A campaign to secure free television licences for all UK pensioners is gaining momentum, but supporters have only a month left to sign a petition that could trigger a parliamentary debate. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), led by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, has issued a fresh statement, confirming it is 'keeping an open mind' about 'new concessions' for households.
The petition, which has already garnered nearly 40,000 signatures, needs 100,000 to be considered for a parliamentary debate. If it reaches that threshold, Culture Secretary Nandy would be required to weigh arguments, and ministers would have to defend the government's official stance in Parliament. The petition closes on July 21.
Current TV Licence Fee and Concessions
The standard TV licence fee is £180 per year, funding BBC television, radio, and online services, including iPlayer, Sounds app, and World Service. In 2024/2025, the BBC's licence fee income totalled £3.8 billion, with 23.8 million licences in force. A licence is legally required to watch or record live TV on any channel, including Sky and Freeview, stream live on platforms like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, or use BBC iPlayer.
Currently, free TV licences are only available to pensioners aged 75 or over who receive Pension Credit, or their partner living at the same address. Universal free licences for all over-75s ended in July 2020, with the BBC arguing that subsidising them would lead to 'unprecedented closures'.
Petition Demands and Public Sentiment
The petition states: 'We want the Government to fund free TV licences for existing pensioners and those who reach the official retirement age. Many pensioners live on the breadline with only the TV for company. With the cost of food soaring and utility bills ever higher, we feel there is a desperate need to provide all pensioners with at least this concession.' It also criticises the means-testing requirement, noting that some media figures draw huge salaries while pensioners who have contributed to society are forced to pay.
Government Response
The DCMS commented: 'There are a number of TV licence concessions available, including for over-75s in receipt of pension credit. There is no BBC concession to provide free TV licences for all pensioners at this time. TV Licence concessions are set out in legislation and are currently available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, as well as to over-75s in receipt of pension credit, and people living in qualifying residential care who are disabled or over 60 years old.'
The department added: 'The Government is committed to the current licence fee and its available concessions for the remainder of this Charter period, until the end of 2027. We are also keeping an open mind about new concessions and are considering a range of options to better account for different household situations. As set out in the Charter Review Green Paper, we do not plan to remove any existing concessions. We also do not plan to revisit the decision on over-75s licences as the BBC provides a concession for over-75s on pension credit which targets those most in need of support. It was estimated the cost of the TV licence concession for all over-75s could reach around £745 million per annum prior to its amendment in 2020.'
Culture Secretary Nandy has indicated she may be receptive to replacing the flat licence fee with a tiered payment structure, following a proposal by BBC chairman Samir Shah. She condemned the existing flat-rate charge, arguing it meant 'poorer people pay proportionately more than anybody else.'
Currently, three concessions are funded through licence fee income: free licences for over-75s on Pension Credit, half-price licences for the severely sight impaired or blind, and an annual fee of £7.50 for residents in certain care homes.
