Labour To Reinstate Free TV Licences For All Over-75s If It Wins General Election

The £745 million-a-year scheme is to be scrapped next June.
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Labour has pledged to reinstate free television licences for the over-75s if it wins the general election.

Deputy leader Tom Watson vowed to prevent the highly-criticised cut if the party gets a majority on December 12.

Both the BBC and the government have come under fierce criticism over the move to cut free licences to all people aged over 75.

It means up to 3.7m pensioners will have to start paying £154.50 a year from next June. The free TV licence scheme costs £745 million a year.

We’ll save free TV licences. https://t.co/PUsQTUZHJW

— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) November 3, 2019

Shadow culture secretary Watson said: “The Tory decision to scrap free TV licences for over-75s is utterly callous.

“Four in 10 older people say the TV is their main source of company, but from next year 3.7 million older people will lose their free TV licence.

“It’s disgraceful. Our message is clear – vote Labour to save free TV licences.”

As part of the charter agreement, the BBC agreed to shoulder the burden of paying for free licences by June 2020 amid austerity funding cuts.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn meets a local constituent, Sue Clark, 84, at her home in Islington, North London.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn meets a local constituent, Sue Clark, 84, at her home in Islington, North London.
PA Wire/PA Images

After that, only households with someone over the age of 75 who receives pension credit will be eligible for a free TV licence funded by the BBC.

The BBC blames the move to limit free licences to the elderly on the government’s squeeze on its own budget.

In August, Boris Johnson told the broadcaster to “cough up” and fund all TV licences for pensioners in his first major confrontation with the corporation since becoming prime minister.

But the Sun on Sunday reported this weekend that the PM has vowed to find a way to save the scheme.

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