Almost 20,000 pensioners in Croydon could lose their free TV licences after 2020, according to a local MP.

As part of the last BBC charter the Government devolved responsibility for free TV licence policy and cost to the BBC.

New figures released by the Labour party claim to show that under each of the changes proposed by the BBC in their consultation, millions of pensioners will lose their free licences, including 18,500 in Croydon.

Steve Reed, MP for Croydon North and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Loneliness, said: “The Tory Government knew what it was doing when it forced the cost of paying for free licences for over 75s out to the BBC.

“Labour was completely opposed to this and we are still firmly of the belief that the Government was totally wrong to outsource a social policy in this way.

“It will be a terrible blow to older people who already struggle to make ends meet and particularly to those who are housebound or isolated and rely on their TV for company.

“The Tory Government needs come clean and to tell us urgently what they are going to do to ensure free TV licences aren’t cut and they don’t break their manifesto promise.

"If they do nothing, responsibility for older people losing their TV licences will rest firmly at their feet.”

The BBC are said to be consulting on several options, including scrapping the free TV licence concession altogether, raising the eligible age to 80, and means testing it, for example by linking it to pension credit.

Labour calculate that if the age threshold is raised to 80, 6,980 local pensioners will lose their TV licence.

If free TV licences are means tested 14,020 will lose their free licences.

The possibility has caused some concern. Campaign to End Loneliness found that 40% of older people say their television is their main source of company.

The BBC has stressed that it will not follow through with any changes without first consulting the public and that the scheme could remain in its current form.