TV licences: ask your MP to support the Early Day Motion

3.7 million UK pensioners over 75 will have to pay for their TV licence from 1st August as the BBC’s decision to means-test this benefit is enacted, meaning that only over 75s who are on Pension Credit will get the free TV licence.

This decision will push more than 50,000 people into direct poverty and mean that hundreds of thousands more will have to choose between their only source of information and contact with the outside world or food, heating and other essentials.

The National Pensioners Convention would encourage you to write to your MP encouraging them to support the Early Day Motion #747.

You can find your local MP's details on this link.

EDM #747 in full
That this House supports the urgent reversal of the decision to make over-75s pay for TV licences during the covid-19 outbreak; notes with concern that licenses will have to be paid for from August 2020; believes that responsibility for funding free TV licences should not have been handed over by the Government to the BBC; highlights that loneliness amongst the over 75s has worsened as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; further highlights that stripping the over-75s of their free TV licenses will exacerbate loneliness; and calls on the Government to reconsider the issue as a matter of urgency.

PCS Pay 2020

ARMS Mersey members, like ARMS members all over the country, have helped previous PCS campaigns to encourage our working fellow members to take part in union ballots. Here's a brief update about this year's pay claim:

► Last month the government announced a disgraceful pay remit for 2020. PCS members have kept the country running during the pandemic and they deserve a fair pay rise. On 30 June the union will step up the pay campaign by launching a petition on the government website. To find out more, join the Facebook Live event on 2 July.
(From the PCS website)

► There is a short video on PCS pay here by General Secretary Mark Serwotka. The PCS pay page on the national website is here.

An example of how civil service pay has fallen behind

I've done some calculations to show how badly working PCS members have fallen behind the cost of living. I've based it on my own grade (EO), my salary when I left (£24,000 in 2008) and my department (DWP), but it will be very similar in other grades and departments.

How DWP EO pay has fallen behind inflation 2008-2019

DWP EO max 2008	£24,000.00
DWP EO max 2019	£26,892.00
DWP EO max adjusted for inflation 2008-2019 (according to the Bank of England inflation calculator).	£32,263.36
Difference	- £5,371.36

• In this example, EO spending power has shrunk by £5,371.36 (16.64%) in relation to inflation.
• As a comparison, I decided to check how MPs have fared over the same period.

MP's pay 2008-2019

MP pay 2008	£61,820.00
MP pay 2019	£79,468.00
MP hypothetical pay 2019 with same % rise as EOs since 2008	£69,276.37

• This shows that if MPs had been awarded the same percentage increases as a DWP EO, they would be £10,191.63 per year worse off (£195.99 per week).
• To put it the other way round, if EOs in this example had received the same percentage pay rise as MPs, they would be £3,959.37 better off (£76.14 per week).

MPs usually argue that they have no say over their pay as it is determined by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). While this is true, it is disingenuous because the existence and remit of IPSA was created by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, voted for by ... MPs.

 All in this together?