News from London Assembly Labour

Labour would reverse Boris’s fare rises and protect police numbers

Labour on the London Assembly will today call on Boris Johnson to reverse his bus fare rises and police officer cuts as part of their alternative budget proposals.

John Biggs, Labour’s budget spokesman and deputy leader on the Assembly, said the alternative budget represented the interests of the “majority of hard-working Londoners”, in contrast to the Mayor’s proposals. Labour will also propose: additional funding for rape crisis centres, reversing Boris Johnson’s road safety cuts and funding for a new festival to celebrate London’s diversity to replace Rise – cancelled last year by the Conservative Mayor.

Labour’s bus fare reverse would be partly funded by retaining the western extension of the congestion charge and cutting the bonuses of TfL managers.TfL figures show that the income TfL stand to lose over the next three years from scrapping the western extension of the congestion charge is broadly in line with the amount being raised from January’s bus fare rises. Labour would retain the western extension to subsidise a fare freeze for bus users.

Labour will also propose to reverse Boris Johnson’s decision to raise some outer London Tube fares by 18% (Labour would keep an off-peak zone 2-6 Tube fare at £1.10).

To fund the reversal of Boris Johnson’s police officer cuts, Labour would cut the Met’s public affairs budget by £500k this year. Under Boris Johnson’s budget proposals London stands to have 455 fewer police officers by 2012. Labour would retain these officers.

Proposals in Labour’s alternative budget include:

* Reversing Boris Johnson’s police cuts – this year and in future years;
* Additional funding for rape crisis centres by cutting the Mayor’s press office;
* Investing in skills and employability training during the economic downturn by reviewing the LDA’s priorities;
* Funding the UpRise festival (as a replacement for Rise, previously Europe’s biggest anti-racism festival) by axing Boris Johnson’s USA day;
* Restoring London’s Older People’s Resource Centre (axed by the Mayor to save £174k);
* Reversing Boris Johnson’s road traffic safety cuts;
* Reversing Boris Johnson’s decision to merge the Met’s human trafficking unit.

Labour’s budget spokesman and deputy leader on the London Assembly, John Biggs, said: “Being Mayor is about choices and Boris has spent his time making the wrong ones. He has hiked up bus fares to pay for cutting the congestion charge zone and he has stood up for bankers instead of the hard-working majority of Londoners who use public transport. Londoners shouldn’t be paying for the Mayor’s poor decisions through increased fares and fewer police. And while a freeze in the Mayor’s share of council tax may be welcome, its impact is more than wiped out by massive fare hikes. The reality is Boris Johnson is a pay more, get less Mayor who is more concerned with protecting his friends in the City than ordinary hard-working Londoners.”

Presenting their alternative to Boris Johnson’s budget proposals, Labour have revealed that the extra revenue raised from freezing fares, supporting congestion charging and scaling back managers’ bonuses would pay for a reversal of January’s massive bus fare rises. To fund a reversal of Boris Johnson’s bus fare hike, Labour propose:

- Retaining the western extension of the congestion charge
(raising £15m this year and almost £70m in subsequent years)

- Scaling back the 1,000 highest paid TfL managers’ bonuses
(saving £5m)

- Reducing TfL’s reserves
(raising £6m)

- Transferring some financial responsibility for Safer Transport Teams to the Met (an accounting change to better balance resources. This would NOT affect the STTs)
(saving £10m)

- Increased bus ridership
(raising £27m)

- Deferring phase two of cycle super highways scheme to allow review of phase one
(saving £15m)

Other news from London Assembly Labour

• Mayor still refuses to act against banned councillor - 5 March 2010
• Banned councillor: London Labour leader calls on Mayor to act - 25 February 2010
• Boris's broken promise "a huge blow to the Tories' plans for elected police commissioners" - 23 February 2010