Would you be willing to pay more for your TV licence to ensure it stays free for over 75s?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

I blinking would.

I know it's be a administrative impossiblity to achieve, but volunteering to pay an extra £5/£10 per year? Could it work?

I think it should be means tested. Its not ageist or "pensioner-hating" to observe that many many pensioners don't need the freebies they're automatically entitled to. (Incidently i believe the same about free school meals for all ks1 children, i would rather the money went to fund those in need than all ks1 children regardless of their parents income) . One of my relatives (in their 80s) gets their state pension, their private pension and their deceased DH pension (which, on its own is the same as my just below average wage). They're not going to miss £12/month. Another octogenarian couple i know had 4 children, the wife stopped work at 22 to SAH and never went back to work. they relied on the DH (low-average) salary and now live a very comfortable, although not lavish lifestyle. They also would not not miss £12/month. How many families now would be able to do that? When austerity cuts are affecting Pips and UC and people are struggling to make ends meet on zero hours contracts and NMW with no retirement in sight til probably 70, it only seems fair that some other benefits (like tv licence) are also reduced.

I found myself in a group of over 75s and nearly 75s today. They were discussing this. Every one of them said they thought that the general free licences should go. Most said that they would have to pay, but would be happy (ish) to do so.

I don't know anyone's financial circumstances, but I have no reason to believe I was among the super-rich.

I don't own a tv or have a tv licence Myself so no way would I pay for one for a pensioner.

No, no way. Most of the older people I know have tens of thousands in the bank. The image of a pensioner barely surviving on just their pension money is very outdated, and many older people already benefit hugely from free bus travel, free prescriptions etc which the younger generations are subsidising.

I would agree to pay a slightly higher license fee to subsidise a free license for all on very low incomes, no matter what age.

As a pp commented a lot of bitter people on here, can’t help wondering given the contempt they clearly have for their own parents/grandparents – many of whom it’s clear from other threads continue to subsidise younger people through free childcare, deposit for renting/mortgages etc…. - how many have their own children. If they do, let’s hope they reap what they sow in terms of their attitudes to older people. This has been a county, and continues to be one, with a great deal of inequality, there are loads of areas/industries that failed from the 80s onward, and areas/communities with little or no wealth as a result, in addition to the many – mostly women – made redundant in their 50s who struggled to find new jobs or any job and mostly lost masses in terms of pension opportunities. Also, lots of further assumptions on here, pensioners don’t automatically own their homes, a fair few rent, for them as well as for single pensioners (particularly women), and those from a number of Black-British and Asian-British communities poverty has risen in the last few years and continues to rise. But because a number of posters have families that are affluent and/or not part of any of these groupings they assume everyone is like them and their relatives. But from the tone of things many posters here are the ones who also turn up on the threads about poverty and food banks claiming that no one’s really poor, and that no one should need help…so I doubt they give a toss about anyone but themselves. Of course, they’ll be back again moaning about whether or not they’ll be included in their parents’/grandparents’ wills – although of course most of the money, where there is any, will have gone into social care. - because they may loathe, resent and despise older people but that won’t stop them looking for a hand-out later.

I can't speak for anyone else, but quite the contrary for Dottie.
It is because I know of so much poverty (I am passing at least a dozen people sleeping on the streets, begging for change on my 7 minute walk through our City Centre each day this week). I also work with children with complex needs whose families are just crumbling under the lack of support and the incredible barriers they have to access such basic things as a school place for their child, let alone any sort of respite at any point. So many service have been withdrawn due to lack of public funds, and those that remain have been cut to the core. Then mental health services in the UK - underfunded for decades - are now completely broken. Emergency services - the police and ambulance services in particular - are horrendously over stretched. Then there are the ridiculous waiting lists in the NHS. Food Banks are the biggest growth area. This is people not having food in the 21st century !!!! I could go on and on, writing a list of things I'd be very willing to pay out more for, bt giving a free license to people based on their age and not their wealth, is certainly not one of them. Not because I am mean, but because there are SOOOOOOOOO many things that are more crucial in a hierarchy of need.

I know that 23% of pensioners live in social housing but i dont know the figure for private rental.

@Dottierichardson there are quite a few cheering on the Pension Credit cut too.

It will only click when they themselves are affected because the pensioner and/or younger partner are unable to provide childcare.

No I fucking wouldn’t! I’m way more skint than most pensioners - and the ones with the lowest incomes still get it free so. Big fat fuck off to that.

Thanks but if you read through my post you will see I didn't refer to TV licensing, but was responding to the general attitude of contempt and unpleasantness towards older people on this thread; as well as the general assumption that because people know others who are affluent that everyone is automatically in that category. As someone who grew up in care, volunteered with disadvantaged groups from my teens, worked in inner city areas with people in the situations you describe I am well aware of the problems you outline. But I do not think it reasonable or logical to pit one group of people against another, nor do I think that because anecdotally I know some people in certain categories that are affluent that all people in that category are also automatically so....

Thanks Helena I completely agree.

No, I think they should get rid of the licence fee together. Its ridiculous to have all this hoo ha over 4 channels and some radio stations. Most people now bought up on netflix, streaming etc wont give a shit when they're 75 anyway.

