Transport for London’s current funding arrangement with the Government has been extended two weeks, Ministers are said to be demanding that London’s congestion charge zone is extended and fares are raised in return for a £1 billion bailout package.
Responding to the news that the Government and Mayor of London have extended the current agreement by two weeks after failing to agree on a new financial package for Transport for London, Luisa Porritt, Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of London, said:
“The Government and the Mayor have had months to get to a sensible deal. A two-week extension on deadline day is nothing short of a failure.
“Any new deal has to put Londoners first. The public has played by the rules, by avoiding public transport, and do not deserve to be punished for doing as they were told.
“No other rescue package has been subject to such politically motivated negotiations. Perhaps the Prime Minister needs reminding he doesn’t run London anymore.
“It is clear that a new, long-term plan is needed to secure TfL’s future for years to come. Such major changes, like those rumoured, should be decided by the people at the ballot box next May.
“In the meantime, it is the Government’s duty to keep the capital’s transport network running safely during these unprecedented times.”
