London Assembly Member Len Duvall this week called on Boris Johnson to accept amendments to his 2015/16 Budget that would put an extra 1,000 police officers on London’s streets and cut transport fares by 2.5%. The fully-funded plans were set out during a debate at City Hall on Wednesday when Assembly Members had the opportunity to propose amendments to the Mayor’s £17bn Budget for 2015/16.
The proposal to fund an extra 1,025 police officers would mean the equivalent of an additional 33 officers back on the streets of Lewisham and in every other London Borough. The proposals came amid concerns that violent crime in Lewisham has risen by 15% in the last year and reports that only 36% of local people now believe police have a visible presence on the street. There has been growing public unease with the Mayor’s cuts to local neighbourhood policing, which have contributed to the loss of 4,333 uniformed officers across London since 2010, 107 of these in Lewisham.
Amongst other policy proposals Len Duvall AM supported plans to change Boris Johnson’s Budget and freeze fares at 2014 levels, reversing the 2.5% hike imposed on London’s commuters earlier this year. The amendment also sought to reverse the removal of off-peak PAYG caps for Zones 4-6, which has seen fares rise as much as 38%, and instead ensure they would also be frozen at 2014 levels. The cut to travel costs would give Londoners a year of much needed respite from fare rises, saving the average commuter £56 a year on a 1-6 Annual Travelcard. A recent study found that 76% of Londoners say fares are now ‘too high’ following the 40% rise in ticket costs since Boris Johnson came to power.
The fully-funded package of amendments to the Mayor’s Budget included freezing GLA’s share of council tax and putting the money saved by cancelling the Mayor’s proposed cut (which would save just 1p per day for each London household) into funding for the 1,000 new police officers. This would be boosted by additional funding drawn from a combination of savings within the Met’s existing budget, and from business rates. The 2.5% cut to fares be funded by using TfL underspends of £81m, and increasing the target for savings, putting £98m back in to the pockets of Londoners.
Though blocked at yesterday’s meeting, the Mayor has the opportunity to revisit the proposals on 23rd February when the London Assembly comes together for a final vote on the Mayor’s £17bn budget.
Len Duvall AM, Labour London Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham, said:
“The Mayor’s Budget as it stands does nothing to address the serious concerns people in Lewisham have about rising transport costs and a grossly diminished police force – two of the most serious issues facing London today. What Londoners want is a Budget which tackles these concerns head on, that is what our proposals seek to do.
“Funding an extra 1,000 police officers on London’s streets could mean the equivalent of 33 additional officers for our area. This could hugely influence our ability to tackle rising violent crime in Lewisham and would provide much needed reassurance to people concerned about the impact of Boris Johnson’s cuts to the police force.
“This January Londoners faced the seventh year of fare increases under Boris Johnson. There is ample funding as a result of TfL underspends, so it is bewildering that Boris has allowed fares to rise faster than wages. With 76% of Londoners believing that fares are now ‘too high’, it is essential that we offer some respite to those struggling to cope with the costs of commuting. Cutting fares back to 2014 levels would help reduce pressure on those anxious that their pay-cheques will not stretch to cover Boris’ year on year fare hikes.
“Whilst Boris’ tokenistic council tax cut would save Londoners seven pence a week, cutting fares to last year’s levels would save the average commuter far more each year. It’s clear which would leave most people in Lewisham better off. ”