Britons who are registered as legally blind are able to apply for a 50 percent concession on their licence fee. In the UK, a television licence is needed to watch or record any live programming as it is being broadcast. As well as this, a TV licence is also needed to stream live content on streaming services, such as BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime.
The BBC, as the country’s public broadcaster, is responsible for the administration of the licence fee.
However, the UK Government is charged with the responsibility of setting out any potential discounts for vulnerable groups who may not be able to afford the full price.
Those who are blind, or live with someone who is, can put forward an application for the 50 percent discount.
Currently, the cost of a colour TV licence is £159 and £53.50 for a black and white licence if someone were to pay the full amount.
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This means that a television licence for a blind person would be priced at £79.50 in colour and £26.75 in black and white.
Around two million people are suffering from some form of blindness or sight loss, according to NHS statistics.
Some 360,000 people in this wider group are legally classified as blind or partially sighted by the Government.
However, in order to claim the 50 percent discount, applicants will need to prove to the TV Licensing body that they qualify and are in fact blind.
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Unfortunately, people who are registered as only partially sighted or visually imparied will not be eligible for concession on their TV licence fee.
Examples of evidence which are viewed as qualifying documentation to prove someone’s blindness is either a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) or a BD8 Certificate.
Alternatively, an applicant can get a letter from an eye surgeon confirming their blindness to assessors.
All documentation should be included in a claimant’s application.
Any documentation required to apply for the television licence discount should be sent to the following address:
TV Licensing
Blind Concession Group
Darlington
DL98 1TL
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