There are two major aspects of the London Mayor’s budget. Transport and policing. So, having told the Conservative Party Conference that David Cameron and George Osborne should follow him in making “tough decisions about public spending” it is no surprise that Boris Johnson today announced that tube fares will increase by 3.9% and bus fares will be hiked up by a staggering 12.7%. This is the second round of fare rises introduced by Boris Johnson since he became London’s Mayor.It would be interesting to know if the Mayor had considered how much this will add to the average London household’s weekly bill and if he balanced those calculations against his decision to:
- Lose £50million by abandoning the £25 gas guzzler charge
- Cost Londoners £30million by replacing bendy buses with the lower capacity single and double deckers
- Lose significant sums designing a new bus
- Cancelling the cheap fuel contract
I am writing to TfL to ask about the Mayor's further cuts in tube and bus services and will report more later on. As for the police and crime fighting budget: I understand that the Mayor is reviewing these and I will let you know the consequences for residents of Hammersmith and Fulham when I have more details.
1 comment:
In another cost cutting exercise, Boris has also decided to halt the rolling programme of making tube stations step-free. So now disabled and older people and others with limited mobility won't be able to get down to the platforms. We wouldn't have been able to access much of the rolling stock until at least 2012 anyway. How long until they decide that huge savings could be made by taking away our freedom passes?
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