Letter to editors on TfL funding

Dear Editor,

The Government’s irresponsible decision to remove £700 million per year from TfL’s budget is extremely concerning at a time when we have heard that passenger numbers on the tube have begun to fall. Worryingly, this cut has also led to all non-essential road improvements being delayed for two years.

The removal of this vital funding comes as a direct result of the failure of the previous Mayor, Boris Johnson, to make the case to his own Government to keep up investment into London’s transport network. It also means that astoundingly, London is one of the only major cities in the world with a public transport and road network that does not receive Government funding to support its transport costs.

Despite the damaging actions of the Government, the Mayor has acted to protect TfL’s frontline services and sustain his record investment into modernising our transport system. At the same time, the Mayor has also reduced TfL’s operating costs for the first time in its history- by £153 million in the last year alone.

I am fully behind the Deputy Mayor for Transport’s recent calls for TfL’s grant to be reinstated by the Government in the upcoming Spring Statement. The Government needs to follow the Mayor’s lead, get its priorities right and keep the future of our transport network on track.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Dismore AM

London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden

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