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'Take LT away from GLC mys Sir Richard
Page 29
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E,SPONSIBILITY for ndon Transport's policy d finance should be taken ay from the Greater ndon Council and given a larger public authority vering all public transrt in the London comiter belt. This is the view Sir Richard Way, LT's airman, who is leaving at end of this year.
Sir Richard, being inter:wed in the current issue of r News, a staff publican, described the chairin's job as "thankless and Inerable". His five-year ntract expires on :cember 31 and he has told GLC he does not wish to iew it. Several unions ye urged Sir Richard to stay in preference to the man appointed to succeed him, Mr Kenneth 'Robinson, a former Labour Minister of Health (CM, May 24).
Sir Richard said that he had always had one misgiving about LT "being so enormously politically important". He went on: "It is in a unique situation no nationalized industry is so important to Government as LT is to the GLC. The result is that many of our management decisions can be politically important and could, in extreme circumstances, even influence election results."
"This is a danger which has clearly been demon strated in the past year when there has been a great increase in the interest of the majority party at County Hall in what are actually management decisions", said Sir Richard. "This is not consistent with the managerial independence of a corporation like LT and the nationalized industries. Although such organizations should be sensitive to the political implications of their actions they cannot be guided by party politics in the exercise of their management functions.
"One solution, which I would favour, is the removal of LT from the jurisdiction of the GLC; in other words, the repeal of the Transport (London) Act, 1969.
"The problem would then find its resolution with the creation of a larger authority co-ordinating all public transport — including British Rail and LT — within the London commuter area, thus spreading responsibility."
Of his successor, Sir Richard said: "I think if LT has to have a political head they will be very fortunate to have as distinguished a man as Kenneth Robinson. don't think he will be as compliant with their wishes as the GLC hope. I am quite sure he will be as jealous of LT's managerial independence as I have been".