A Tory councillor has denied he is responsible for the loss of cheap TV licences for senior citizens in Basildon.

He was speaking after the TV Licensing Authority announced it was to axe a concessionary scheme at two of the district's complexes - forcing residents to pay the full £101, instead of a reduced rate of £5.

The TVLA claimed those complexes did not comply with its policy of only allowing a reduced rate if all residents in the complex were over 60.

Wickford Councillor Tony Ball told a Basildon Council policy executive committee he had spoken to the TV Licensing Authority, which said its decision to axe the concessionary scheme in two complexes was the result of "pressure from the makers of policy above".

Mr Ball said the TVLA was sending this explanation to him in writing.

Labour councillors persisted however that if Mr Ball had not contacted the TVLA to find out whether the concessions would be lost following changes to wardens in some schemes, then the discount would have continued as it had done for the past ten years.

The increase will not be felt by the senior citizens for the first year as Basildon Council will use money from the sale of land at Queen's Park in Billericay to foot the bill.

Leader of the council, John Potter, said: "The TVLA will give this concession under certain circumstances and at their own discretion.

"This year, for the first year, two of those sheltered schemes were refused.

"Why this re-interpretation? The one thing that occurs to me is that the Conservative councillors - in a bid to get political capital over changes in the warden scheme - contacted the TVLA.

"It would suggest that it's possible that if a councillor phones up, the organisation may well look into it a little more deeply.

"I say it's a Ball in a china shop and it's possible this has resulted in elderly people losing that concession."

Councillor Ball said that had the changes to wardens not been decided upon in the first place, he would not have contacted the TVLA.

Labour councillor for Fryerns, Paul Kirkman, said: "The review of the warden scheme has got nothing whatsoever to do with the withdrawal of the TVLA scheme.

"Someone contacts the TVLA and then there's this change. It could be a coincidence, but I don't think so."

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