A petition urging the Labour Party government to introduce free TV licences for all state pensioners will discover its fate by July 21. The government is being urged to reduce the free TV Licence age from 75, for people on Pension Credit, to 66.
Petition Details
The Parliamentary petition website is carrying a petition with 45,000 signatures backing it, halfway towards the 100,000 needed for a Commons debate. People have until July 21 to add their name. The petition reads: "We want the Government to fund free TV licences for existing pensioners and those who reach the official retirement age. When people reach retirement age, we think they should receive a state-financed free TV licence."
Current Rules
As it stands, to qualify for a free BBC TV licence as a pensioner in the UK, either the individual or their partner residing at the same address must be aged 75 or over and in receipt of Pension Credit. The current state pension age is 66 but rising to 67.
What Happens Next
Should the petition reach 100,000 signatures, it will be put forward for consideration in a Parliamentary debate. If debated, it could become law, giving state pensioners a free TV Licence. The petition argues: "Many pensioners live on the breadline with only the TV for company. With the cost of food soaring and utility bills ever higher, we feel there is a desperate need to provide all pensioners with at least this concession."
Who Needs a TV Licence
You need a TV Licence if you watch or record live TV on any channel or service or use BBC iPlayer. You may be able to get a free or discounted TV Licence if you are 75 or over and get Pension Credit, or if you are blind or in residential care. You do not need a TV Licence to watch streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus or on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video. You also do not need one, which costs £180, to watch videos on websites like YouTube and videos or DVDs. If you are living in university accommodation, you will need a TV Licence to watch TV in your own room. Shared areas may already be covered by a TV Licence. If you live at another address outside of term time, you can use its TV Licence while you are at university on most devices.
