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OAPS WILL NOT BE TAKEN TO COURT BY AUNTIE DESPITE PENSIONERS AS OLD AS 100 BEING SENT LETTERS THREATENING THEM WITH PROSECUTION IF THEY DON’T COUGH UP 15:51, 29 May 2025 Pensioners refusing
to pay the BBC licence fee are reportedly being given an unofficial “amnesty”. The broadcaster is not taking over-75s to court despite pensioners as old as 100 being sent letters threatening
them with prosecution if they don’t cough up. It ended universal free licences for over-75s in 2020 as a cost-cutting measure. But Ministry of Justice figures show that the BBC is yet to
prosecute anyone over that age found not to be paying the £174.50 annual charge. Campaigners have described it as a “scandal” and “waste of public resources”. The BBC has said more than 3.6
million households where one person is over 75 have transitioned to paying for their licence since 2020. It added that evasion “remains relatively low” across all age groups with the
overwhelming majority – “around nine in 10 households” – paying the licence fee. A BBC source told the i newspaper: "When free licences ended, the BBC wanted to encourage over-75s to
pay for them so it didn't initially send legal letters to avoid antagonising pensioners. "Then Covid made it impossible to conduct doorstep visits. Now not enforcing payment has
become an unofficial policy. "But the BBC can't admit that because it would give the green light to widespread non-payment. "If every over-75 stopped paying, that would blow a
£500m black hole in the BBC's income." A TV Licensing spokesperson, speaking for the BBC too, said: "Our primary aim is to support customers, particularly those with
vulnerabilities, to get, and stay, licensed. "When there is evidence that someone has avoided paying for a TV Licence when they need one, we have a duty to enforce the law and this
applies to everyone. In all cases, prosecution is a last resort." It follows research which found that Britons are now forking out more on TV streaming subscriptions than the BBC
licence fee. Article continues below Barclays' Consumer Spend report found that the average person is now parting with £175 a year on film and TV streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime
Video, Apple TV and Disney+.