Age-related TV licence policy

[french frank]

As with Old Grumpys point Is it the BBC who have to sort out who has pension credit? How will this work?

This is like the proposed 'hostile environment' legislation where the responsibility was to be put on outside bodies - or private individuals e.g. landlords - to discover whether clients/customers &c had all the legal paperwork to be settled in this country before any services could be provided. In the case of television licences, what incentive does the BBC have to establish that pensioners are entitled to FREE licences?

[Old Grumpy]

Presumably the onus will be on the individual to demonstrate they are in receipt of pension credit.

OG

[Dave2002]

Presumably the onus will be on the individual to demonstrate they are in receipt of pension credit.

OG

And to put in place the steps to get it, if haven't already. I mentioned this bureacratic hostility earlier.

[Dave2002]

That would be workable and cheap it may need legislation to permit it (don't know). As with Old Grumpys point Is it the BBC who have to sort out who has pension credit? How will this work?

Surely the buck passing will mean that the BBC has to do nothing until at least one person aged 75 or more in a household has claimed pension credit. Not its responsibility! Then there could be fun and games working out if people had been accessing TV “illegally” for X months while they sorted out the pension credit which many may not have known about anyway. That will particularly affect people who are already entitled to a free licence.

[LezLee]

Bring back the radio licence! Charge every radio-owning household as little as £10 per year and give it to the BBC. Job done.

[Bryn]

My local town council (as against the local borough council) offers a discount by way of a refund on the cost of a television licence for those over 65 who work less than 16 hours a week and not living in the same household as someone who does not qualify. I have not as yet claimed it, but intend to do so come the next licence renewal (the claim has to go in within 2 months of the renewal. I am not sure what the level of the discount/refund is.

Ah, turns out the grand amounts to £30 per annum and is paid out of their Council Tax take.

[Dave2002]

Seems the BBC is now putting out trails about the changes - “interrupted” today’s Record Review on R3 just before the Brahms clarinet quintet except. No apologies, though!

[oddoneout]

More on Pension Credit. I hadn't realised that those in care homes were eligible as well.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/26/a-million-pensioners-in-poverty-because-of-unclaimed-benefits

It's all very well the DWP saying it sends a letter out with State Pension claims, but that doesn't catch those already in receipt of their pension whose circumstances may have changed. Claiming by phone as the only option isn't helpful either.