No.

Too right, BackForGood. You're damn right I'm bitter! I have to emigrate to get my child vital psychiatric services, tear apart what's left of my family after our older child died, due to cuts, cuts, cuts, and people are bitching about means testing a fucking TV license! The mind boggles.

Absolutely not. Postwar generation enjoyed the best economic growth of history and many have generous pensions that are underfunded (e.g. final salary schemes) that the current labour force effectively funds.

Compare this to subsequent generations of pensioners

This government could make lots of cut backs to find this but they choose not to. Stop hs2 for one thing. That would pay for the tv licences. Stop the loop holes the extremely rich use to avoid paying tax. Make nrp pay a decent amount towards their children either rp aren't on the bread line. I could go on and on.

Dottierichardson

I don't have contempt for my grandparents, I love and respect them dearly. Like the rest of my family for as far back as you can go they are working class and have lived through poverty, they live in sheltered social housing now. They are not wealthy now but nor are they poor and they most certainly could afford the £3 A week for a tv license. My dp grandparents are pretty well off, again they could certainly afford the tv license.

I don't see bitterness or contempt on this thread. I just see people sick of the being force fed the poor pensioner who worked and struggled their whole lives so now they deserve these blanket benefits. Millenials are often called the entitled generation.... well I'm sorry but expecting things for free purely due to age is about as entitled as you can get.

I will say once again I will happily pay more tax for people to receive better benefits IF THEY NEED THEM.

Oh and my child is in paid for childcare, I expect to receive zero in inheritance and I have never taken a penny off mine or dh parents that we didn't then pay back.

I was born in the 60s. I went to University even though my family aren't well off. I got a part-time job. I didn't have tuition fees/ student loan to worry about and decent paid part-time jobs were plentiful.

I'm not expecting anyone to sub me when/if I get to old age. Why should they? I'm comfortable, and had a far easier time of it than youngsters now.

I've not had a TV licence for years. I opted out, there's an online form it's easy to sort. I don't watch live TV nor BBC I Player at all - Netflix and On Demand/Catch Up works fine for me.

I hope the BBC is dispensed with sooner rather than later. It's not a necessity.

No, all benefits should be means tested.

I'd donate to a charity which paid them for the elderly? I know many over 75s with millions in the bank and others with no one and nothing

My parents worked a damn lot harder than a lot of youngsters, most of who don't even start work until well into their 20's.

Presumably your parents generation retired in their 60s. No chance of that for younger generations.

Not a chance.

Allow adverts and let everyone have it free!

A study in 2018 found that more than half of pensioners are in the top income bracket. So like it or not, and backpain, legpain, hip pains or not, and whether some GP do childcare or not, it's not bitter and not loathsome or resentful to expect 'those that can' to pay for themselves. If this was applied more wildly then the NHS and social service should wouldn't be slowly collapsing. And I've worked in the NHS for 30 years so know not all frail elderly with chronic conditions are poor. Surely this 'silent generation' wouldn't be wanting to claim a benefit they don't need anyway? Emotive language doesn't change fact.

Dottierichardson
It's not contempt for older people to point out, quite correctly as even you agree, that not all of them actually need a free TV licence.
Most people are more than happy to fund free licences to those who need it but think it should be means tested.

Unfortunately, because the 'grey vote' has been a dominant electoral group, for a number of years there's been an unwillingness to do anything that might prove electorally unpopular, even if it's morally right. With the challenges facing working people and young people, it's right that people shouldn't get stuff for free just because they are older.

Many (not all )pensioners are fairly well off, and have easily enough cash for their daily needs and more!.I fail to see why they are held up as this struggling group who need all the help they can get !.Fair enough if they are struggling ,but all on pension credit will recieve it for free anyway!

"but people who know of well off pensioners can claim all pensioners are well off!" NOBODY has said anything close to that!

But many over 75's ARE very well off, means testing it means that those pensioners who aren't well off WILL still be covered - absolutely nobody has objected to that at all.

But it's ridiculous to subsidise wealthy people!

My parents aren't off having multiple holidays because of my dads complex health issues but they could afford to, they do have a nice house though, mum has a great new car, they're impossible to buy gifts for because anything they want or need they just get, they've just had the garden landscaped, new garage with automatic door built, new Windows throughout and a new patio is next I'm told.

My ex in laws certainly do holiday they're off on a couple of cruises and a couple of long package holidays a year, they're also in a very nice 3 bed detached property that's fully paid off, with large gardens front and back, double garage, friends parents are the same, one friends parents barely even stays in the uk much of the time, they stay in U.K. Enough of the year to qualify for certain things but the rest of the time they're in their villa in Spain!

And the statistics bear this out

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/ageing/articles/howdothepostworldwarbabyboomgenerationscompare/2018-03-06

There are a few pensioners I know who aren't as well off but they qualify for and claim pension credits so they would have their licence covered.

The rest of us who aren't well off have bloody everything means tested AND don't get free tv licences why should pensioners be exempt? If we're a few pence over a threshold for something there's no sympathy or exceptions!