does 89 year old have to pay for tv licence?

gill5blue

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Rodders53

Does Mum have a Television?
Is it used to watch live or recorded broadcast TV?

If  "yes" then she needs - and should always have had - a TV Licence.  It was free for over 75s but was still issued as a Licence (for 3 years at a time, I think).

The Govt. stopped funding that over 75s system and now Pension Credit is needed to qualify for a free one.

https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/aged-74-and-over-aud3

LeesArt

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

brewerdave

LeesArt said:

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

Do you work for Netflix ? Most commentaries lately ,seem to be suggesting the opposite to your point of view ie little of value/interest on Netflix. 

jem16

LeesArt said:

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

This suggestion is fine if Mum already has internet access and is comfortable using streaming apps. However many 89 year olds don’t have internet access. 

My parents are 91 and 93. They do have internet access but it’s used for simple emails to their family. They can work their Sky TV and like to record stuff. Fortunately Dad has a good memory as his eyesight isn’t good. Sky’s catch-up service is used on the odd occasion. They simply wouldn’t manage to find anything via Roku/Firestick as it’s too complicated for them. 

GibbsRule_No3.

I do wonder as I get older, 68, why I need to pay for extra stations, other than live football that I would miss, most other stations can be watched on a smart tv and the normal channels for the price of the BBC license, lot cheaper than paying for Sky, Virgin etc.  So all the downs on a license fee for older people are probably not worth worrying about.  I do feel sorry for those that were receiving free licenses that are now not, there should have been a cut off, if already in receipt of free then they should have continued, just not for people like me when I reached that age, since I would have been used to paying for other options.

iniltous

95% of the nations favourite TV is ‘free’ , but needs a TV licence if it’s watched ‘live’ , some of it could be consumed later on catch up services without a licence, so really Sky , Netflix, Prime only supply the other 5% ( obviously some will claim they never watch anything other that pay ) so in that regard the TV licence at £13.25 a month to watch 95% of favourite TV , compared to something like £40 a month to watch the other 5% on Sky, Netflix,Prime etc, seems pretty good value in my opinion.

It was this Conservative Government that removed the free TV licence from all over 75 year olds , that’s the very group that are most likely to vote for them, and whinge about the BBC.

The OP question was does an 89 year old have to pay for a TV licence, the answer is yes , unless they get pension credit, because  this Government changed the law, it wasn’t the BBC that made this change , it was imposed on them.
What does ‘goon activity’ even mean ?, 

Neil49

LeesArt said:

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

That's not much help if she is an avid Eastenders fan. 

LeesArt

brewerdave said:

LeesArt said:

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

Do you work for Netflix ? Most commentaries lately ,seem to be suggesting the opposite to your point of view ie little of value/interest on Netflix. 

Thanks for stalking!!

No not at all and I think Netflix has potential to be improved. 

My comment is about HOW we watch TV and saving the OP's parent money.

It does not have to be Netflix, one could watch any or all of the plethora of free channels or one could get Disney or Paramount or BritBox.

None of which need a TV license

LeesArt

Neil49 said:

LeesArt said:

gill5blue said:

Hi, my mum has just received a letter from tv licence department stating she has to buy a tv licence.
Ive done some digging around and it looks like that they are correct.
So I am here just to double check, fyi..she does not qualify for pension credit.
Can anyone in the know tell me either way? please
gill5 blue

Do your mum a favour and get rid of her BBC, remove aerial and delete Iplayer then inform TVL or don't.

Get your mum a Netflix subscription, I use Roku and have never looked back, it cost me £30 and Netflix prices start at £7 odd a month. 

My Roku controls my TV and it even has a Netflix button so I am sure your mum will be OK with it.

Many over 75's are doing the same thing, it is time the BBC learnt that there is a price to pay for all their goon activity (as shown on YouTube).

That's not much help if she is an avid Eastenders fan. 

Funny, I did not see the OP say she was an avid Eastenders fan, I only respond to what the OP says, otherwise my posts would have to take in every possibility and my posts are too long as it is .

Cornucopia

iniltous said:

95% of the nations favourite TV is ‘free’ , but needs a TV licence if it’s watched ‘live’ , some of it could be consumed later on catch up services without a licence, so really Sky , Netflix, Prime only supply the other 5% ( obviously some will claim they never watch anything other that pay ) so in that regard the TV licence at £13.25 a month to watch 95% of favourite TV , compared to something like £40 a month to watch the other 5% on Sky, Netflix,Prime etc, seems pretty good value in my opinion.

Not sure about the maths there.    The TV Licence covers the costs of the BBC.   For those that make good use of it, it's good value for money.   But many people choose not to, for a wide variety of reasons, and that is their prerogative.   Anyway, the Licence doesn't pay for 95% of content in the same sense that £X pays for Sky, Netflix or Prime.   The Licence controls access to TV Channels, but that's no longer the only game in town.

iniltous said:

It was this Conservative Government that removed the free TV licence from all over 75 year olds , that’s the very group that are most likely to vote for them, and whinge about the BBC.

The OP question was does an 89 year old have to pay for a TV licence, the answer is yes , unless they get pension credit, because  this Government changed the law, it wasn’t the BBC that made this change , it was imposed on them.

Technically, no.   The universal Over-75s Licence disappeared in negotiations between the previous Government and the BBC.   At the time, the BBC welcomed the new agreement, but that seems to have been rather glossed-over in the intervening years.

The BBC agreed that they would make future decisions about the provision, and cover its costs.  And that is where we are.

It was the BBC that instigated the change to Pension Credit means-testing following a public consultation.

iniltous said:

What does ‘goon activity’ even mean ?, 

It's a slightly pejorative term for the BBC's Licence enforcement under its TV Licensing brand.  

"Goon" being an unofficial enforcer, more generally.   

The issue is that TV Licensing likes to habitually over-play its hand of very limited powers, misinform the Public, come to people's homes uninvited, etc. etc.    The activity is not prescribed by legislation, which raises a significant question as to whether it should be being done at all.