The Big Question:
Who does the finger of blame point at for ending the free TV licence for OAPs
? The Conservative Party who passed the buck to the BBC?
or
? The BBC for reversing the agreement they made with the Government?
In the United Kingdom, free TV licences are currently available to everyone aged over 75. This concession covers the whole household, so that even if just one member of the household is over 75, then a free TV licence may be applied for to cover all the residents. Free TV licences based solely on age are due to end in June 2020. Full funding for the scheme has been provided by central government since November 2000, but following a funding agreement between the Conservative government and the BBC, made in 2016, this funding was to be phased out between April 2018 and April 2020 after which time the BBC will receive no further funding from the government for this scheme. It has been estimated that if full funding had been maintained, it would have contributed £745m to the BBC's 2020/21 budget. The BBC held a public consultationin November 2018 to decide whether the concession to the over-75s should continue after 2020 and, if so, in what form. The response to the BBC's questionnaire, 48% were in favour of retaining the existing concessionary system, 37% preferred reforming the concession and 17% preferred the option of abolition of the concession. Under current plans, the BBC intends to discontinue the full concession, but to continue to offer free licences on a means-tested basis; from 2020, most over 75s will be required to pay the full licence fee, but households where one person receives a pension credit benefit will continue to be eligible for a free licence.
On the Isle of Man, free TV licences are scheme funded by the Isle of Man Department of Social Care.
....Wikipedia
A fair solution would be to give a free TV licence to OAPs over 75 who live alone, which can be easily worked out by the amount of council tax they pay.
