The Mayor’s draft budget for the 2013/14 financial year was released last week. It included a cut to Band D council tax of 1.2%, or £3.72 a year – less then a one-day Zone 1-4 Travel-card. From the beginning of January, an annual Zone 1-4 Travel-card will cost Londoners £72.00 more than last year.
The Mayor's GLA Budget includes the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and Transport for London. The figures revealed last week will take effect from April. London’s emergency services are facing steep cuts and frontline services in Tower Hamlets will be hit hard:
The London Fire Brigade is likely facing the loss of over 20 stations including potentially both the Bow and Whitechapel fire stations, 30 fire engines and hundreds of fire-fighters in light of £40million of further cuts it must make this year and next year
The Mayor has raised transport fares in London above inflation for the fifth year running. As Chair of Transport for London, Boris Johnson is responsible for setting fare levels for the capital.
Local Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs said:
“Wages for the majority of workers are barely rising and Londoners are really struggling more then elsewhere in the UK. It is scandalous that Boris has not used his power to curb fare rises, and an insult to hard-working Londoners that he’s claiming credit for saving households 7 pence a week.
“If he’s not there to stand up for Londoners in tough times, then what exactly is he there for? In the past two years TfL have collected £251million more than they were expecting in fares. Last year Londoners paid an average of £782 a year on public transport. It is ludicrous for the Mayor to claim he can’t help Londoners.
“London’s emergency services still face steep cuts and the potential closure of the Bow and Whitechapel fire stations is extremely worrying. With deeper spending cuts on the way from central government, it’s time Boris put London before his own ambitions.”
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