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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 29 June 2007

We need a fair process to set the price of Freedom

• 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 run and paid for the Pass for the past 23 years. They have never had any intention of changing 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 the Mayor’s transport body 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 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 puts a burden on council tax payers and many of who 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 from Londoners 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.
CLLR IAN ADAMS
Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Services
Westminster City Council

• THE Freedom Pass is undoubtedly one of the most treasured concessions for the elderly yet, inevitably, there are those who will find something to moan about. Up pops Albert Beale (The illusion of Freedom, June 22) who objects to the transport authorities’ ability to track the journey
patterns or “all your movements” as he puts it.
I would be willing to bet that most Pass holders don’t give a hoot about revealing how they travel.
If Mr Beale would prefer the drudgery of buying tickets then he has the choice to do just that.
BRIAN GIRLING
Harrow

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. 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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