THE GOVERNMENT’S BROKEN MANIFESTO PROMISE MEANS MILLIONS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE FACE LOSING THEIR FREE TV LICENCES

“The Government has shamefully broken its Manifesto promise that people over 75 would keep free TV licences until the end of this Parliament – that is until 2022.

5,870 older households in Walsall South face having to pay for their TV licence fee.

The BBC are currently consulting on whether to scrap free licences completely, raise the age threshold or means test them. Labour opposed the Government outsourcing this social policy to the BBC from the start.

If free TV licences are means tested 3,710 local households will lose out, and if the age threshold is raised to 80, 2,210 local households will be hit with the new expense.

This will be a terrible blow to older people who already struggle to make ends meet and particularly to those who are housebound or isolated and rely on their TV for company. This prospect makes a mockery of the Government’s claim that austerity is over.

I encourage my constituents to read and respond to the BBC’s consultation which will run until 12 February 2019.”