News from Bromley Labour

London’s Conservative Councils are a threat to the Freedom Pass

This is the text of a letter published in the Bromley Times from Cllr John Getgood, Leader of the Labour Group on Bromley Council:

Cllr Smith adopted his best Mr Grumpy face for your article on the future of the Freedom Pass but some of the assertions in the article should not go unchallenged.

The only threat to the Freedom Pass comes from some Conservative controlled boroughs that do not want to fund it.

The Government funding referred to in your article was intended only to compensate London Boroughs for the extension of the scheme to cover bus journeys by pensioners from other areas (as has happened across the country).

In times such as these, it is especially important that tax payers money is used most effectively. The extra cost of extending the scheme in London has come out at £7mn a year, far less than was anticipated, and will be even less next year. As a result, London councils have received a £49mn surplus per year in additional concessionary fares funding.

It is unfortunate but understandable that the government has decided that it is right to claw back some of this overpayment. London boroughs will still make a surplus on the scheme next year but the overpayment, which is funded from other tax payers, will be much reduced.

Prior to the introduction of this grant London’s boroughs fully funded the Freedom Pass scheme in conjunction with TfL. The surplus on this grant simply enabled them to reduce their contribution. Unlike Bromley Tories, Labour councils throughout London are fully prepared to increase their contribution once again.

Labour councils in London have always fought for more resources for London and have lobbied successfully to minimise any loss to London.

Last year, Labour supported a proposal to retain a surplus of £20mn to offset future changes to Government and TfL grants. The Tories and Lib Dems voted it down and put the money back into their own budgets. What short sighted, poor financial management that has turned out to be.

Cllr John Getgood
Leader, Labour Group
Bromley Council

Other news from Bromley Labour

• Bromley Council Tax to rise after Tories fail to back Labour's call for a freeze - 17 February 2010
• Good services have to be paid for in Bromley - 8 February 2010
• Bromley Council to watch performance of Dial-A-Ride - 17 December 2009