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It’s Ken who’s a threat to our Freedom Pass
• I WAS flabbergasted by Illtyd Harrington’s article about the Freedom Pass (I say set the dogs on those who want to take away our Freedom Pass, June 15).
Mr Harrington was Red Ken’s deputy in the GLC of the 1980s. He writes about the opposition to introduction of the Freedom Pass in those days and continues by blaming “the miserable descendants of those forgotten fools” (I think he means me by this) for wanting to restrict the Freedom Pass to bus travel.
This is a total fabrication. Nobody has suggested limiting the Freedom Pass to bus travel. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the total disregard for the truth by Labour politicians. After all, they took us into the war in Iraq in reliance on lies about weapons of mass destruction
Mr Harrington and his Labour colleagues, including Emily Thornberry who put out a leaflet repeating the lies about the “threat” to the Freedom Pass a few weeks ago, are engaging in political scaremongering of the most despicable kind, because its victims are the elderly and vulnerable people who use the Freedom Pass. Labour doesn’t care about them; they are collateral damage.
So why are Mr Harrington and his cronies so agitated about the Freedom Pass? It is because there is a threat, but it is a threat to Ken Livingstone’s absolute power to charge councils however much he wants to provide the Freedom Pass.
As the current situation stands, the costs of the Freedom Pass are met by councils. Islington pays more than £5 million.
These costs are negotiated annually between Transport for London (TfL), controlled by Ken, and the individual boroughs.
If no agreement is made over the course of the year then Ken can dictate the amount and councils have no right to appeal. Whatever amount he dictates has to be found by council tax-payers, including you and me in Islington.
Nowhere else in the country does a transport provider have such powers and the result has been that London’s boroughs have seen a 52 per cent rise in the cost of the Freedom Pass in the last seven years.
Furthermore, TfL is planning to nearly double the cost, from £600,000 to £1 million, for providing the pass on the North London railway network once they take over the franchise in November. They have failed to explain why such a dramatic financial hike is necessary considering that the service provided will remain the same.
It is because of these excessive demands that London councils have requested that, instead of allowing Ken to dictate the final decisions on costs, central government should be the final arbiter.
Let me stress, in case anyone believes Labour’s lies on this issue: these plans will make no absolutely impact on the travel benefits that London’s elderly and disabled residents currently enjoy.
If a threat to the Freedom Pass comes from anywhere it is from the Mayor of London’s dictatorial approach to transport provision. So if the dogs are to be set on anyone, as Mr Harrington suggests, Ken Livingstone’s your man.
CLLR JOHN GILBERT
Lib Dem, Highbury East
• HOW splendid to read Illtyd Harrington’s article on the Freedom Pass introduced by the GLC, with himself and the late Gerry Ross prominent members.
On the abolition of the GLC, the responsibility went to the 33 London boroughs and its committee, the London Committee for Accessible Transport (LCAT).
One of the most productive and positive pleasures and duties I have had as a former Islington councillor was the five years I served on the LCAT executive committee. We had a brilliant advisor, Jon Lansman, who apart from negotiating a bargain for the million pensioners in London, also got the overground to be included at a very modest price. Later another gain was to get the Underground concessions to start at 9am.
The concessions cost Islington £4 million, which per person is approximately £40 a year. I am sure most council tax-payers, if asked, would agree it is a bargain, and as a user myself I know it is a wonderful passport to the whole of Greater London and all it has to offer. It seems the Lib Dems in Islington are saying the Freedom Pass is “safe in their hands” but are attacking it by the back door by suggesting it is also becoming expensive – this is typical of them as they will do anything to cut council tax.
PAT HAYNES
Islington Fabians
Mildmay Road, N1
• I WAS pleased to see coverage of campaigns to preserve the Freedom Pass, which allows older citizens concessionary travel on London Transport services.
But what also needs pointing out is that you’re now only allowed to have the concession if you let London Transport track, and keep a record of, all your movements.
Freedom Passes are now issued only in the form of an electronic card which is specifically linked to you, and every journey you make is logged on your personal record by the computer running the Oyster card system.
What would you feel like if you were told: if you’re a Londoner and you’re elderly and poor, then you’re not allowed out unless you wear an electronic tag. Well, that’s effectively the situation now.
ALBERT BEALE
Little Russell Street, WC1 |
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