A GOVERNMENT plan to scrap the television licence payment for pensioners has been warmly welcomed across East Lancashire.

The proposal, which could see National Lottery cash used to offset the financial loss to the BBC, looks certain to be a part of Chancellor Gordon Brown's March budget.

Robert Stansfield, spokesman for Blackburn-based Pensioners' Voice, said the decision would be extremely "popular."

He also said it was about time that "ordinary people" benefited from National Lottery cash.

Mr Stansfield said pensioners would be among the hardest hit when licence fees rose by £6 to £97.50 for a colour set in April.

He said: "People have been moaning about having to pay the TV licence fee for as long as I can remember.

"There has been the anomaly that people living in sheltered housing can get a free licence, whereas people living by themselves in their own homes have to pay.

"The rise by £6 to £97.50 is three per cent higher than inflation.

"It is about time ordinary people started to benefit from National Lottery cash."

Alan Richardson, a project officer for Age Concern in Burnley, said: "Anything which means that elderly people have more cash in their pockets for food and heating is a good thing.

"We would look at it as giving old folk an extra £97 to spend."

The Government is said to be planning to introduce the scheme within the next two years.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.