WESTMINSTER has been urged to reverse cuts to free TV licences for the over-75s after new analysis showed that the move has cost Scottish pensioners £40 million this year. 

The SNP said that the Tory government’s decision has been a “disaster” for households already struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

The party called for a U-turn after research by the House of Commons Library revealed the colossal bill for Scottish pensioners in 2020.

Pensioners across Britain have lost as much as £498 million through the cuts, according to the research. 

Until July this year, TV licences for the over-75s were free, with around 4.5 million households benefitting from the concession. 

But now licences are only available to people aged over 75 who are in receipt of Pension Credit, after the concession was fully transferred from the government to the BBC. 

According to the BBC, over 1.5 million households could get a free TV licence under the new scheme.

But the Commons Library research shows that approximately 251,000 people over the age of 75 who do not claim Pension credit in Scotland are forking out the full licence fee of £157.50 per year.

The SNP pointed out that many pensioners could be paying the fee despite being entitled to Pension Credit.

The latest Department for Work and Pensions figures estimate that about 38 per cent of pensioners aged 75 and over did not claim Pension Credit despite being entitled to do so. 

SNP Culture Secretary John Nicolson said: “The Tory government’s decision to stop funding the free TV licence for over-75s has been a disaster for many households which are already struggling to get by amid the Covid-19 crisis and following a decade of Tory austerity cuts, which pushed millions of pensioners into poverty.”

Scottish Labour local government spokeswoman Sarah Boyack said: “Free access to the BBC should be available to all of our senior citizens over 75. 

“The BBC provides a raft of services, news, culture, entertainment and sport which have kept people connected through the pandemic.”

“It’s vital for its funding going forward that the Tory government ensures funding for the BBC and automatic free TV licenses for the over-75s.”

Age UK head of policy and communications Adam Stachura said: “In addition to the financial impact, this decision will have had a significant impact on levels of loneliness — which is especially concerning given that many older people will have spent the majority of this year alone due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”