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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Samantha Leathers & Shashana Brown

Brits with severe sight-impairment may be exempt from £159 TV licence fee

People in the UK with severe sight-impairment could see their TV licence bill slashed by 50 per cent but require paperwork as proof. Those who meet the criteria could avoid the fee in its entirety.

People who are severely sight impaired, and anyone that lives with them, could drop their licence fee down to just £79.50. Additionally, those who meet this requirement and have a black and white TV could slash their bill to £26.75.

The concessionary licence will cover everyone living at the address with the person who meets the criteria. In order for the discount to be applied, the person who is sight impaired must be the licence holder, the Express reports.

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This may mean that some will have to transfer the licence from the current licence holder at the address in order to use the discounted rate.

This can be done online or by contacting the TV Licensing department on 0300 790 6071.

To claim the licence concession, the applicant must get a certificate from their local authority or ophthalmologist confirming that they are either registered blind or severely sight impaired.

However, people in Northern Ireland will need this certificate to be issued by, or on behalf of, a health and social services trust.

However, another concession is the over 75 licence, which scraps the fee entirely for those who meet the requirements.

For the free licence, applicants must be aged 75 or over and claim Pension Credit.

TV Licensing notes on their website that applications for these free licences “may take a few weeks to process” but Britons will be notified if there are any issues. If a person finds they have been paying the full licence fee when they were entitled to a free licence may be able to receive a refund.

This will be processed and determined as part of the free TV licence application. To avoid paying unnecessary fees, Britons can apply for the licence if they already receive Pension Credit but are not yet over 75 years of age.

They can apply from the age of 74 and their payments will be updated to accommodate a free licence kicking in when they turn 75. Lastly, care home, supported housing or sheltered accommodation residents may be eligible for a discounted licence fee.

Residents in care homes that have ARC schemes will pay a concessionary rate of £7.50, and those over-75s in residences with ARC schemes are eligible for a free licence.

This is known as an Accommodation for Residential Care, or ARC, licence. An ARC licence costs £7.50 per room, flat or bungalow.

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