BBC licence fee update

As I approached my 75th birthday, I wondered how it could be that one day I could afford a TV licence and the next I was evidently too poor. As there has been no change in my finances in the intervening (almost) four years, I can't say I'm devastated at having this privilege withdrawn. It's still worth the few ££ each week.

KatyK my feelings exactly!

We got our free TV licence last month! So one year free for us.

I can’t understand why we still get that random £10. The £200 heating allowance makes sense but £10 doesn’t exactly buy a lot of anything. Perhaps a six months supply of liquorice torpedos?

If you are a waspi
No pension
No bus pass
No free tv like licence to look forward to
Just work till you drop, if you don't fall off your perch first and save the government
even more money

Exactly Cherrytree I fully expect to leave this place in a box !

The 'free' tv licence should NEVER have been the responsibility of the BBC to pay. It should have remained with Central Government - or (EVEN BETTER), all these little extras should be stopped and a proper State pension amount brought in. Think UK is lowest in Europe.....
Note, that Boris Johnson is happy to announce that he wishes to reduce income tax for those receiving (not always earning) in excess of 50k. He has said nothing re. State pension allowance!!! Quelle Surprise!!!!!

I don't need the free licence but I do object to the likes of Gary Lineker being paid (allegedly) £1.8 million last year and then the BBC making these cuts.

I'm rather puzzled by this 'penalised' notion, too. I really don't understand why we should expect to get freebies in old age if we can perfectly well afford to pay for them.

I sense that there's an element of resentment about people living in less comfortable financial circumstances getting help with what most people would regard as an essential part of life. As though they don't deserve it because they are poor...

I don't feel 'penalised for working all my life' because I have a state and a work pension, I feel very fortunate. I don't know how people on a basic state pension manage, well I do but I recognise how hard that must be.
I'm happy not to have a free tv licence. I'm pleased that those on pension credits will still get the licence.

The majority of pensioners today who are coming up to 75 aren't as poor financially as my grandparents were by that age. Most of us can afford to pay the licence. As for all the criticism of BBC - I'd pay to watch Line of Duty! Great tv that makes up for a lot of the 'light entertainment' that I never watch.

This will adversely impact the Just About Managing group....again!

The licence (I think) is for having the equipment able to receive the live programmes, so even if you never watch anything of theirs you still have to pay - so they catch you whichever way.

My OH has just said I shall have to find out how to claim benefits (he's 72) in the next three years as those on credits seem to get more and more handed to them - I said you will have to start spending your few savings lol. Work all your life, buy your house, and have a little put away for emergency bills/repairs and they penalise you.
He has a bus pass, but they have stopped nearly all the buses here and if you do want to catch one there is a long walk to/from the bus stop.
I'm one of those caught up in the change to 66 lark so will probably be nothing to get by the time I get there!

BlueBelle, yours is roughly my position too and because I have my NHS pension as well as a state one I don't qualify for anything. Penalised really for working all my life !
I don't drive but take taxi's when shopping or if I can't be bothered waiting for a bus. Like you I'm neither poor nor rich and managing alright.

Also the older I'm getting the more heating I need too. I don't now have holidays, instead I make sure that I have good food to keep me going.
I don't have to sell the family silver yet ! Or the piano.

I believe those 80 and over receive £300 ? winter fuel payment. What's the betting that when I reach 80 next winter that too will be stopped,hahahaha. Ah well, such is life.

Nothing lasts for ever and the licence works out at a tad under £3pw. Not much more than a coffee from Costa.
If elderly pensioners are more or less housebound and rely on their tv for company, then they aren't paying for meals out or entertainment or a varied social life therefore £3pw is not excessive. They will be the ones with a higher income than
those pensioners on restricted incomes such as pension credit who will still be eligible for a free licence.
The money has to come from somewhere, and as we live longer thanks to modern medicine and better food/living conditions, handing out freebies for possibly 30 years from 60-90, is simply not doable when you also factor in the heavier costs of NHS care and PPI packages in that age group.
It's not sustainable when many pensioners are sitting in homes worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
We mustn't be greedy and the state cannot bear the cost from cradle to grave as it currently does in many cases.
Tony Hall made the right decision, the fairest decision, in my book.

Age UK have a petition up and running.

