THE BBC’s new director general Tim Davie has been urged to bring back free TV licenses for over-75s. Last month, the corporation robbed 3.7m pensioners of their right to a free license complaining that keeping the perk could cost £745m by 2021-22. But campaign groups have called on Mr Davie, who takes up the role […]
THE BBC’s new director general Tim Davie has been urged to bring back free TV licenses for over-75s.
Last month, the corporation robbed 3.7m pensioners of their right to a free license complaining that keeping the perk could cost £745m by 2021-22.
But campaign groups have called on Mr Davie, who takes up the role today, to reverse the controversial decision.
The Silver Voices group warned that 87 per cent of its members are prepared to stop paying the £157.50-a-year charge in protest.
And the elderly activists have called for a campaign of civil disobedience dubbed ‘Gum Up The Work” including “forgetting” to date and sign cheques, reports the Mirror.
Silver Voices boss Dennis Reed called on the new director-general to begin talks with the Government to find “a solution” to the row.
He said: “Mr Davie will not want a campaign of civil disobedience festering away and undermining the credibility of the whole licence system
“The militancy of senior citizens on this issue is growing all the time, however, so early progress is essential.
“We will not hesitate to escalate our action if the BBC and Government continue with their barren ‘blame game’ approaches.”
The BBC was handed responsibility for its own funding in June despite the Conservative party pledging to protect the over-75s free license during the 2017 election.
Poorer elderly people who receive pension credit are still eligible for free TV licenses.
YOU can legally use the following services without a TV Licence as long as you aren’t using them to watch or stream live TV:
Labour peer Lord Foulkes called the decision to axe the free license for old people “cruel and unjust.”
He said: “While the BBC are treating the decision as a done deal, there are increasing calls, from both inside and outside Parliament, for the new director-general to take the initiative from the start and work with the Government to alter the direction of travel before it is too late.”
In a letter to Mr Davie, Mr Reed said he hoped “one of your first priorities will be to settle this dispute.”
A BBC spokesperson blamed the Government for the dispute, saying: “We would point out that it was the Government who decided to stop funding free TV licences for the over 75s.
“The BBC Board believes the fairest option is to help the poorest older pensioners.
“Around 1.5 million households could get free TV licences if someone is over 75 and receives Pension Credit.
“Critically, it is not the BBC making that judgement about poverty, it is the Government who set and control who is eligible for Pension Credit and what level of payments are made.”
