Use City Hall savings to fund card payment machines for London’s Black Cabs
Posted by GLA Conservatives in News
£1.6m could be freed from the Mayor’s Budget to pay for new taxi tech
Changes to the upcoming Mayoral budget should be used to bring card payment machines to over 11,000 cabs without this technology, according to Gareth Bacon, GLA Conservatives budget spokesman.
New card payment machines could be funded by City Hall back office efficiencies but also by scrapping the over generous TfL “nominee pass”, which allows free travel for flatmates and lodgers of staff.
£23m business rents from closed ticket offices should pay for passenger fares
‘Trio’ of tube reforms could create £839m fares reduction pot by 2020
Transport bosses need to embark on large scale programme of attracting businesses to London’s closed tube stations, according to GLA Conservative Gareth Bacon.
New figures released before City Hall’s regeneration committee show an extra £23m can be raised by 2020 if ticket offices are turned into retail space¹.
As part of a trio of essential tube reforms including fast tracking driverless trains and scrapping free travel passes for flatmates of TfL staff, a fares reduction pot of some £839m could be created in 5 years.²
Millions pledged to kick start London’s self-build industry
£5m new funding for self-build and affordable homes on disused sites
The London Mayor has promised millions of pounds to help people build their own homes on redundant sites such as old laundries, garages and store sheds in London.
For the first time, £5m of funding for self-builders has been secured in the Mayor’s 2015/16 budget by GLA Conservative Gareth Bacon.
The cash is initially expected to support the building of about 150 homes on disused sites, and will be given to mainly subsidise construction costs. Bids to the GLA are open immediately.
Slash the cost of TfL perks and City Hall politics to help frontline workers, homeowners and taxpayers
· 2015/16: Use £20.81m savings for self-build homes fund, panic buttons for Tube workers and further council tax cuts
Money raised from cutting the cost of City Hall politics and scrapping free travel passes for flatmates of TfL staff should be used to help council taxpayers, frontline workers and aspiring home-owners, according to GLA Conservative Gareth Bacon.
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One in five London street markets to go bust due to poor management
· Council market closures could threaten an estimated 1.3k trader jobs by 2032
· Calls for failing markets to be privatised as decline would harm the Capital’s economy by £1.4bn
Londoners could lose 1 in 5 council run street markets by 2032 due to pressures from online retail sales, damaging planning decisions and a lack of investment.¹
There are currently 90 markets in inner London alone. Over half (54) are run by local authorities and estimates suggest 20% will close over the next 18 years.¹
These London street market closures could result in up to 1,342 trader job losses.²
If they stay open, they have the potential to generate £792m in revenue over the 18-year period³ – and the neighbourhood could benefit by up to £1.4bn due to the footfall attracted to local businesses.?
A new report, ‘Market Stalled’, calls for failing local authority run street markets to be privatised. Figures just for inner London show seven have closed since 2008 – resulting in hundreds of job losses.
200 homeless veterans helped into housing and employment
200 of the Capital’s homeless veterans have been helped off the streets in the past year, thanks to funding from the Mayor of London.
The 300k cash was agreed following costed proposals by GLA Conservatives Budget spokesman Gareth Bacon.
So far in 2013/14, an estimated £236k has been spent on helping homeless veterans into temporary hostels, long term supported accommodation as well as employment and training.
Gareth Bacon:
“Sadly, there are people returning home from military service who are suffering from a range of social problems including homelessness, and we owe it to them to help them get back on their feet, lead an independent life and integrate in society. I’m pleased to say, that after consistent campaigning, I managed to secure £300k from the Mayor to help homeless veterans. This cash is already making a difference in their lives, indeed in the past year 200 veterans have been helped with treatment, temporary hostel accommodation and long term supported accommodation, as well as training and employment opportunities. But our work cannot stop here. Charity Veterans Aid has seen 447 homeless veterans approach their drop-in service between April and December 2013. I will now be working closely with the Mayor to make sure this funding continues in future years and to bolster the training and employment opportunities available for homeless veterans to help prevent homelessness in the future.”
Budget: £10m for council tax cut, part-time Travelcards and affordable workspaces for start-ups
2014/15 costed proposals will slash over-the-top TfL perks and put cash into the pockets of Londoners
Money raised from scrapping the over generous TfL “nominee pass”, which allows free travel for flatmates and lodgers of staff, should be ploughed into helping council tax payers, commuters and start-up businesses, according to Gareth Bacon, GLA Conservatives budget spokesman.
The estimated £10m raised by cancelling the nominee pass scheme should be used to pay for the following tax-cutting and pro-business measures:
- £7m to further cut council tax. A 2.2% cut for 2014/15 (compared to the Mayor’s 1.3%), accelerating progress towards the Mayor’s 10% reduction target by 2016
- £1m to fund a feasibility study (including all technical assessments and financial modelling) into the introduction of part-time Travelcards and one-hour bus tickets
- £2m to pilot the conversion of 70 empty garages into affordable workshops and studios for start-ups and micro businesses
Private companies can foot the bill for free 4G, TV screens, lifts and toilets for tube passengers
Examples of sponsorship providing drinking fountains, video screens and mobile phone connectivity
· Industry experts back the huge benefits tube sponsorship can bring to passenger journeys
· Feasibility study casts serious doubt over TfL’s spurious “£4M cost” to rename one tube station
Private companies sponsoring the tube can overhaul the tube system for London's commuters by footing the bill for major projects such as free 4G, lifts and TV screens.
A new report “Sealing the Deal: TfL sponsorship feasibility study” shows industry experts backing the huge benefits tube sponsorship can bring to passenger journeys, in addition to bearing down on fares. As part of any sponsorship deal, there is potential for companies to pay for or significantly contribute towards specific upgrades or improvements to stations such as mobile phone connectivity at tube platforms, TV news broadcasts on platforms, lifts, ramps, station deep cleans, toilets and water fountains.
- More than 5,000 ppl signed the petition calling fr changes to the current CR2 proposals @KemiBadenoch @WimbledonNews https://t.co/JraHnbumBd
- .@KemiBadenoch receives a petition from @WimbledonNews and local residents opposing Crossrail 2 proposals https://t.co/NxaZBxwhrI
- .@SteveO_Connell says TfL's financial commitment 'is a sign that this plan is being taken seriously' https://t.co/EQf2Sfzlmb
