Today, the London Assembly agreed the Chair of the Assembly should ask the Secretary of State for Transport to publish the most recent emergency payments to train operating companies, allowing a fair comparison between the funding of the train operating companies and TfL.
The Assembly also called for a long-term financial settlement for TfL and reiterated that the 2020 taxpayer funded KPMG report into TfL finances, should be published.
Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, who proposed the motion said:
"A long-term funding agreement for TfL is of critical importance.
"TfL needs to plan ahead and efficiently allocate resources, but at present is being hindered from doing so due to short term deals and never-ending negotiations. The paralysis facing TfL must end."
The full text of the motion is:
This Assembly endorses the views expressed by the London Assembly Transport Committee in its recent letter to the Secretary of State for Transport where numerous examples were provided of where London’s transport network would benefit from the security of a long-term funding agreement that would allow Transport for London (TfL) to effectively plan and allocate their resources.
This Assembly further believes that a long-term finance settlement for TfL would benefit both London and the whole country and that the current situation of repeated short-term deals has led to significant waste.
This Assembly reiterates its call for the taxpayer funded KPMG report into TfL finances that was completed in 2020 to be published, and believes that a failure to publish this report, even in a redacted form, restricts a fair examination of TfL finances and therefore calls upon the Chair of the London Assembly to write again to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for the KPMG report to be finally published, if necessary with redactions.
This Assembly also calls for greater transparency in the publication of funding for all transport providers during Covid and urges the Chair of the London Assembly to also write to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for the most recent payments to the train operating companies under emergency agreements to be published in full, allowing a fair comparison between the funding of the train operating companies and TfL.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The motion was agreed by 16 votes for and 8 against.
- Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
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