Licence plan would help over 7700 elderly people in the north, says Labour candidate
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A PLAN to help the over 75's pay their television licence would benefit over 7700 people in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, according to Labour candidate, Marion Donaldson.
She has backed the proposal - announced by Scottish leader, Anas Sarwar - and says it will help reverse the trend of pensioner poverty.
The party will establish a Staying Connected fund offering grants to every household with someone aged 75 and over, up to the current £159 value of the TV licence, to go towards paying their licence fee or other digital connectivity bills.
Free TV licences for older people were introduced under the last Labour government by Chancellor Gordon Brown in 1999.
However, new rules linking the free licence to pension credit recipients only could land around 300,000 over 75s in Scotland with a new bill to pay.
Scottish Labour’s digital connection credit would be available to all households in Scotland with someone who is aged 75 and over and claiming the state pension, benefiting up to 460,000 older people. A total of 7,715 would be helped in the north constituency.
Figures released earlier this month revealed Scotland has the highest rate of persistent pensioner poverty in the UK, with the number of older people struggling to make ends meet equivalent to the population of Dundee.
Ms Donaldson, who comes from Skye and is a former Edinburgh councillor, said: "I’m proud to be standing on a platform to support older people in Caithness Sutherland and Ross.
"The pandemic has highlighted the importance of TV and broadband to bring people together, even while we’ve been separated in our homes.
"Scottish Labour under Anas Sarwar has a vision for a stronger, fairer nation, starting with support for older people and reversing the trend of pensioner poverty."
Mr Sarwar said: "Pensioner poverty in Scotland is a national scandal, and it’s not fair that hundreds of thousands of older people are facing a new bill for TV licences. The Tories have broken their promise to elderly Scots but we can use Holyrood’s powers to protect a benefit which Labour is proud to have introduced.
"For many older people, TV is a lifeline against loneliness and isolation," he added.
