A group of MPs has called on the Government to restore free TV licences to those over the age of 75 who are not in receipt of pension credit.
In its annual report, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee criticises the then government, under prime minister Theresa May, for “seeking to ‘bounce’ the BBC into accepting a deal that exposed it to funding free TV licences for all those over 75 beyond 2020.”
“The BBC finds itself here as the result of a deal done behind closed doors that allowed no transparency for licence fee payers. Detailed minutes which would have shone a light on the crucial decision making process are absent or incomplete which is a matter of great regret,” said Chair of the DCMS Committee Damian Collins MP.
In July, senior BBC executives told the Committee continuing to fund licences for all over 75s would require “unprecedented closures of services”, including BBC Two, the BBC News Channel, and Radio 5live.
But the Committee says this was “radically different” to what the BBC had said in 2015 and in advice given by the Director-General to the BBC Trust board.
It suggests it was possible that the BBC never intended to fully fund the over 75s licences beyond 2020, but “unsurprisingly this is not reflected in the minutes of their meetings at the time of the negotiations”.
Responding to the DCMS Committee report into TV Licences for over 75s, Sir David Clementi, Chairman of the BBC, said: “Under the 2015 agreement, the BBC was given responsibility for the policy, and related funding, of the concession for over 75s. We are pleased that the committee recognise that there was no automatic assumption that the BBC would continue to bear the cost of these free TV licences. There is also clear recognition from the committee that it would be unsustainable for the BBC to take on the full cost of all these free licences alone.
“The Committee report is also clear that the value of the licence fee will continue to be under pressure from inflation in the TV sector.
“The Committee say that the Government’s process in 2015 was flawed and we agree with this; it was never a process the BBC would have chosen. That’s why there must be a different way of doing things in the future. In terms of the agreement itself, we are satisfied that it was properly discussed within the BBC and properly authorised.
“We will continue to implement the decision we have taken – after extensive consultation – on over 75s licence fees with great care and responsibility.”
