Free TV Licences to be limited to poor pensioners over 75

[Yoghurtpots]

I hate that they make us pay for something without giving us a choice! I haven't watched the BBC in decades! Its a disgrace!

 

[Yel]

Do you keep getting little brown envelopes saying they will be paying you a visit soon? Remember those strange TV Licence detector van adverts to scare people into buying one? An ex of mine got fined as his flat mate actually let an inspector into their living room to see the TV after the inspector knocked on the door asking if they had a TV. They have to see the TV in the house before can issue a fine. The flatmate didn’t realise my ex hadn’t bought one. They split the fine.

Yep they've been threatening me for years sending little calendars with a date circles that will be my court date. It's pathetic they've never paid me a visit despite my local agency having me on their hit list for years. You can phone up and tell them you don't have one, they'll leave you alone for a year then start threatening again

I've got friends that work for the beeb and don't even have licenses themselves.

I miss when BBC 2 had real documentaries, not these basic watered down stuff they've been putting out for the last decade.

 

[Mum31]

Y tho?

Because the tv licences is an outdated concept. The bbc make millions in selling their shows abroad and are funded by the government so that the government can use it to their advantage for propaganda FACT!.
Nobody should pay it and definitely not pensioners who have fought in wars and help build this country. It’s absolutely disgusting that they scare anybody into paying for the bosses to spend £10000s in weekend trips and pay half a mil to Claudia fuckingwilkmann and over a mil to linneker! Not to mention the millions they pay to some of the countries most uncharismatic bores we’ve ever seen some of the worlds most rubbish shows.
When my newborn daughter was dying at home, they knocked on my door and wrote false information based on peering through my window at my other daughter who was watching a fimbles DVD. We had no aerial and no live tele whatsoever, yet they took the DVD’s as evidence and sent a warrant for my arrest to attend court where the court laughed and threw my case out.
Yet the private company who works on behalf of the bbc still hounded me sent warrants for my arrest tried fining me with no evidence of me watching tv. It’s absolutely Criminal and goes against all laws as they didn’t even enter my house!

 

[Web30]

Its 12 quid a month hardly a lot anyway.

BBC must surely be losing younger viewers to Netflix, Amazon Video etc because at least then we can put money to the services that have programmes we want to watch. I hardly ever watch live TV these days.

Same. I watch pretty much everything on catch up or netflix. Even my daugther has stopped watching live tv and shes 4, its all about youtube for her. Still have the licence though as i sometimes stick iplayer on.

 

[Sabbie]

We could be having the same conversation about unemployed people, students, people on disability, and even people who claim to be homeless. You just can't paint a brush over a whole group of people. I can't agree that pensioners are the richest segment of society. And if they were, (I'd need actual real data to be convinced) it wouldn't bother me one bit. The TV license can be means tested over ALL of them and not just handed to those who get PC. I've already said I think it's fair they pay half so it's not like I think everything should be handed to them. It's not like they're being handed golden coins. It's a shit overpriced freebie anyway! I am sure we can agree on that.

 

[emmer_moans]

Yep they've been threatening me for years sending little calendars with a date circles that will be my court date. It's pathetic they've never paid me a visit despite my local agency having me on their hit list for years. You can phone up and tell them you don't have one, they'll leave you alone for a year then start threatening again

I've got friends that work for the beeb and don't even have licenses themselves.

I miss when BBC 2 had real documentaries, not these basic watered down stuff they've been putting out for the last decade.

BBC must surely be losing younger viewers to Netflix, Amazon Video etc because at least then we can put money to the services that have programmes we want to watch. I hardly ever watch live TV these days.

 

[Yel]

I stopped buying a TV licence many years ago, for a long time you could still legally watch the BBC iplayer without it. It was a con during uni days where they said every bedroom in a house needed it's own licence as the doors had locks.

Means testing this by pension credit is sensible. The means testing has already been done and the poorest will still get to watch TV for free. They need to charge wealthier pensioners as soon hardly anyone will be buying one.

 

[Mum31]

We really couldn't, if you're claiming JSA and how small it is then you genuinely are living on a pittance.
You're wanting people of a certain age to get something subsidised just because of age not circumstance. You don't mind if they're already the richest people in society. This something comes out of public money.
I've said it's not just about TV licence, but pensioner pandering in general while other vital services are cut to the bone.
It's a view, not one we share.
*Goes back to mumsnet where 98% of people there are now are fed up with grabby entitled pensioners*

And you might know some ‘grabby pensioners’ but I’ve worked in at home care and I can tell you that some are literally dying of cold and hunger. Wake up

 

[Rlaw1978]

I actually think it’s a good idea to means test it. Perhaps an unpopular opinion. It’s the way it should have gone to begin with.
Tbh I watch a lot of BBC programs (I haven’t watched itv in years) & would choose to pay for it if we were given a choice.
Agree that people should have the choice but can’t see that changing anytime soon. Even as a fan of the BBC, I think it is expensive for what it offers, especially when compared to sky or Netflix . Give people a choice then I can’t see the BBC lasting.

 

[Sabbie]

And there are a large amount of those over 75 that are in the middle area where they don't receive any extra help, but still have to scrimp and save for bills like everyone else. I don't recall the exact stats, but a huge number of oaps use their tv as company as they are lonely or housebound and don't get to speak to people for days or weeks on end. Loneliness in seniors is a huge problem in the UK.

I really don't sit comfortably with the disrespect shown for a group of people since they are all in completely different financial circumstances that none of us know about. Just as I would not throw around disrespect for those that are unemployed or on disability, etc. Some people would call those groups of people "snowflakes" too and that is just as unfair and not appropriate.

