BBC review of free over 75 TV licenses.

[towny44]

The attached link takes you to the consultation page where you can give your views on this topic, it also has an area for you to give your more general views of the BBC, and their wage structure and political bias.

https://goo.gl/tPZSGe

[Onelife]

The attached link takes you to the consultation page where you can give your views on this topic, it also has an area for you to give your more general views of the BBC, and their wage structure and political bias.

https://goo.gl/tPZSGe

I can't be bothered to read the consultation paper but l think free TV licences should be means tested as should child bennifit.......sorry for going off topic.

[Stephen]

By the time the government has spent millions on advertising, case studies, means testing etc etc.......it would be cheaper to just allow the free licence to those entitled.

And where do you stop, no more free prescriptions for the over 60's. I hope not.

[Manoverboard]

There is doubtless huge scope within the BBC to save money before it needs to penalise the eldest OAPs who often have just the TV for their contact with the outside World.

[barney]

Gary Lineker's salary comes to mind !!!!!

[gfwgfw]

I am a very elderly ole **** . . . 84

. . . and I do believe that us oldies are generally financially more comfortable than the younger generation

I have just been credited credited £300 for help with my heating which in all honesty is not necessary, plus free travel, prescriptions TV licence etc

My Grand children all work hard with very little hope of buying their own property

Lubooo all

Graham

[oldbluefox]

I am a very elderly ole **** . . . 84

. . . and I do believe that us oldies are generally financially more comfortable than the younger generation

I have just been credited credited £300 for help with my heating which in all honesty is not necessary, plus free travel, prescriptions TV licence etc

My Grand children all work hard with very little hope of buying their own property

Lubooo all

Graham

We were in much the same situation as the youngsters of today Graham, just setting out with home buying etc although my own nephews and nieces are much better off than I was at their age. It was only through hard work,hard saving and a sense of deferred gratification that I can now enjoy my years of retirement.
Even now there are areas of the country I could not afford to live. Sometimes it's a case of trimming your cloth etc. so I'm afraid I don't subscribe to the 'poor youngsters of today' argument.
However I do agree if you feel you don't need your heating allowance you could always donate it to charity. The problem with means testing means that the frugal amongst us miss out whilst the spendthrifts with not a penny to their name win hands down.

[david63]

The other problem with mean testing is that the cost of doing it can outweigh the savings.

Scrapping the £10 Christmas bonus would make a considerable saving.

[oldbluefox]

Do you still get an extra 25p pension when you reach 80? What is/was the point of that?

[Mervyn and Trish]

I think all these odd benefits should be added to the pension. Save a huge amount in admin and the better off would pay tax on them, the poorer wouldn't. Automatic means test.

But a specific on the over 75 tv licence. This used to be payed for by the government out of its funds. They cunningly saved money by transferring the responsibility to the BBC, effectively cutting its income and giving it the present headache. Forget Gary Lineker's pay and the other publicised high salaries. They are the exception, driven by market forces and a drop in the ocean. Most BBC employees get very ordinary salaries.

People already complain about repeats. If the BBC can't find a solution to this issue there will be more.

[Stephen]

I am a very elderly ole **** . . . 84

. . . and I do believe that us oldies are generally financially more comfortable than the younger generation

I have just been credited credited £300 for help with my heating which in all honesty is not necessary, plus free travel, prescriptions TV licence etc

My Grand children all work hard with very little hope of buying their own property

Lubooo all

Graham

They still want the latest mobile phones, nights out, designer clothes, make up, fancy hair doo's, holidays abroad etc.....

If you want things badly enough in life you have to make sacrifices and put in the graft even if that means taking on a second job as I did in my yoof.

[Mervyn and Trish]

So did you climb chimneys and work in t'mill?

[david63]

Whilst I don't disagree with the concept of working for what you want I also think that it has to be borne in mind that the ratio of earnings to costs has changed dramatically in some areas - especially housing. Around the mid 1970 a house was roughly three times family income, now it is almost eight times.

[Stephen]

Whilst I don't disagree with the concept of working for what you want I also think that it has to be borne in mind that the ratio of earnings to costs has changed dramatically in some areas - especially housing. Around the mid 1970 a house was roughly three times family income, now it is almost eight times.

Fair comment David, but it's all relevant. Prices are higher now but so are wages. Yes, I know property is expensive but we can't all live in mansion houses, you have to cut your cloth according to your means. The problem these days is the younger generation want it all, new big house, new everything inside and a wedding that could settle the national debt. No problem if you can afford it, but don't bleet that everything is so expensive and how hard life is.

[Stephen]

So did you climb chimneys and work in t'mill?

28hrs a day Merv.

I use to do a bl**dy long day fixing motors then come home, a quick bath then out taxi driving until midnight to help get a deposit together for our first two up two down.

[screwy]

Simples....the beeb should go commercial.

[Mervyn and Trish]

No thanks. No freebies there. You pay for it through the nose every time you go shopping even if you are 75.

And keep its shareholders in caviar and champagne.

[oldbluefox]

Fair comment David, but it's all relevant. Prices are higher now but so are wages. Yes, I know property is expensive but we can't all live in mansion houses, you have to cut your cloth according to your means. The problem these days is the younger generation want it all, new big house, new everything inside and a wedding that could settle the national debt. No problem if you can afford it, but don't bleet that everything is so expensive and how hard life is.

Spot on Stephen.

[Onelife]

So did you climb chimneys and work in t'mill?

28hrs a day Merv.

I use to do a bl**dy long day fixing motors then come home, a quick bath then out taxi driving until midnight to help get a deposit together for our first two up two down.

With respect Stephen you are talking a load of Bollocks ......



We all know there are only 24hr in a day

[Stephen]

And you probably slept through most of them

[screwy]

No thanks. No freebies there. You pay for it through the nose every time you go shopping even if you are 75.

And keep its shareholders in caviar and champagne.

Only if you shop at the ones advertising....Err, nothing wrong with shareholders.Not into champers tho..

[Ranchi]

Simples....the beeb should go commercial

...and be beholden to the whims of the advertisers?
Prefer it when they can upset all sides equally.

[towny44]

No thanks. No freebies there. You pay for it through the nose every time you go shopping even if you are 75.

And keep its shareholders in caviar and champagne.

Never understood that viewpoint, firms will always find somewhere to advertise their products in order to maximise sales, the marketing budget should always be self financing without the need to increase prices, otherwise the firm will lose its competitive edge. Sorry Merv but advertising on the BBC will only hurt firms competing for advertising revenue.

[Mervyn and Trish]

No thanks. No freebies there. You pay for it through the nose every time you go shopping even if you are 75.

And keep its shareholders in caviar and champagne.

Only if you shop at the ones advertising....Err, nothing wrong with shareholders.Not into champers tho..

Since every supermarket advertises unless you shop in small grocers or Oxfam you're paying!

[Mervyn and Trish]

No thanks. No freebies there. You pay for it through the nose every time you go shopping even if you are 75.

And keep its shareholders in caviar and champagne.

Never understood that viewpoint, firms will always find somewhere to advertise their products in order to maximise sales, the marketing budget should always be self financing without the need to increase prices, otherwise the firm will lose its competitive edge. Sorry Merv but advertising on the BBC will only hurt firms competing for advertising revenue.

Surprisingly we're not disagreeing John. The only people who would win if the BBC went commercial would be the advertisers. Competition would drive down prices, slash the broadcasters' revenue and hit programme budgets and quality on all stations.

The British broadcasting system works because there are separate finance streams. The licence fee for the BBC, advertising for ITV, 4 and 5. Subscription for Sky, Netflix etc. Start to mess with that and every one is a loser.