Last year, the BBC limited free TV licences to over-75s in receipt of Pension Credit, a benefit designed to help with daily living costs for people over State Pension age on a low income. In January, the UK Government announced that the licence fee will be frozen at £159 until April 2024, before rising with inflation until April 2028.
Parliament returned from summer recess on September 5, and away from the spotlight on the changeover at Downing Street as Liz Truss takes over as the new leader of the Conservative party and prime minister, Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan asked the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), whether an assessment has been made of the ‘adequacy of the cost of the TV license for elderly people’ during the cost of living crisis.
DCMS Minister, Matt Warman MP, responded that the UK Government is “committed to supporting households as much as possible during these difficult times” and urged the BBC to look at how it uses its “substantial licence fee” income to support older people.
