A Three Towns military veteran and councillor says he is prepared to go to prison in the fight against over 75s paying the TV licence.

Stevenston Labour councillor and North Ayrshire older peoples champion Jimmy Miller that he doesn’t fear the jail after pensioners across the area were sent demanding/threatening letters after the law change came into force.

Despite this Cllr Miller he told the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald he thinks civic resistance from pensioners will soon see a u-turn similar to the hated poll tax.

He said: “It’s happening now and people are starting to get letters saying they were going to get investigated. I’ve even been getting letter’s and emails from people in England about it so the message is getting out there it’s just a matter of keeping it in the public domain amid what’s happening with the coronavirus.

“I am prepared to go to jail and I advise people don’t pay it.

“From my perspective, even though I could afford to pay my television licence I feel personally I should have the right to choose if I don’t want it. I have the right to choose if I want Sky but if I don’t watch Sky I don’t pay for it and don’t pay for it and should be the same with the BBC.

“But older people who have had a free TV licence some of whom are 80 plus odds and suddenly they are going to take it away from them? It’s not right.”