Camdcen New Journal - Letters: freedom pass

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Camden New Journal - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published:28 June 2007

Could someone explain why they are taking our Freedom Pass away?

• OVER recent months the Mayor of London has continued to mislead the public into believing that the future of the Freedom Pass is under threat from the boroughs and London councils. This is the scheme that provides older and disabled Londoners free travel on London’s Tubes, buses and trams.
London’s boroughs have paid for the Freedom Pass for the past 23 years. It is the country’s most comprehensive concessionary fares scheme. They have never had any intention to change any of the benefits enjoyed by the more than a million people who rely on the pass to live as independent a life as possible.
All we want is a fairer process for agreeing the costs of the pass in the annual negotiations that take place between London councils and Transport for London. We are asking for an independent arbiter, such as the government, to step in where the boroughs and the mayor cannot reach an agreement.
Currently, if no agreement is reached by the end of each year, TfL has the power to simply impose any price it wants. In recent years, the mayor’s transport initiatives and fare increases have put a strain on the boroughs’ ability to pay for the pass. Since TfL was set up seven years ago the cost of providing free travel on the capital’s buses and Tubes has risen by 52 per cent.
The pass is paid for through a variety of sources, including the council tax. Any increase in the cost of the pass puts a burden on council-tax payers, many of whom are pensioners and disabled people on low incomes.
This call for an independent arbiter has been strongly resisted by the mayor and has led him to claim falsely that the future of the Freedom Pass is under threat. The only thing that is threatened is the mayor’s absolute power to act as judge and jury on this matter, as we seek to limit his ability to raise money by stealth.
Now we are calling on the mayor to join with us in setting up an independent commission to look at how the cost of the Freedom Pass is negotiated each year. This will help us get all the facts out in the open – and ensure that Londoners receive the best possible deal as we continue to fund older and disabled people with free travel on our transport network.
CLLR IAN ADAMS
Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Services
Westminster City Council

• THE proposal that seems to be floating around that the Freedom Pass which many disabled and elderly people need to travel in London is to end is a disgrace and I was at the demonstration last week at City Hall with other elderly people, and disabled people who oppose the ending of the pass.
Disabled people and disability organisations have battled for many years for greater access to the arts and entertainments, to venues, to leisure venues, to shops, to work places and so on – that is what the legislation such as the flawed Disability Discrimination Act 1995, and subsequent legislation was aiming for – greater physical access to venues and greater agreement with the concerns of disabled people.
But access is not only access to venues – it is also the need for accessible public transport and that includes access as travellers: the Freedom Pass.
If that goes then what is the point of anyone waffling on about how they feel society should be made more accessible for all disabled people?
If anyone up there
in power actually believes in disability rights, then let them fight like us for retention of the Freedom Pass.
ROGER ROBINSON
Disability campaigner.

• COULD someone please explain to me why there is talk of taking our Freedom Pass away?
It was stated by the government that in the year 2008 we would be able to use our passes in most parts of the country like Scotland and Wales.
N WILTSHIRE
Address supplied

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, Camden New Journal, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@camdennewjournal.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Tuesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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