TfL reports another huge operating surplus of £310m – it’s time to cut the fares

A financial report released today by Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed the organisation has amassed an operating surplus of £310 million over the last 9 months.

In the report (Operational and Financial performance and investment programme reports – third quarter 2011/12) TfL predicts an annual operating surplus of £338 million by the end of the financial year.

TfL’s operating surplus is money which is over and above budgeted income. The huge surplus has been amassed as a result of higher than expected passenger numbers and rising fare levels.

The financial report (see page 19 of this pdf document) will be discussed by the TFL board today.

Ken Livingstone said; “This financial report is the latest document from TfL which confirms a fare cut is both affordable and necessary. The combination of rising fares and rising passenger numbers has meant TfL have got hundreds of millions of surplus income which they had not budgeted for.

“I believe after four long years of rising fares under London’s Tory Mayor it’s time to use TfL’s huge operating surplus to cut the fares and save the average Londoner £1,000 over four years.

“Out of a transport budget of £9 billion if you can’t find money to fund a fare cut there is something wrong.”

Murder detection rates down 10% in London as police numbers fall

New figures published today have shown the steep falls in the detection rates of a range of serious crimes including murder, firearm offences, knife crime offences and rape. A fall in the ’sanction detection rates’ means fewer offences are resulting in a prosecution (charge, caution or warning).

The figures, which come from written answers from the Mayor of London, show sanction detection rates of murder and attempted murder in London have fallen by 10% in just six months. Detection of firearm offences, knife crime offences, rape and trafficking for sexual exploitation have all also fallen in the last six months. Overall, less than a third of violent crimes are now ending in prosecution, with sanction detection rates for violent crimes falling by 1.9% to 32.7%.

The new figures follow Tory mayor Boris Johnson’s admission on LBC last week that 1,700 London police officer posts have been cut in the last 18 months. According to the Metropolitan Police the number of police officers has fallen from a peak of 33,260 officers in March 2010 to just 31,478 officers in October 2011.

Ken Livingstone, Labour’s candidate for London mayor said: “It is deeply worrying that the percentage of murders, rape, firearm offences and knife crimes that result in a charge, summons or other formal sanction is actually falling.

Christine Quigley becomes latest London Assembly Labour candidate

The London Labour party have named Christine Quigley as their newest candidate for the 2012 London elections. Christine, originally from Dublin is Vice-Chair of the Labour Party Irish Society and a former chair of London Young Labour.

Christine was selected as a reserve by the London regional board in 2011 and takes the list place previously held by Seema Malhotra. Seema is stepping dowe from the list to concentrate on her new role as parliament’s newest MP, following her election to the Feltham & Heston seat in December 2011.

Labour’s 2012 London Assembly team is one of the strongest and most diverse ever fielded in London, including 14 women and 10 Black and Ethnic Minority candidates. In contrast, not one of the eight Conservative Assembly constituency candidates is a woman.

Christine Quigley said: “I am delighted to join the Labour slate for London 2012. Young Londoners have been hit hard by Tory policies and cuts, and I feel passionately about the issues that affect my generation and my community. After four years of a Tory Mayor who represents the 1% it’s time we returned a Labour team to City Hall who will ensure that the interests of ordinary Londoners are always put first.”

Ken will save Londoners £250 a year, Boris just £3.10

Today Tory Mayor Boris Johnson has announced a 1 per cent cut in the Mayor’s share of council tax.

This will save Band D taxpayers in London just £3.10 a year.

Ken Livingstone said; “This is just £3.10 a year, whereas I will save Londoners on average £1,000 over four years by cutting the fares on October 7th this year.

“I believe in tough times Londoners need a Mayor who will cut the cost of living. Boris Johnson’s announcement today would hardly pay for a single tube journey.”

Ken promises to quit as Mayor if he hasn’t cut fares by 7th October 2012

Ken Livingstone has announced the date for his ‘Fare Deal’ fares cut. The Labour candidate for Mayor of London revealed today that the fares will be cut on the first Sunday in October – October 7th 2012. He also said he would resign if he did not do it on or before that date.

Ken Livingstone said: “Fares will be cut and today I’m setting the date for London’s liberation from the high fares of the current mayor.

“Politics should be about making a difference, and just as I cut fares before, I will cut them now because the tough times we’re going through demand a fairer fares policy. If I am elected in a few short months there will be real change for the better.

“There could not be a clearer choice. Boris Johnson raised your fares for the fourth time this January, but on October 7th 2012 I will cut them, saving the average Londoner £1000 over four years.

“By setting the date for the fares cut I’m showing that politics is about change and about doing something real for the majority, not just a privileged few.

“My commitment to carrying out this cut is such that I give my word that if I do not cut the fares on or by October 7th I will resign the office of Mayor immediately and cause a by-election.

