Overview
- A petition demanding free TV licences for all state pensioners has passed the threshold that required a formal government reply and continues to gather signatures on the petitions website.
- The Department for Culture, Media and Sport responded in early June by saying there is currently no concession for all pensioners and it does not plan to reverse the 2020 change that ended universal over‑75 licences.
- DCMS reiterated that existing, legislated concessions remain in place for over‑75s who get Pension Credit, people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, and some residents in qualifying care homes.
- The petition could trigger a Parliamentary debate if it reaches 100,000 signatures before it closes in July 2026, and the government said any broader concession decisions would be debated as part of the BBC Royal Charter and funding review.
- The dispute sits against rising costs for households, a 2026 licence fee of £180, and the 2020 estimate that a universal over‑75 concession would have cost about £745 million a year, factors the government says shape what concessions are affordable.