Pensioners 'isolated' as BBC scraps free TV licences for over-75s say Medway Pensioners' Forum
15:41, 19 June 2019
updated: 16:07, 19 June 2019
Pensioners will be left "isolated" by the BBC's decision to scrap free TV licences for over-75s, which will affect more than 110,000 people in Kent.
The controversial announcement that free licences will be means-tested from June 2020 has been condemned by the Medway Pensioners' Forum.
The group has sent petitions to its national organisation after the news that households will have to pay for a TV licence if there is no one living there who receives Pension Credit.
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It is thought that around 3.7 million households across the UK will now have to pay the fee, with around 1.5 million eligible for a free license under the new scheme.
Medway Pensioners' Forum chairman Derek Munton says "feelings were running very high" after the decision.
He said: "People can remember when they got this benefit and now it is just being taken away.
"For many it is another bill they can ill afford.
"Pensioners, unlike working people, cannot take on another job or do overtime to pay the extra."
Mr Munton added the television was a lifeline for many elderly folk who are immobile or too unwell to go out.
He added: "They can feel isolated, so watching the news is a way of keeping in touch with the outside world.
"It is crucial that older people keep mentally active. It's another voice in the room, almost like a friend."
The BBC was due to take over the cost of free TV licences as part of its new charter agreement which commenced in 2017.
The shift from government to the broadcaster was being phased in, with sole responsibility set to begin from 2020, when it was estimated to be due to cost the BBC around £725 million.
BBC director-general Tony Hall said that the move was "not an easy decision", but argued that the policy was fair.
Shadow Culture Secretary and deputy Labour leader Tom Watson accused the Government of trying to "means test for loneliness".
"It is an outrage that this government is overseeing the scrapping of free TV licences for three million older people, leaving a Tory manifesto promise in tatters.
"Make no mistake, if this scheme goes ahead we are going to see sick and disabled people in their 80s and 90s who are completely dependent on their cherished TV for companionship and news, forced to give it up..." - Caroline Abrahams, Age UK
"In the same week that Boris Johnson has championed tax cuts for the richest 8%, his Government has delivered yet another ruthless welfare cut to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
"Millions of elderly and isolated people will lose because of this announcement - Labour will fight it with everything we've got."
Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: "Make no mistake, if this scheme goes ahead we are going to see sick and disabled people in their 80s and 90s who are completely dependent on their cherished TV for companionship and news, forced to give it up.
"Means-testing may sound fair, but in reality it means at least 650,000 of our poorest pensioners facing a big new annual bill they simply can't afford, because, though eligible for Pension Credit, they don't actually get it.
"The BBC's decision will cause those affected enormous anxiety and distress, and some anger too, but in the end this is the Government's fault, not the BBC's.
"It is open to a new prime minister to intervene and save the day for some of the most vulnerable older people in our society, who will otherwise suffer a big blow to their pockets and to their quality of life."
