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Tory MPs told: honour your pledges to the elderly

This news post is almost 5 years old
 

Age Scotland has urged the Scottish Conservatives to fight for the retention of free TV Licenses for pensioners

Tory MPs are being pressed on their commitment to maintaining support for the elderly.

Age Scotland has written to all 13 Scottish Conservative Members of Parliament urging them to honour their 2017 manifesto commitment to maintain pensioner benefits, including TV licences, for the duration of the current parliament.

Brian Sloan, the charity’s chief executive, thanked the party and its leader Ruth Davidson for public support of the campaign, but said more needs to be done to ensure lonely, vulnerable older people do not lose this vital benefit.

He urged Scottish MPs to lobby the UK government to take back control of the entitlement and get assurances from whoever they support for prime minister to commit to paying for TV licences for everyone aged over 75.

From 2020, the BBC will only provide a free TV licence to over-75s if they receive Pension Credit. This means 300,000 will lose their eligibility and be forced to pay £154.50 from next year, give up their television, or face a £1,000 fine.

Four in ten older people who are eligible do not receive Pension Credit, meaning more than 50,000 of the poorest over 75s in Scotland will lose their free licence.

Almost 600,000 people have signed a petition by Age Scotland’s sister charity, Age UK, in support of keeping the TV licence free to all over 75s.

With nearly half of all over-75s in Scotland saying that their main form of company is their TV or a pet, the loss of a free TV licence could be a devastating blow for those unable to afford the extra bill.

Mr Sloan said: “As 12 of the 13 MPs were elected for the first time on this manifesto, it will no doubt be important to them to ensure that this promise is kept. We are urging them to seek an assurance from whoever becomes the next Prime Minister to reinstate the free licence for everyone aged over 75.

“This is not something the BBC should ever have had to make a decision about. Benefits and entitlements must be the exclusive remit of government, local and national, not a broadcaster.

“With an ageing population and alarming levels of loneliness among older people, they urgently need to take back control of this much-needed benefit. For nearly a quarter of a million older people in Scotland, their main form of company is their TV. It’s not just entertainment but their window to the world.

"We must not stand by and allow it to be taken away.”

 

Comments

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ROBERT MCINTOSH
over 4 years ago
Sadly, given the 13 Tory MPs commitment to supporting ANY policy that their masters in London implement they will, at best, make a few sympathetic noises and then promptly say it is a BBC decision, not a UK Government decision. Sadly more of this will follow as it looks increasingly likely that the UK Government has decided that if it simply cuts funding to an institution, it then lays the blame on the institution for making the cuts, rather than the UK Government. Just look how rapidly they are privatising NHS England by this approach which will sadly see NHS Scotland lose £millions from the pro-rata funding agreements.
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Mrs Alison Sibbald
about 2 years ago

I think it is appalling that people over 75 years of age, should have to pay for a TV Licence when I for one don’t watch BBC. I do not qualify for pension credit although I am not rich by any means, so out of my work pension, industrial injuries pension and state pension, I have to pay for a Tv licence at my age? I don’t think so. I am in more need of an electric wheelchair 🦼 so I can get out and about after shielding for over two years. But I can’t afford it now with the rises in Electricty, , gas, food etc. my health has deteriorated so badly over the last two years, both my medical and mental health and no one out there gives a dam. Not the Scottish Government, care for the elderly, “Who are they?.” Housing, DWP. I have tried to get help from all of them but they don’t answer their phones after 3hours of waiting or sorry we don’t do that kind of care anymore??. It is atrocious in this day and age that Elderly people are treated in such a way that they are not respected and given assistance when they are in need, after working all their lives. I don’t just write all of this for myself but on behalf of all elderly sick/lonely/disabled/housebound people in Scotland. It’s about time there was an MP that dealt with the whole of Social Care for older people in Scotland, they have one for everything else, no wonder the government is failing us, we are not cared for in any shape of form. Our bus passes were taken away from us and given you young people Why? Our financial support for using taxis were taken away and the financial help for train journeys reduced. What comes next? I dread to think. We are just left on the scrap heap. I know this article was predominantly about TV Licence but I am so upset with the Scottish Government and their lack of care for us I just had to pass my feelings on. I hope it gets through to Nicola Sturgeon and her cabinet and is discussed in Parliament. I am not able to write to all of how I feel regarding my health issues on here and I don’t have the energy to write to so many different MP’s that deal with Social care for the Elderly, their needs to be one umbrella that is contactable for this purpose. It needs to happen now.

0 0
Mrs Alison Sibbald
about 2 years ago

I think it is appalling that people over 75 years of age, should have to pay for a TV Licence when I for one don’t watch BBC. I do not qualify for pension credit although I am not rich by any means, so out of my work pension, industrial injuries pension and state pension, I have to pay for a Tv licence at my age? I don’t think so. I am in more need of an electric wheelchair 🦼 so I can get out and about after shielding for over two years. But I can’t afford it now with the rises in Electricty, , gas, food etc. my health has deteriorated so badly over the last two years, both my medical and mental health and no one out there gives a dam. Not the Scottish Government, care for the elderly, “Who are they?.” Housing, DWP. I have tried to get help from all of them but they don’t answer their phones after 3hours of waiting or sorry we don’t do that kind of care anymore??. It is atrocious in this day and age that Elderly people are treated in such a way that they are not respected and given assistance when they are in need, after working all their lives. I don’t just write all of this for myself but on behalf of all elderly sick/lonely/disabled/housebound people in Scotland. It’s about time there was an MP that dealt with the whole of Social Care for older people in Scotland, they have one for everything else, no wonder the government is failing us, we are not cared for in any shape of form. Our bus passes were taken away from us and given you young people Why? Our financial support for using taxis were taken away and the financial help for train journeys reduced. What comes next? I dread to think. We are just left on the scrap heap. I know this article was predominantly about TV Licence but I am so upset with the Scottish Government and their lack of care for us I just had to pass my feelings on. I hope it gets through to Nicola Sturgeon and her cabinet and is discussed in Parliament. I am not able to write to all of how I feel regarding my health issues on here and I don’t have the energy to write to so many different MP’s that deal with Social care for the Elderly, their needs to be one umbrella that is contactable for this purpose. It needs to happen now.

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