Ken to visit Newham for final ‘Tell Ken’ borough visit

Ken Livingstone will fulfil his pledge to spend a full day in each of 32 London boroughs later today, when Ken and his deputy running mate Val Shawcross will spend a full day in Newham.

Since the first ‘Tell Ken‘ borough visit to Merton on January 17th 2011, Ken and Val have spent a full day in each London borough, attending a series of public and private events and meeting tens of thousands of Londoners.

Over 3,000 Londoners have attended ‘Tell Ken’ evening public meetings and over 4,000 students have participated in college Q&A sessions with the Labour Mayoral candidate. Additionally Ken and Val have met thousands of residents in community meetings, business events, workplace visits and on the streets.

Every ‘Tell Ken’ visit has included a full day of meetings with residents, community groups and an evening public meeting. More on Tell Ken here –

On 30 January, Ken will visit Newham and as part of the day will take part in a Q&A with students at Newham College, talk to commuters at East Ham station about his Fare Deal plan, and hold an evening public meeting at the Didsbury Centre, East Ham.

Ken writes to Boris calling for a fair fight and a public debate on fares

Ken Livingstone has called on Boris Johnson in a letter today to “ditch the dirty tricks – and have a debate with me on the fares issue so people can make up their minds”:

Dear Boris,

There can be little doubt that the mayoral election has changed recently. Far from being the re-coronation you once hoped this contest would be, it’s now accepted that the race will be closely fought.

Even some of your own Tory supporters have started complaining that you got complacent and had started taking London voters for granted.

But no one could have expected that you would react so badly to a little bit of pressure. Suddenly the Conservative party in London is flailing around and lashing out. David Cameron has told you to raise your game. And you, in turn, seem to be getting pushed around by your campaign manager, Lynton Crosby.

It has not taken much for your party to turn to the dark side.

Some of us remember how Mr Crosby tried to import his nasty “dog whistle politics” when Michael Howard was leader of the Conservative Party in 2005.

In Australia, he had helped conservatives win with tactics that included making false claims about refugees throwing their children out of boats.

And now he’s at it again.

Home Office confirms Boris Johnson has cut the police

Home Office data published today shows police numbers are falling sharply in London. According to the Home Office there were 31,657 Metropolitan police officers in September 2011, a fall of 1,243 from September 2010. This represents a fall 3.8% over the year.

The decline in police numbers under Boris Johnson is accelerating, with 784 fewer police in the latest 6 months alone. And, in separate, slightly more up-to-date data from the Metropolitan Police Authority the decline continued into October 2011. Two days ago Boris Johnson admitted to LBC listeners that police numbers have fallen during his mayoral term. The latest figures from the Metropolitan Police Authority confirmed that Boris Johnson cut 1,782 police officers in the last 18 months. Yesterday, at Mayoral Question Time the Tory Mayor reverted to his previous stance arguing that police numbers are not falling.

These Home Office data definitively show that police numbers are falling. In fact they have fallen from their peak level of 33,260 in 2009/10 – a level of policing Boris Johnson inherited from Ken Livingstone’s budget.

Lynton Crosby has lied and should apologise to Val Shawcross

Labour has called for Boris Johnson’s Australian campaign supremo Lynton Crosby to apologise to Val Shawcross AM after he falsely claimed that Ken Livingstone’s running mate was calling for a council tax increase.

In an email sent overnight to supporters, Crosby wrote: “But Ken Livingstone’s hand picked Deputy Mayoral running mate in the Assembly is leading the Labour charge against the freeze, instead promoting an increase in council tax.”

That claim is false.

Tom Watson MP said: “Lynton Crosby is an old hand at dirty tricks, as we know from his dog-whistle tactics in the 2005 Conservative general election campaign and his right-wing career in Australia.

“Crosby put knife crime at the heart of his 2008 Mayoral election but knife crime against young people has risen in every year that Boris Johnson has been Mayor, up a staggering 29 per cent since 2008/9. Why doesn’t he mention it now?

“Now Crosby has lied about the council tax. I’m challenging him to withdraw his council tax fabrication and apologise to Val Shawcross. Anything less will expose Boris Johnson’s campaign as politically bankrupt and desperate.”

It’s official: Boris admits 1,700 police jobs lost in two years

Boris Johnson admitted in an interview with LBC this morning that 1,700 police officers have been cut from Scotland Yard in the last two years.

A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said; “Londoners will have been shocked to hear Boris Johnson admitting that he has cut 1,700 police officers whilst robbery, knife crime and burglary were all rising in London. Only a Mayor who is completely out of touch with reality would cut police officers whilst violent crimes are rising.”

Listen to the interview on LBC here.