Commenting on the Lords Committee on Intergenerational Fairness recommendation to scrap subsidies such as free TV licences, George McNamara, Director of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age, said:
“The Committee on Intergenerational Fairness should be focusing on how to make society as a whole better, rather than making life even harder for the pensioners that rely on financial support. Intergenerational fairness shouldn't be about taking something away from one group to benefit another, it should be about boosting all age groups so that we can live well throughout our lives, including in later life.
“There are still almost two million pensioners living in poverty, and in 2017 the OECD found that the UK has the lowest State pension of any developed country. Subsidies such as free TV licences and bus passes are not luxuries, but lifelines, for many older people, helping in many cases to reduce social isolation and allow older people to stay involved with their local community.”