for the BBC I am ashamed of them for this decision. Our 'public service broadcaster' who has forgotten the public they are supposed to serve.'

Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt also waded in, with aides for the two leadership candidates saying respectively that they would work with the BBC to find a way to deliver the Tory manifesto promise from 2017.

It pledged to ensure over-75s continued to receive free TV licences for the 'duration of this parliament', currently set to run until 2022.

Meanwhile, Michael Gove vowed to decriminalise non-payment of the fee.


Some have questioned whether the BBC's pension crisis played a part in its decision to scrap most free TV licences. Corporation staff have long enjoyed enviable pension deals, with some entitled to six-figure sums because they are on a 'final salary' scheme.

Former BBC creative director Alan Yentob's pension is at least £216,667 a year, according to a calculation by analysts in 2010. Ex-deputy director general Mark Byford gets at least £229,500 a year, according to analysts – although others say it is closer to £400,000.

The BBC's final salary pension scheme was deemed unsustainable in 2006 and closed to new joiners in 2010. The broadcaster no longer publishes the entitlements of executive board members.

Pensions expert Baroness Altmann wrote in a letter to The Times yesterday: 'One week our country salutes the magnificent D-Day veterans who fought for our freedom, the next it snatches away their much-valued benefit.'

 

I think that having free things (like TV is a great example) is terribly important. The government should provide. But it has to be paid for somehow. They would need to apply a tax to keep it free? Probably something like that. And then everyone whines that they're taxed. So there you have it... no TV.

 

Thank you for a sensible post.
The thing that needs to be remembered here Soul is that for the past 20 years the BBC Television licence was free to anyone aged 75 and over paid for by the government out of general taxation.
Then the Government passed the responsibility over to the BBC 2 years ago, and now the BBC have said they will no longer fund it.
As far as I am concerned the Government should take this responsibility back.

After all most people over 75 have paid taxes all their lives and lived through the second world war and suffered lots of harsh difficulties.

Plus our country and America and others have only just celebrated the end of World War Two 75 years ago, and a lot of the people they will take the free TV licence away from are:

War veterans.
I tell you soul.
The whole thing stinks, and the Government should be ashamed of themselves!