When the BBC announced that, effective June 2020, they would be scrapping their free TV licences for over-75 year olds unless you claimed Pension Credit it was met with uproar.
The elderly are the BBC's biggest viewers and after the new government legislation who paid the broadcasting corporation £745 million a year ends the BBC was forced to cut costs and was responsible to raise income in other ways.
The Conservative government funding withdrawal has placed the BBC in this position. And the budget cuts could also lead to a loss of British culture. The BBC's choice to end the scheme will hit their most loyal audience the hardest. Television and radio is often the main source of companionship and entertainment for many married and widowed pensioners.
Britain’s elderly deserve better. After years of paying their taxes and contributing to society it seems only fair to provide pensioners with free TV licenses and a free bus pass. Instead the people on the lowest incomes face going to prison for non-payment. UK pensioners deserve better and charging them is a great injustice against the elderly.
There is no doubt the BBC needs to modernise with the rising number of TV channels, streaming services and social media it struggles to capture the younger audience.
As a license payer myself the BBC doesn't hold my attention or trust anymore. Where once the BBC offered the best programmes and journalism its standards and quality has fallen short over the last decade. In recent years we've seen huge salaries paid to presenters and celebrities as the service has deteriorate.
By cutting costs, capping salaries and closing down programmes I doubt the organisation can compete with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV in the TV content market.
Long term and if the BBC doesn't start adding value again and get its act together then the audience and authority it once had is going to keep dwindling until the license fee is scrapped altogether.
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