A petition calling for free TV licences for pensioners in the UK has racked up more than 6,700 signatures. As it stands, people over 75 on Pension Credit are the only ones exempt from paying the £174.50 TV licence fee. However, a recently launched petition says that many pensioners live on the breadline and that television is often their only source of company. The petition was created by Michael Thompson and calls on the Government to scrap the annual fee for all pensioners who reach retirement age, which is currently 66.
“With the cost of food soaring and utility bills ever higher, we feel there is a desperate need to provide all pensioners with at least this concession,” his petition reads. “We feel it is a double outrage that those who have given their all to this country in taxes and raising children have to pay a TV licence fee and are only exempt if they receive means-tested Pension Credit. Meanwhile, some media figures draw huge salaries.”
The petition, titled ‘Fund free TV licences for all pensioners,’ has been shared on the UK Government’s petitions-parliament website. It has surpassed the halfway point towards 10,000 signatures, which would see it receive a written response from the Government.
If the petition receives 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament. At the time of publication, the petition had 6,753 signatures.
The TV licence fee is set to increase every year in line with inflation until 2027. It was previously frozen for years but increased from £169.50 to £174.50 in April of this year.
Meanwhile, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken of the possibility of charging different fees based on a household’s income. It comes after a suggestion from the BBC’s new chairman, Dr Samir Shah.
He told the Sunday Times: “Why should people who are poor pay the same as people in wealthy households?” At the time, Ms Nandy said: “We are keen that whatever we do in the charter review that it commands broad public support and that it is progressive.
“The licence fee is a flat rate. It’s harder for poorer households to pay it, and we’ve seen some horrendous cases where the BBC has prosecuted mainly vulnerable women for not paying the licence fee.”