As an Assembly Member, I see how much the cost-of-living crisis affects Londoners.
I’m pleased to report that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that he will freeze TfL fares this year – helping Londoners who are being hit by inflated food prices, soaring energy bills and rising housing costs.
The Mayor controls pay as you go and single fares. So if you’re touching in and out on the tube, tram or bus, the cost of that journey will stay the same.
Disappointingly, the Government announced just before Christmas that the fares that they control – travelcards, price caps and national rail fares – will go up by 4.9%. They hike up prices every year.
In London, by contrast, Sadiq Khan has frozen fares five times while in office – meaning TfL fares are 14% lower than if they had risen in line with National Rail fares.
Given that record numbers – about 80% of Londoners - now use pay as you go rather than travelcards, this will help thousands of people from our area.
If you’re commuting from West Hampstead to Oxford Circus in peak time, for example, using Pay As You Go, the (lack of) change will mean your ticket will stay at £3.40. If it had risen by the amount the Government hiked national rail fares, it would have gone up to about £3.60.
While each day’s savings are small, they all add up over the year and give Londoners a bit more breathing space in their finances.
As well as putting money back into Londoners’ pockets, this will help support our city’s brilliant businesses. A fare freeze will help bars, shops and restaurants get people through the doors to enjoy everything London has to offer.
This is just one of the ways that City Hall is keeping London fair and affordable.
The Mayor has just announced that primary school children will keep on receiving free school meals next year – saving families more than £1,000 for each child. This is on top of the school holiday meals that less well-off families get thanks to the Mayor.
City Hall has given out more than 10 million nutritious meals over the school breaks – because we know that hunger doesn’t stop just because term has.
City Hall can help protect Londoners from the worst of the cost-of-living crisis. As an Assembly Member, I’ll keep on advocating to the Mayor for schemes like these so our area can thrive.
- Anne Clarke is Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden.
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