A petition to hand free TV licences to all people over the age of 66 has reached tens of thousands of signatures, and the government has responded. Currently, all over-75s who receive Pension Credit, or have a partner who receives Pension Credit, can get a free licence.

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The petition on the official Parliament website calls for free state-funded TV licences for everyone who has reached retirement age, regardless of their Pension Credit status, reports the Express. The current retirement age is 66, so this would bring a lot of new people into the free licence bracket, paid for by the taxpayer.

A TV licence costs £174.50 per year, and one is required to watch or record live TV on any channel or service. Additionally, you cannot watch any BBC iPlayer material without a licence, and you risk a fine of up to £1,000 if you do so anyway. The licence fee represents the lion's share of the BBC's income, with the rest coming from commercial arrangements.

The petition reads: "We want the Government to fund free TV licences for existing pensioners and those who reach the official retirement age. When people reach retirement age, we think they........

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