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Fears over free travel
A DISPUTE over a technicality of London budget-setting has blown up into a campaign to ‘save’ free travel for the elderly involving politicians and pensioner.
As part of the fierce politicking over his proposed 5.2 per cent budget increase, Mayor Ken Livingstone accused Conservative opponents of threatening the reserve funds that support the Freedom Pass – the free travel permit that allows over a million over-60s and the disabled to ride buses, trams, trains and the tube.
Although the Freedom Pass is not actually paid for by the Greater London Authority – it is funded by boroughs out of council tax and grants – it is administered through the GLA-controlled Transport for London (TfL), which runs a reserve fund to pay for it, levied from councils like Camden.
“We saw a series of attempts to abolish my ability to guarantee the Freedom Pass,” Mr Livingstone said on Tuesday, referring to proposals by the Conservative-controlled association of borough Town Halls called London Councils for TfL’s reserve-setting powers to be abolished.
“This attack on the Freedom Pass is the latest of a series of threats to free travel schemes in London.”
London Councils have strongly denied this. “London Boroughs have no intention of reducing any of the free travel benefits currently enjoyed by Freedom pass holders despite the misleading claims made by the Mayor,” a spokesman said last week.
In the House of Lords, meanwhile, a debate on a bill intended to introduce free bus passes for the over 65s throughout Britain is also causing concern to Freedom Passholders, who qualify for access to all forms of transport from age 60.
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