TV licence: Jon Trickett MP accuses government of breaking a promise to over 5,000 of his constituents

Shadow Cabinet Minister Jon Trickett has accused the government of breaking a promise as nearly 5,000 households in his constituency look set to lose their free TV licence.
promises have been broken: Shadow Cabinet Minister  Jon Trickettpromises have been broken: Shadow Cabinet Minister  Jon Trickett
promises have been broken: Shadow Cabinet Minister Jon Trickett

Mr Trickett said the Tories pledged to keep the benefit in their 2017 General Election manifesto.

He said: “Free TV licences are an important tool in the battle against loneliness and social isolation. Four in 10 older people say the television is their main source of company.

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“In the 2017 Conservative Party Manifesto, the government pledged to keep free TV licenses until the end of this parliament in 2022, but now they have gone back on their word and have plans to scrap them.

“The government has outsourced responsibility and the financial burden of free licences for over-75s to the BBC, and now free TV licences are set to be curtailed or cut completely from 2020.

“For a government that claims to have the interests of elderly people at the forefront, they are increasingly leaving them by the wayside.”

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