David Lammy: "Tory travel cuts must be stopped."

Tuesday, 13 February 2007

Tottenham MP David Lammy, Haringey Labour Leader George Meehan, local Assembly Member Joanne McCartney and have joined forces with Mayor Ken Livingstone to condemn Tory plans to axe free travel for under 18s in London. The Tories have tabled an amendment to the Mayor’s budget for London to abolish the free bus travel London’s children currently enjoy, and replace it with an impractical ‘pilot’ scheme serving just six London boroughs. David Lammy, MP for Tottenham and Labour’s Culture Minister, said “Free bus travel for children has transformed so many lives. Young Londoners are using cars less and less, and getting on the bus to go to sport, to see friends and family, and to visit the capital’s museums, theatres, and parks. This scheme has had a massive and positive impact on Tottenham and our city and on Londoners young and old. The Tory plan to scrap the scheme has to be stopped.” George Meehan, speaking at the Mayor of London’s press conference earlier today, said: “Free bus travel for kids makes such a huge difference to so many families in Haringey and across London. Cutting the scheme is totally unacceptable. 80% of Londoners back the free travel scheme which is good for London’s children and good for London’s environment.” Joanne McCartney, London Assembly Member for Enfield & Haringey, said: “No one should be in doubt about the threat to free travel, and this is just a taster for the savage cuts a Tory Mayor would try for. Free bus travel for children and young people has been one of Labour’s most successful and popular schemes in London. With the scheme saving families on average £350 for each child each year, a Tory cut would hit the poorest hardest.” Joanne added: “The Tories have not changed. They want to savage public services and they couldn’t care less about the effects on hardworking families.” Background: 1. A total of 13,377 young Londoners benefit from free travel in Haringey, with a further 15,772 in Enfield, making a total of 29,149 across Joanne McCartney AM’s Enfield & Haringey constituency. 2. Further details are available at http://www.london.gov.uk/news/2007/freetravel-130207.jsp 3. A press release from the Mayor of London on this issue is at: http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=10850 4. A webcast of this morning’s London Mayoral press conference is at http://www.london.gov.uk/webcasts.jsp

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