The BBC has betrayed over-75 year olds by scrapping free TV licences
15th July 2019
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The BBC caused a furore earlier this month when they announced that, effective June 2020, they would be scrapping their 20-year old scheme offering over-75 year olds free TV licences.

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As per their new scheme, only people over 75 who receive a Pension Credit (i.e. those in low income households) will be eligible for the free service, resulting in the loss of a free service for over three million British households.This decision seems to have been made with financial considerations at heart, hitting their most loyal viewers the hardest as ‘elderly are by far the biggest consumers of the BBC's output.’ The previous scheme was funded by the government, who paid the broadcasting corporation £745 million a year. However, under new legislation, the BBC is responsible for any future schemes and funding, forcing them to reduce their costs in the face of this extreme budget cut. It was calculated that by providing it to only selected over 75 year olds, the BBC could cut costs to £250 million. This change has been promoted under the guise of ‘fairness’ to help the ‘poorest pensioners,’ and BBC officials have insisted it is integral in order to offer all licence payers with the ‘best programmes and services.’- Article continues below...
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