Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Transport for London: Financial Settlement

Thursday 3 February 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The current deal for Transport for London expires soon and the Mayor has not provided a budget balancing plan yet.
  • The UK Government opposes the Mayor of London's proposed boundary tax on those outside London and will not support it unless it is implemented nationwide.
  • The Government has spent 4.5 billion supporting Transport for London due to the pandemic and previous decisions like a four-year fare freeze.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bob Blackman Con Harrow East
Transport
Context

The question addresses the urgent need for a long-term financial agreement with Transport for London, given that the current deal is set to expire soon without the Mayor presenting budget balancing plans.

Question

What recent progress has been made on agreeing a long-term financial settlement with Transport for London? The current deal expires soon and the Mayor was due to provide ways to balance the budget but has not done so yet. Could you confirm that any arrangements will exclude an outer London charge and prevent road pricing in London?

Answer from Grant Shapps

We are committed to supporting the system with hard cash, including £4.5 billion thus far. The proposed boundary tax by the Mayor is not fair as it imposes taxes on those outside London and we will oppose such a tax without representation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exclusion of outer London charge and prevention of road pricing unless national implementation

How: We Are Committed To Supporting The System

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Q2 Bob Blackman Con Harrow East
Transport
Context

Continuing from previous, asks about future agreements with TfL excluding a boundary tax and preventing the Mayor from introducing road pricing in London unless it is national policy.

Question

Could you confirm that in any arrangements made with the Mayor of London, we will exclude an outer London charge for people driving into the London area and stop the Mayor from introducing road pricing unless the whole country follows suit?

Answer from Grant Shapps

We are against any unfair taxation such as the proposed boundary tax by the Mayor, which taxes those outside London. We will oppose this unless it is implemented nationwide to avoid taxing without representation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exclusion of outer London charge and prevention of road pricing unless national implementation

How: We Are Against Any Unfair Taxation

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Q3 Sam Tarry
Economy Transport
Context

Criticism of the Government's piecemeal approach to TfL funding and its impact on job security. Mentions specific projects supporting jobs in various regions.

Question

The Government's piecemeal funding for TfL is short-sighted, impacting thousands of jobs across the country. For every £1 spent on London transport infrastructure, 50p is spent outside London. Given the recent news about £9 billion wasted on PPE, is it not time to invest in TfL infrastructure to save jobs?

Answer from Grant Shapps

We have spent £4.5 billion propping up TfL due to pandemic and earlier decisions such as a four-year fare freeze, despite criticism about waste on PPE and lack of job support through piecemeal funding.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Immediate investment in TfL infrastructure to save jobs

How: We Have Spent £4.5 Billion Propping Up Tfl

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