How Boris Johnson’s leading supporters have attacked the Freedom Pass
Ken Livingstone's campaign today released a document setting out Tory attacks on the Freedom Pass, including the statement issued by Boris Johnson yesterday by one of his leading supporters savaging the plan to extend the operation of the Freedom Pass to 24 hours a day.
Conservative councillor Daniel Moylan, Chair of the Transport and Environment Committee London Councils, said on 5 June 2007 that ‘The Freedom Pass is a ‘stealth tax on Londoners.'
Moylan has been reported as a possible Chair of Transport for London under a Boris Johnson administration, something which neither Johnson or Moylan have ruled out.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ccharge-critic-to-run-transport-811789.html
Yesterday Boris Johnson released a statement by Brian Cooke endorsing Boris Johnson, in which Mr Cooke gave as one of his reasons for opposing Ken Livingstone Ken's promise to extend the Freedom Pass as a 24 hour pass - so that older Londoners can use it before 9am. Mr Cooke's statement issued by Johnson said this policy was a ‘mad idea' and ‘plain daft.' Embarrassed by this, Johnson has removed it from his website - but it can be found here:
http://www.kenlivingstone.com/page/-/Johnson%20Cooke%20statement.pdf
Among the other examples of the Tories' attacks on the Freedom Pass highlighted in the document are:
- On 14th September 2006 the London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, chaired by Conservative councillor, Daniel Moylan, received a briefing which said they should lobby ‘for the abolition of the London reserve scheme'. The reserve scheme ensures that the Mayor and Transport for London can guarantee the delivery of the Freedom Pass.
- On 29th January 2007 Conservative led London Councils sponsored a series of amendments to the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill in an attempt to abolish the reserve travel scheme which guarantees the Freedom Pass.
- On 6th February 2007, Conservative Cllr Phil Taylor, Ealing Councillor and deputy chair of Ealing's Finance and Performance Committee, said the Freedom Pass should be "re-targeted" away from most pensioners to the "very old".
- On 5th June 2007 - London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, chaired by Conservative councillor, Daniel Moylan attacked the Freedom Pass, saying the Freedom Pass is a ‘stealth tax on Londoners'.
- On Monday 14th May 2007 the Freedom Pass was criticised by a number of Conservative MPs during the debate on the Concessionary Bus Travel Bill, including Romford MP, Andrew Rosindell, who said, ‘The system needs a review and I hope that the Minister will consider that'.
- Abolishing the Freedom Pass ‘reserve scheme' would take power over the funding for the Freedom Pass away from elected London government and pass it to Whitehall. This means the Secretary of State for Transport could impose cuts or scrap the scheme as it currently exists.
- On 28 April 2008, Boris Johnson's campaign issued a statement from Johnson's supporter Brian Cooke, describing Ken Livingstone's policy of extending the Freedom Pass to before 9am as a ‘mad idea' and ‘plain daft'.
Ken Livingstone's campaign said:
‘Ken Livingstone's commitment to the Freedom Pass is second to none and Londoners can be sure that with Ken it will be extended so that older and disabled Londoners can use it before 9am. The series of attacks on the Freedom Pass by Boris Johnson supporters revealed in this document, such as the claim that it is a "stealth tax" and the savage attack on the 24-hour Freedom Pass policy released by Boris Johnson's campaign yesterday, demonstrate the character of Boris Johnson and the administration he would form if he was elected Mayor. It shows that a Boris Johnson mayoralty would not be funny at all and that every Londoner who want to keep London moving forward needs to vote on Thursday to re-elect Ken Livingstone.'
The full document setting out Tory attacks on the Freedom Pass is available here: