Local campaign against BT

11.44.20am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 10th Apr 2007

Stephen Lloyd with local resident Mrs Burke

British Telecom has been criticised for its decision to introduce an additional fee on all residential customers who do not pay their bill by direct-debit. The telecoms giant has announced that from 1st May 2007 they will be charging non direct-debit customers an additional £18.00 per year or £4.50 per quarter.

Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman Stephen Lloyd said: "I have been contacted by a number of Eastbourne residents who are angry that they are to be penalised for not paying their BT bill by direct debit. Many elderly people on fixed incomes in Eastbourne either do not have a bank account or if they do are not keen to pay using the direct debit method. The proposed charge by British Telecom is in effect a stealth tax on elderly people. With an estimated 5 million BT customers across the UK currently paying by means other than direct debit, this charge is simply another money-making scheme from BT. It will hit the 26,000 pensioners who live in Eastbourne & Willingdon particularly hard."

Eastbourne resident Mrs Burke said: "It's a disgrace. As a pensioner I think it is discrimination against people like me who have to rely on a fixed income. Many of my friends do not even have bank accounts. Big companies like British telecom are just taking advantage of us, so as soon as I heard I contacted Stephen Lloyd. He gets things done."

Stephen added: "I will be writing to the Chief Executive at British Telecom asking that he reconsider this appalling decision. I would urge that all those people in Eastbourne & Willingdon who will be affected by the additional charge, and there must be thousands, to join me in writing to BT. People power can work. We succeed in getting the mobile phone mast application for the Tally Ho pub in Old Town thrown out, so lets do the same with BT. Please join me in writing to Mr Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive, BT Group plc, BT Centre, 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. If we can make enough of a fuss, perhaps BT will see sense and revoke their decision before it is too late."