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Over 75 TV Licence (Read 11639 times)
alanh
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Over 75 TV Licence
May 7th, 2019, 8:50pm
 
According to Age Concern today MPs have called a debate on TV licences in Parliament tomorrow afternoon (Weds 8 May). They will vote on whether the Government should take back responsibility for paying for TV licences. The vote isn’t binding but it would send a strong signal to the Government that MPs want them to pay for it, not the BBC.

I don't think I'll be holding my breath!

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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #1 - May 8th, 2019, 8:25am
 
Either way-it'll be quickly phased in at age 80-sure as eggs is eggs
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #2 - May 8th, 2019, 8:46am
 
Eggs are eggs Smiley
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Dickie Mint
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #3 - May 8th, 2019, 9:49am
 
I did email my MP reminding her to vote for it.  I also reminded her of my suggestion that as most well off pensioners don't need this or the Winter Fuel Allowance, they both should be means tested.  And as Pension Credit is already means tested it seemed simple to me.  Simple? If you get Pension Credit you also get WFA and Free TV Licence!

She had passed that one on to the relevant dept who claimed it would cost too much to implement. Doh!
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alanh
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #4 - May 10th, 2019, 1:08pm
 
Bits from debate:

"....but it seems to have escaped the notice of some people that, at the time the Act was passed two and a half years ago, Lord Hall on behalf of the BBC agreed to the proposal and therein lies some of the problem."

"As the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport set out a couple of months ago, the BBC is a powerful example of how our public service broadcasters act as a force for good at home, performing in the national interest to deliver valuable news coverage and hugely popular shows."

"Keeping TV licences free for all over-75s would require unprecedented cuts to the BBC’s spending on broadcasting and content"

The result - if you call it that-
Resolved,

That this House calls on the Government to honour the Conservative party’s 2017 manifesto promise to maintain free TV licences for the over-75s for the duration of this Parliament by ensuring sufficient funding to do so and, should the BBC propose changes to the concession, to ensure that the proposed changes are subject to parliamentary consent.

The full Hansard Report is at https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-05-08/debates/6FE9E590-B299-471A-BAAD...
-A50946D5841D/TVLicencesForOver-75S

but it will take a while to read!
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JohnW
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #5 - Jun 10th, 2019, 3:46pm
 
This just in (courtesy of the BBC!)

... from June 2020, any household with someone aged over 75 who receives Pension Credit, will be eligible for a free TV licence funded by the BBC.  Around 1.5 million households over 75 could be eligible for Pension Credit.

We think it is important that the BBC does not take on the role of making a judgment about poverty. Instead, the BBC Board has decided to use the UK Government’s own framework. The Government sets and controls Pension Credit, not the BBC.

Guess that puts most of 'us' here into paying a Licence for many more years (or at least until the Gov't/Tories take back the responsibility for it).
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #6 - Jun 10th, 2019, 4:29pm
 
Big mistake.

The initial news story on BBCNews  today focussed/headlined on the Licence being "retained" for those on Pension Credit-later BBCNews On Line changed this to BBC "scraps" free Licence.

Either way, this is a broken manifesto promise, a new tax on the elderly and a nightmare for the Corporation who will have to defend itself when older people are hauled up in front of the courts if they don't pay it.

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Dickie Mint
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #7 - Jun 10th, 2019, 6:54pm
 
The proposal is that over 75s self claim that they receive Pension Credit, so loophole that could be exploited here?

And at the time, wasn't it was intimated that the BBC was over a barrel to accept funding it to get the new Charter?

It's dangerous because it puts the BBC into managing social benefits.
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JohnW
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #8 - Jun 10th, 2019, 11:18pm
 
Just wondering, since I've not seen it set down in print ... how might this decision impinge on those over-75s who are already getting a free licence but who don't receive 'Pension credit'? Will they now be asked to start paying again?
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #9 - Jun 11th, 2019, 7:46am
 
Over 75's currently getting free licence will presumably be alerted that they need to pay.
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #10 - Jun 11th, 2019, 3:32pm
 
Huge pity that Auntie Beeb didn't make clear that the license is needed "to receive broadcasts"  & not as a fee just to pay the BBC a kind of subscription. Perhaps some stats about the number of 75+ who find it possible to pay for Sky (basic £22.00 per month £264.00 a year) or BT (£372.00) or Virgin (£338.00) and all of these carry BBC output, would be useful. Makes the license fee look cheap at £154.00.

How's about the others coughing up to pay for freebies to over 75s. They certainly make enough profits. Just a small proportion of the obscene monies they pay for sport would be more than enough to give the Government a bloody nose over a policy that should never have been introduced.

If more help was given to the older generation to radicalise the approach to energy fixes, that alone could save enough to continue with paying the fee, if all the blurb about how much could be saved is correct.

I have just applied for my freebie from September to next June, & I will be pleased to start paying again then for something I value despite all the shortcomings. How much more of a beating can the Beeb take? Subscription, here we come - maybe at £154 a year! Shocked
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #11 - Jun 12th, 2019, 8:39am
 
LBC Exclusively reports, here, that the

"Idea To Make Pensioners Pay For TV Licences Came From Jeremy Hunt"
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Dickie Mint
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #12 - Jun 12th, 2019, 6:58pm
 
Who claims the cost of his TV Licence as an allowance.  What a hypocrite!

And why should the BBC provide its services free to sky, cable, BT, etc?

It was years before sky agreed not to charge the BBC for its services appearing in the sky EPG!  Let's have that back.
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alanh
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #13 - Jun 12th, 2019, 7:27pm
 
I'm a bit confused about the theory behind this.  The Government provided this payment to over 75s.  Through what looks like a "bit of work", the cost was moved onto the BBC.  How could the BBC be expected practically to pay?  If you get on a bus or a train, you don't expect the bus/train owners to pay your ticket at whatever age you maybe.  Why should the BBC be expected to pay the licence?  
I'm not going into the many discussion points that have come up over the last few days but it seems that the BBC is now acting as part Social Benefits Managers.  Obviously this is going to cost them money to run as well!
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Re: Over 75 TV Licence
Reply #14 - Jun 13th, 2019, 8:47am
 
Raymond Snoddy expresses his opinion here, in "mediatel.co.uk"....

".....blame the government, not the BBC.".






Trading as wdr, here, Bill Rogers suggests:-

"........Maybe Auntie should set up a new Consumer Advice strand, helping families work together to claim the two forms of Pension Credit. In 2016/17, up to 1.3 million families who were entitled to receive Pension Credit did not claim the benefit. Up to £3.5 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed. On average, this amounted to around £2,500 per year for each family entitled to receive Pension Credit but not claiming.  Set against £154.50, it's great deal.

And it doesn't end there. If you're on Pension Credit...

It’s unlikely you’ll have to pay Council Tax (unless other people live with you).
You’ll get free NHS dental treatment, and you can claim help towards the cost of glasses and travel to hospital.
You’ll get a Cold Weather Payment of £25 when the temperature is 0°C or below for 7 days in a row.
If you rent your home, you may get your rent paid in full by Housing Benefit.
If you own your home, you may be eligible for help with mortgage interest, ground rent and service charges.
If you’re a carer, you may get an extra amount known as Carer Premium, or Carer Addition if it’s paid with Pension Credit. This is worth up to £36.85 a week."

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