Pensioners in a retirement village, including a 102-year-old woman, have won a battle against the BBC after the broadcaster agreed to reverse a £167 increase to their TV licence fee payments.
Residents of St Crispin Village in Northampton had threatened to fight the BBC in court after being sent “terrifying” letters demanding soaring payments.
The BBC accused the retirement home of breaking rules which entitled pensioners living in the 270-apartment complex to a discounted licence.
The residence’s management was accused of contravening the Communications Act, which makes it an offence to watch TV without a licence, by converting a former storage room in the complex into an additional space for visitors to stay the night.
As a consequence, TV Licensing said the residents no longer qualified for a discounted annual TV licence costing £7.50, awarded to retirees aged over 60 if they live in an eligible residential care home or supported housing.
Instead, they would be charged the full licence fee, which rose to £174.50 in April. Residents were sent warning letters, saying that if they failed to pay the fee, they risked visits from enforcement officers and fines of up to £1,000.
St Crispin Village in Duston is one of the UK’s largest retirement communities with more than 270 units (Photo: Change.org)In April, Stan Fitton, 83, told The i Paper, the letters had been “shocking and terrifying” for his neighbours in the retirement village.
“We have vulnerable widows in their nineties with dementia getting threatening letters and even a 102-year-old woman,” he said.
Leading the fight on behalf of his neighbours, Fitton said he would cancel his debit payments and challenge the BBC in court, if necessary.
Now, the BBC has relented in the face of the residents’ uncompromising stance, with any overpayments to be refunded in full.
Whilst Fitton said his neighbours were “delighted” with the outcome, he fears other residential homes could be facing a similar threat.
There are currently 339,000 Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) licences in force across the UK, with the BBC directly supporting licence fee costs in more than one million households, TV Licensing said.
Free TV licences are costing the BBC £185m after the number of people aged 75 and over claiming the concession increased by 50,000 last year. The BBC is seeking to make £700m in annual savings to make up for a 30 per cent fall in the value of the licence fee since 2010.
Fitton believes TV Licensing is seeking “loopholes” that could reduce the number of residential homes that qualify for the vastly reduced-rate licence.
A letter from TV Licensing sent to Stan Fitton, warning that an investigation had been opened (Photo: Stan Fitton)The Crispin situation was only resolved when management company Housing21 closed the additional “guest suite.”
Fitton said: “For me, it’s a very hollow victory. I remain determined to get a clear definition of what constitutes a guest room as requested on the ARC Licence application form.”
“I think this standoff still has a long way to run, and I’m still concerned that other establishments may be going through exactly the same problems as we had and for the same reason.”
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, the campaign group for pensioners, said: “Hats off to Stan for winning his campaign to have concessionary TV licences restored to his residential complex. When older people are stirred into action by injustices there is no stopping us.”
“But his campaign has identified a loophole in the ARC system which TV Licensing needs to close. Having a guest room for relatives to have an occasional sleepover should not be a reason for cancelling the ARC licence for the whole complex and I am sure this was never intended in the legislation.”
The UK TV licence fee increased to £174.50 in April (Photo: Peter Dazeley/Getty)Reed called it “a sneaky way for TV Licensing to get round their responsibilities towards very old people who rely on having a TV in their rooms.”
A TV Licensing spokesperson, speaking on behalf of the BBC also, said: “The Accommodation for Residential Care TV Licence concession was reintroduced at St Crispin Village in June. Its residents are now paying the discounted licence fee, and those residents who had paid the full fee have been refunded.”
The body said it was enforcing Government regulations under the Communications Act, rather than its own rules.
The Crispin village ARC request had been refused because its application stated that the scheme had two rooms available for overnight guest accommodation, when the regulations only allow for one.
The management at St Crispin Village have since confirmed that one of these guest rooms has been converted back into a storeroom, and TV Licensing has been able to reinstate the ARC concession, the agency indicated.
The spokesperson added: “TV Licensing is committed to working with care home operators, their residents, and with relevant charities and organisations to give advice and support, and ensure everyone knows about and can access relevant concessions.”
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