Helen Martin: The BBC's greed over licence fee is overwhelming

SOME folk aged 75 and over are still active physically, socially and mentally. Others become increasingly housebound and dependant on television for '˜company', comfort, stimulation and entertainment.

The BBC is a public broadcaster and should not be so greedy, says Helen Martin (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

As George Osborne passed the responsibility of providing free TV licences to such elderly people from the UK Government to the BBC, it’s hardly surprising the Beeb is now proposing to cut or remove that benefit altogether.

Among the methods they are considering are means testing, raising the age qualification and ruling out the oldies living with younger folk. The latter is fair enough – while TV licence fees exist. Means testing doesn’t work for over 75s, especially those who are saving to meet future costs of social or residential care – what the BBC gains today would be lost to local authorities tomorrow.

Raising age eligibility would be totally unfair to those over 70s who are poor, housebound or frail and living alone.

And who, other than the BBC, would have to pay to gather and confirm those details to impose their new regulations?

BBC greed is overwhelming for a public broadcaster.