Free TV licences to be scrapped for millions of over-75s - MSE News

surfsister

getting more like the old East Germany all the time - very heavy handed tactics for people who don't have licenses, Chinese going to spy on all our g5 calls, more spy cameras than anywhere else.

Anyway neighbour's TV working so many thanks (cost £3) and I can legally pop round to watch the few programs I like.

surfsister

Cornucopia wrote: »

To be clear: instead of being funded by all of us through general taxation, it's going to be funded in part by some of us (through the TV Licence) and the remainder by the people who benefit from the service and will have the same option to opt-out that everyone else does.

Roll-on the pensioner wave of Netflix adopters.

Yes Netflix all the way choose the programs you watch and view them once thus avoiding 4th time repeats!!

campaign against loss of tv licenses in case you are interested.


https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/34266/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=1unr39mb

Doc_N

Interesting piece in the Times suggesting that this is going to lead to a substantial increase in the number of pensioners claiming pension credit.

They're already entitled, but don't claim for various reasons - this may well be the thing that causes them to claim though.

Yet another own goal for this hopeless government? Save a bit of cash on licences for the over 75s and then spend maybe ten times that on additional pension credit! Perfectly fair for those who are prodded into claiming, but yet another example of Conservative mismanagement.

Mr_Singleton

surfsister wrote: »

yes elderly relative 85 just got a tv and needs a connector only to find it's not going to be free for long

Could you confirm that this pensioner is wealthy enough NOT to get pension tax credits?

Rainbowgirl84

Doc_N wrote: »

Interesting piece in the Times suggesting that this is going to lead to a substantial increase in the number of pensioners claiming pension credit.

They're already entitled, but don't claim for various reasons - this may well be the thing that causes them to claim though.

Yet another own goal for this hopeless government? Save a bit of cash on licences for the over 75s and then spend maybe ten times that on additional pension credit! Perfectly fair for those who are prodded into claiming, but yet another example of Conservative mismanagement.

Except it was the BBC who made the decision not the Government. The BBC agreed with the Government to meet the costs of the free over 75 licence and have now shifted the goalposts.

Doc_N

Rainbowgirl84 wrote: »

Except it was the BBC who made the decision not the Government. The BBC agreed with the Government to meet the costs of the free over 75 licence and have now shifted the goalposts.

The BBC was forced into that position by the government, and the government knew full well what the outcome would be:

https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/15/why-the-bbc-is-not-to-blame-for-the-tv-licence-fee-cuts-9956545/

Cornucopia

As always, there is wiggle-room, there.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/07/tony-hall-licence-fee-deal-bbc-dwp-george-osborne

Tony Hall said: "The government’s decision here to put the cost of the over-75s on us has been more than matched by the deal coming back for the BBC".

So, yes, it sounds as though they were coerced into taking on the over-75 responsibility, but that Lord Hall welcomed it at the time.

I think what would be interesting to know is whether he has changed his line on that because the situation has changed, or simply through political opportunism, or something else...

Vegastare

How about a simple solution to all this debate.....go like all the rest and use advertising - the BBC do it anyway with the self gratifying way they use BBC News to plug upcoming BBC events....and it would solve another problem for folks without a pause button....they would know when to get up and put the kettle on

Mr_Singleton

..... or better still use a subscription model like Netflix. Those that want the service pay those that don't don't . I suspect the BBC won't like it what with it's £4500 million a year jolly on the line.

pphillips

The BBC is a de facto arm of the state and therefore it gets the bulk of the license fee. The result of this is the BBC becomes lazy, bureaucratic and profligate. If the BBC switched to a subscription model without fundamental reform, I don't believe there is any chance they would survive.