Cable Forum - View Single Post - BBC to scrap free licence fee for over-75s

RichardCoulter · 12-06-2019, 23:11

There is uproar following the withdrawal of free TVL's for some pensioners and it wouldn't surprise me if one of the Tory leadership contenders (or the new PM if/when a general election is called) announces that the scheme will stay as it is in order to court votes.

This is particularly relevant as it was in the Tory manifesto that this benefit would remain in it's current form for the lifetime of this Parliament (expected to be 2022 at the latest) and older voters are more likely to vote and to vote Conservative.

They won't want to pay for it though, so I can see the BBC having to fund it through a combination of above inflation TVL increases and having to slash TV, radio and online services too.

In order to protect core services, I can see channels such as BBC Scotland, BBC4 etc being the first to go, CBBC/Cbeebies may go online only, Radio 1/2 closing or being sold off to the private sector and Radio 3 following the practice of Scala and Classic FM by playing prerecorded music without orchestras.

12-06-2019, 23:11	#76
RichardCoulter cf.mega poster Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 10,052	Re: BBC to scrap free licence fee for over-75s There is uproar following the withdrawal of free TVL's for some pensioners and it wouldn't surprise me if one of the Tory leadership contenders (or the new PM if/when a general election is called) announces that the scheme will stay as it is in order to court votes. This is particularly relevant as it was in the Tory manifesto that this benefit would remain in it's current form for the lifetime of this Parliament (expected to be 2022 at the latest) and older voters are more likely to vote and to vote Conservative. They won't want to pay for it though, so I can see the BBC having to fund it through a combination of above inflation TVL increases and having to slash TV, radio and online services too. In order to protect core services, I can see channels such as BBC Scotland, BBC4 etc being the first to go, CBBC/Cbeebies may go online only, Radio 1/2 closing or being sold off to the private sector and Radio 3 following the practice of Scala and Classic FM by playing prerecorded music without orchestras.