That’s right EllanVannin I have over £10,000 put away and not touched for when I can’t manage without paid help but that completely annuls any help I could get I understand that but when you are living on a pension of roughly £10.000 a year it makes it tight for any extras
I will manage and I m not moaning (I haven’t received it yet 75 after Christmas) but there’s a vast difference between many like me and pensioners with millions or vast thousands I call myself an inbetweener I m not poor poor but neither am I well off I am a ‘manager’ and happy like that but don’t cut any more off me please
If they take my bus pass away I m finished, no car, I cycle or walk but more than a couple of miles or windy cold rainy days and I do need a bus
I think there are better ways they can save money to be honest the BBC pay presenters and sets enormous ridiculous amounts

Tony Hall has sent an email explaining the reasons for stopping the free licence for over 75s. As someone has said perhaps cutting the silly salaries paid to "talent", bring in people from local BBC stations who would do a better job for less - and perhaps Mr Hall taking a cut of his £450,000 salary along with all the other overpaid executives. I can think of many ways the BBC could save money, as I am sure many other GNs can.

You're not eligible for pension credit if you have savings over £10k, well, you can apply but you won't get it and you have to produce a recent bank statement.

I've just skim- read about pension credit and it seems that a free licence will not be given to those who have over £10,000.

I believe that anyone who watched tv on any electronic device is obliged to pay a tv licence fee.

I don't agree with a person over 75 who lives with his/her children, being allowed to have a free licence for the whole household nor in cases of an AC living with mum/dad, one or both being over 75.

An email arrived today from Tony Hall explaining the BBC made the decision. It explains that if they don't, several channels will have to go. The Government left it to the BBC to decide.

As someone mentioned already, they could cut some of the ludicrously high salaries of some presenters. It's a bigger loss to single people than those with two incomes.

I think it confuses the issue to refer to travel concessions. I don't have any of those because there is no public service where I live.

i doint have a tv anyway. yes i have a tv set ,but no digital ouput etc. i am not paying the fee with all the c**p thats on it. any programme i want to see my brother puts on dvd and i see it a few days later .spring watch live cam is now on youtube.had tv people around my house many times to see that i only have a dvd player.i really dont miss it at all .i like the usa crime programmes but they been put on dvd.

Means testing is a really bad way of working out who should qualify for benefits. Just make all these a taxable benefit.

IMV, anyone in sheltered accommodation should have pension credit explained to them and help given to apply.
Every older person who has AC or close relatives should be asked by them if they are getting all their entitlements and it should be clearly explained that it isn't charity or something to be ashamed of or embarassed about claiming.
The only people to fall through the gap are older single people who have no close family or relatives.
Perhaps local authorities could support talks in day centres and Hoppa buses could ferry the less able to the venues where tea and biscuits could be offered and a qualified benefits assessor could answer any questions and take the details of people who qualify.
I'm going to suggest that tomorrow when I ring my local council.

In answer to a question earlier on, paying the TV licence monthly by direct debit doesn't cost more but they way they work it, you are always well in credit and I seem to remember that meant a large payment when I started (too long ago now to remember exactly).

In other words, I am currently payingby direct debit for the licence six months ahead, so that if I suddenly decide to stop paying, the BBC will still receive the money for what I've watched so far and it gives them six months to check whether I really have no telly. It's illegal to receive a signal without a licence (remember the old detector vans?).

This whole problem started when the Government decided not to fund the licence fee rebate and put the onus on the BBC. As usual, we are the soft targets and I agree that it's another injustice for Waspis and that the BBC should look at cutting some of its massive top salaries before picking on those who are facing very real income restrictions at the time when we may need to heat our homes more and can't get out as much, especially in winter. I know some elderly people for whom the television is a Godsend.

If you have ever had to apply for means tested benefits - or helped someone else do it - you will know how hard - verging on impossible - it is unless you really know how to work the system...and most of us don't.

I agree with this, there are lots of people who can afford a TV licence, ans those who have a car don;t usually use bus passes anyway
The winter fuel allowance had already been cut once,it was the first thing David Cameron did,
All these wealthy people who don;t need child benefit should refuse it,I believe Phillip Schofield refused it
Apparently not everyone who are entitled to pension credit is getting it,so worth looking into