Now that the BBC has announced a delay to the payment by the over 75s for their TV licence from June to August, due to the over 70s likely being asked by the Government to self isolate as a necessary precaution against the coronavirus for a few months, will the Government now show some heart to cancel the arrangement and take back responsibility for granting this universal benefit forthwith?

In my view it is unlikely we will have heard the end of the saga by August - nobody knows.

Obviously the BBC does not want to be the villain in this scenario, though it may have to carry through with it eventually.

However, it’ll be the Government who will appear even more extremely hypocritical and mean by not closing this obvious conflict of asking seniors to stay home, but refusing them the free TV licence, that many in their nineties have enjoyed for years, thus assisting their well-being and mitigating loneliness!

Christopher Brooks,

Chair, Anglia Region, National Pensioners Convention