BBC Director-General Lord Hall has not ruled out a further delay to the end of the free licence fee for over-75s.
The universal benefit was due to end on June 1 but was pushed back until August 1 as a result of coronavirus.
Asked whether it could be delayed further if the crisis is not over by then, Lord Hall told Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The board met on Sunday to take that decision, to put the implementation off until August, and the phrase is ‘under review’.
‘I think on all of this … we must just keep doing what we think is right each day and keep everything under review.’
It comes as millions of the elderly and most vulnerable will need to ‘shield’ themselves from social contact and stay at home for three months from this weekend.
Only those on pension credit were set to continue to receive free TV licences from June 1 after the corporation took on responsibility for funding the benefit.
Lord Hall told Radio 4’s Today programme the withdrawing of the free license fees for over-75s was ‘under review’ and it could be pushed even further back past August
BBC Broadcasting House in London is pictured in January. The BBC has delayed the scrapping free TV licences for over-75s to help the elderly deal with coronavirus
But on Monday, the BBC made the decision to delay the end of free licences.
BBC chairman Sir David Clementi said: ‘The BBC board has decided to delay changes to over-75s licence fees. We are in exceptional circumstances.
‘Now is not the right time. We are fully focused on delivering our services to the public at this difficult time.’
It comes after Age UK said pensioners would want to ‘see and hear’ what political and NHS leaders are saying to the country during this ‘national crisis’.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Monday: ‘I am pleased the BBC has worked with us and agreed to delay their licence fee changes for over 75s from coming in and will keep this under review.
‘It will be welcome news to millions of older people who now don’t need to worry about their TV licence during this challenging period.
‘It is right that the BBC have recognised the exceptional circumstances posed by the coronavirus outbreak and the need for the whole country to pull together in the national effort.’
Responding to Monday’s announcement, Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams said: ‘We welcome the BBC’s decision to allow free TV licences for over-75s to continue during this health emergency as a victory for common sense.
‘Unfortunately many over-75s will have already received a letter suggesting they get their Pension Credit letters photocopied at the local library or corner shop.
‘This runs counter to the public health message the Government seems likely to be giving older people very soon about staying at home to reduce their risk of infection, so it’s important older people are informed that there’s no need for them to take this action for now.
‘While today’s decision is warmly welcome, we do question whether a delay of just eight weeks will be anything like long enough. We will be monitoring the situation closely and continuing to liaise with Government and the BBC over this period.
‘The aim must be to ensure that no older person is exposed to the risk of infection as a result of the introduction of a new TV licence scheme. If the experts are right and the virus will continue to be a threat for many months to come, a pause until 1st August will be a lot shorter than needed.’
Last night, the charity had called for the new scheme to be ‘halted immediately and stopped until the end of 2020’, adding that TV will be key for them to get ‘precious input from the outside world.’
It said while there was a ‘strong case’ for keeping all the free TV licences at any time, the situation older people find themselves in at the moment, as a result of the virus, was ‘of a different order entirely’.
Age UK said the over-75s face the prospect of having to ‘stay mostly or entirely at home for weeks at a time’ to stay safe from the virus, with many of their social activities being cancelled and visits restricted.
It said many of these are not online either. It added that in these circumstances older people will be ‘even more reliant on their TV’ than normal.
It also pointed out that the BBC has been inviting those on pension credit to get a photocopy of a letter showing they receive pension credit. Age UK said the letter suggested going to a corner shop or a library to do this.
Age UK said this and the prospect of staff from Capita, the company the BBC contracts to oversee licence fee enforcement, visiting the elderly to help them adjust to the new rules, would both place over 75s at ‘greater risk’ of getting the virus.
It comes as an ambassador for the charity, actress Miriam Margolyes branded the plans to drastically scale back free TV licences for over 75s as ‘utter nonsense’.
Speaking a campaign video for the charity she said: ‘The plan for free TV licences to be scrapped for the over 75s is utter nonsense. It’s vindictive, political hard play. I think it’s outrageous and must be fought.’
She added: ‘The Government and the BBC are at loggerheads at the moment and the piggy-in-the-middle are the pensioners.
‘The people over 75 are being punished, they are suddenly being asked, in June, it’s really close, to decide whether they are going to have a television or not.
‘Those very people are being targeted. I think it’s disgraceful and I think it is a Government responsibility to care for its old people.’
In a separate comment she said: ‘The BBC and the Government have to find a way forward that puts older people’s fears to rest and allows their TV licences to stay free.’
The charity said the increase in the TV licence fee, to £157.50 from April 1, and the launch of a public consultation on whether TV licence fee evasion should be decriminalised, ‘has done nothing to make the position better for the over-75s’.
A previous Conservative government handed over responsibility for free TV licences to the BBC in 2015.
A joint statement from the BBC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today said: ‘The BBC and the Government have been discussing the national Coronavirus situation.
‘Changes to the TV licence for people aged over 75 had been due to come into effect on June 1. But during this time we do not want anyone to be worried about any potential change.
‘The BBC’s priority over the coming period will be to do everything we can to serve the nation at this uniquely challenging time.
‘As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a vital role to play in supplying information to the public in the weeks and months ahead.
‘Recognising the exceptional circumstances, the BBC Board has therefore decided to change the start date of the new policy.
‘Our current plan is to now bring it into place on August 1. We will of course keep the issue under review as the situation continues to evolve.’
In 2015, the Government and the BBC reached a settlement which meant that the broadcaster had to find savings of £800 million by 2021/22.
It also saw the broadcaster commit to taking on responsibility for the funding of free licences for the over-75s.
MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee have said the next round of negotiations between the Government and the BBC should agree a funding formula that maintains free TV licences for all over-75s, specifically recommending that the Government set out proposals for how it could support this measure in future, alongside the commitment that had been made by the BBC.
Actress Miriam Margolyes (pictured on the BBC’s Graham Norton Show in January) has branded the plans to drastically scale back free TV licences for over 75s as ‘utter nonsense’
Millions of the elderly and most vulnerable will need to ‘shield’ themselves from social contact and stay at home for three months from this weekend, Downing Street announced today.
Boris Johnson acknowledged that ‘drastic action’ was required to quell the spread of the deadly coronavirus which has killed 55 and infected more than 1,500 throughout the country.
By the weekend, those with the most serious conditions will be advised to take steps to ensure they are ‘largely shielded from social contact’ for around 12 weeks.
Public Health England describes the most vulnerable as the elderly and those with underlying health problems, however, today’s advice stopped short of defining explicitly who needs to stay at home.
It comes after ministers were earlier on Monday slammed for providing ‘conflicting advice’ to the elderly and those who need to self-isolate during the deadly COVID-19 outbreak.
Ministers were on Monday accused of issuing ‘conflicting’ advice to older people over the need to ‘self-isolate’ during a coronavirus outbreak.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the length of time such people will need to ‘stay self-isolated, stay at home to protect themselves is a very big ask’.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps seemed to strike a different tone on Monday. He said it was ‘quite likely’ that the rule could be in place for months, but added: ‘It is the case that people will be able to go out and walk the dog. It’s about being sensible but not mixing in crowds.’.
Charities warned that many pensioners would be confused about what they were being asked to do after claims over the weekend that they should stay at home for up to four months.
Meanwhile, the Scottish authorities have insisted there is no problem with the elderly having visitors, as long as they are not displaying symptoms.