If the BBC really is that screwed up and wants to pay their 'stars' way too much and has to charge oaps, a reduced rate license seems more fair.

Edited to add about the 20 for a 5 year bus pass. That sounds a pretty fair deal! I used to hate paying huge chunks of my salary for commuting into central London.

 

[Mum31]

I agree. Most of the 75 year olds I know have a lot more money than me. They own their own homes, benefited from low house prices in the past, and zero university fees. Many have several holidays a year. Absoloutly, they should pay for the license. They also shouldn’t receive winter fuel allowenes!

You need to get out more. Because I’ve met pensioners who are dying of cold and hunger. It should be means tested absolutely but not with tv licence which nobody should have to pay.
I think also that SATS should be scrapped because i don’t think it’s fair that spoilt kids with rich grandparents who have helped mummy and daddy buy their first house, should also have the privilege of going to a school which receives more funding thus better SATS results.

 

[non binary coat]

These pensioners are acting like such snowflakes over this. Petitions and refusing to pay even though poor pensioners will still get it for free. Why do people think they should get something for free at a certain age? Would pensioners go into Waitrose and demand that they get their shopping for free?

Boomers I've often seen be the most entitled snowflakes in society.

 

[Deepsigh2018]

I think the tv licence is a massive waste of money. I do watch the bbc but only for Eastenders. They should just advertise like other channels do or offer it as a subscription tbh if I had the choice I wouldn't bother. I've actually noticed recently that we rarely watch hardly any of the pay for channels on sky anymore. The kids watch youtube and I mostly watch netflix.

 

[yellow submarine]

About time this happened. All benefits should be means tested and no this isn't pensioner hating. My parents aren't wealthy and will have to buy there's now but they support this as the brunt of the cuts have been disportionately targetted at younger people. The only pensioner I know that's furious with this is my FIL who's by far very wealthy (two homes and one even has a lift!) and could pay for everyone's licence on his street without even noticing!

 

[Sabbie]

The pensioners I know are the exact opposite of what people here are describing. I am not engaging further unless there are credible stats quoted from credible sources and all I am reading is a lot of bitterness. And they called the pensioners the snowflakes. Mumsnet says it all. Have fun with this one, guys.

 

[Mustard]

I stopped buying a TV licence many years ago, for a long time you could still legally watch the BBC iplayer without it. It was a con during uni days where they said every bedroom in a house needed it's own licence as the doors had locks.

Means testing this by pension credit is sensible. The means testing has already been done and the poorest will still get to watch TV for free. They need to charge wealthier pensioners as soon hardly anyone will be buying one.

Do you keep getting little brown envelopes saying they will be paying you a visit soon? Remember those strange TV Licence detector van adverts to scare people into buying one? An ex of mine got fined as his flat mate actually let an inspector into their living room to see the TV after the inspector knocked on the door asking if they had a TV. They have to see the TV in the house before can issue a fine. The flatmate didn’t realise my ex hadn’t bought one. They split the fine.

 

[non binary coat]

Treating everyone equally is not disrespect. I have family members that are annoyed with the myth that they must be poor. Saying that all people over 75 deserve free tv licences also doesn't reflect that they are all in different financial circumstances.

Loneliness affects people of all ages, suicide is the biggest killer of men below 50. The poorest pensioners (who have £700 a month state pension + free travel + free housing + winter fule) will still get it for free and I can't think there's many others that couldn't afford 40p a day if it really is a lifeline.

The people most at need in this country aren't pensioners and it's time they weren't all treated as poor and struggling. My child benefit was taken away, and that's fine as I think it makes it fairer.

 

[Pinchme]

Maybe if they didn't pay the likes of Linnekar over 1 million in wages per year, and 6 figure sums to all the other so called celebs and not to mention how much the big bugs in the BBC are getting then they wouldn't need to stop free licences.

It's a absolute disgrace, anyone over 75yrs should have it for free.

 

[Sabbie]

Wish my parents got free travel, housing, and winter fuel! Will a free TV license save suicidal men? Is that linked to loneliness? That seems to be a different subject altogether and worthy of its own thread.

Treating everyone equally does not work since they are not on equal ground. I agree that not everyone should get a free license. See above.

The loneliness in oaps in also due to lack of mobility. My parents cannot use a bus due to their mobility and go once a month to a supermarket which costs them around 20 quid in a cab ride. They live in an area where bus travel is not free anyway. They would go out more often but the cab is too expensive and they have to save back cab money in case they need to go to a doctor which is also another 20 quid round trip. They are not poor enough to receive credit, but they definitely would not be happy to pay full price on a TV license. They live in an area where many of their neighbors are in the same boat. The other thread you started about oaps brought up posters who said they knew plenty of oaps who struggle. I am glad you know people that have an easy retired time, but not everyone does. I just don't understand why people get all upset about someone who has worked hard all their life and managed to stay alive this long. It's pretty fucking amazing actually.

 

[Mum31]

K bye.

It's not just about pensioners you know, it's a wildly recognised fact that the current set of pensioners are the richest generation there's ever been and ever will be for quite a while. Tens of thousands of articles out there from reputable data sources like the office of national statistics.

As already said 1/3 will still get it for free. The poorest pensioner that never saved a penny for retirement will receive £720 a month + all rent paid + bus pass + winter fuel + free TV licence still. That's way more than many working people have, not cruise and Merc money but not starving and cold either.

But we’re not necessarily talking about the ones that get all their rent paid, we’re talking about the people in the middle.
The ones that have to sell up their home to pay for their nursing care.
Trust me I’ve cared for enough ex proffesional 90 year olds who don’t have enough money to eat properly or fix things in their home for example.
It’s not the benefits recipients or the rich I worry for it’s those who are in between.