GLC: King's ransom for LT?
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PENSIONERS and life-long Conservative voters are to be wooed by the Labour-controlled Greater London Council as part of its campaign to stop the Government's plans to take over London Transport.
GLC leader Ken Livingstone said the council will urge pen sioners' groups to lobby their MPs over their fears that concessionary fares and general service levels could be harmed by a takeover.
He said last week: "I believe we can defeat the legislation by mobilising millions of voters who've never voted Labour." Conservative MPs and Transport Secretary Tom King would not be worried by delegations of LT shop stewards, but would be concerned about complaints from their own supporters.
GLC finance director Maurice Stonefrost predicted that ta keover could lead to a 30 per cent increase in LT fares, and added that the council would want to get either f1,700m com pensation for the assets of LT or a return on the lease of these assets. It would be wrong in principle or practice for these to be taken over without compensation, and then to be sold to private buyers.
Transport committee chairman Dave Wetzel said the prop osals would do nothing to foster the integration of transport which had been started by launching Travelcard season tickets this year. The GLC wanted these to be extended to British Rail. There would be a reduction in bus and Underground frequencies and theatre and restaurant owners in central London, who are already suffering from the effects of early closure of BR services, would suffer a further loss of business.
Not surprisingly, Mr Wetzel was scathing in his criticism of the privatisation proposals contained in last week's White paper. Drivers' cap badges would be replaced by skulls and crossbones and they would wear parrots on their shoulders. "It would be a return to the days of bus pirates," he predicted.
• London Transport Passengers Committee chairman Nick Lester told CM that the White Paper did nothing to further the interests of the passenger. None of the integration plans con tained in the Commons transport committee report last year were proposed by the Government. • See News Extra, p14.