ANGER at the BBC’s move to scrap a universal scheme to provide free TV licences to the over-75s shows no sign of abating – with Age UK's St Helens chief adding his voice to the opposition.

Famous television faces have staged protests against the controversial move and more than 572,000 people have signed Age UK’s petition ‘Switched Off: Save free TV for older people’ within days.

This follows an announcement that the corporation will now means test the licence to prevent financial risk to other services.

Mark Lunney, chief executive of Age Concern Mid Mersey, which is based at Mansion House in Victoria Park, said: “Many of our oldest citizens rely on the TV as their constant companion and window on the world.

"And now it’s under threat.

"Means-testing may sound fair but in reality it means at least 650,000 of our poorest pensioners facing an annual bill they simply can’t afford.

"We must also recognise that many older people don’t often claim benefits they are entitled to and usually because they don’t know how or need help. But this is really the Government’s doing: they pushed the scheme onto the BBC without asking any of us what we think or providing the funding to sustain it.

"Together, we must demand the Government takes back responsibility for funding free TV licences for everyone over 75 – its simply wrong and both the government and the BBC must act now.”

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SwitchedOff petition now has more than half a million signatures

Age UK says for more than a million of the oldest people in the country, television is their main form of company adding that most vulnerable older people in society will suffer “a big blow to their pockets and quality of life”.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “The fact that our SwitchedOff petition now has more than half a million signatures shows the strength of public feeling about the unfairness of the Government scrapping free TV licences for over-75s, and remember that about half of this age group – 47 per cent – are not themselves online.

“Ever since the BBC announced its decision to means test the free TV licence from June 2020 we have been inundated at Age UK with phone calls, emails and petition sign ups, to the extent that our IT has sometimes struggled to cope.”

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Ms Abrahams added: “Make no mistake, if this scheme goes ahead we are going to see sick and disabled people in their eighties and nineties who are completely dependent on their cherished TV for companionship and news, forced to give it up.

BBC bosses have said shouldering the cost of over 75s licence fees was a result of Conservative austerity.

Director-general Lord Tony Hall claims that cuts and an incoming Tory government were behind the BBC decision to take on the expensive concession, which would have cost the broadcaster £725 million by 2020.

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Director-general Lord Tony Hall

The Government has also been criticised for a lack of transparency in negotiations over the BBC’s charter, which enshrined the duty to pay for over-75s licences.

The corporation will now means test the licence to prevent financial risk to other services. Lord Hall said that the arrangement was a good deal at the time in 2015, at the “height of austerity”.

The manner in which charters are negotiated with government has also been criticised as “extremely poor” and happening “behind closed doors”.

Ms Abrahams said: “Although it was the BBC’s decision to means-test the free TV licence for over-75s, the real blame for this situation lies with the Government, which pushed the responsibility onto our national broadcaster without the money to pay for it.

“Whoever the next PM turns out to be, we will be calling on them to step in and do right by our older population by keeping the free TV licence going – at least until 2022 when it can be considered as part of the next BBC funding settlement.

"If the Government wants to change it then let’s have a proper public discussion about it.

“That’s the least older people deserve.” To sign the petition visit www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/campaigning/save-free-tv-for-older-people/