The government is being told it must agree a sustainable long-term funding deal for Transport for London in order to support the capital’s post-pandemic recovery.
The financial newspaper City AM has seen a report by lobby group London First which says maintaining public transport services in the capital is “vital” in rebuilding confidence and supporting the shift to flexible working.
The taxpayer has funded TfL to the tune of £4 billion since the pandemic hit and government restrictions led to vastly reduced numbers of passengers. But mayor Sadiq Khan described the short-term agreement as a “sticking plaster” while RMT union boss Mike Lynch branded it a “disgraceful stitch up of a deal”.
City AM says that, in addition to public transport support, London First called for a “well-funded coordinated campaign” to help draw people back into the city centre and support footfall to the retail, hospitality and cultural sectors.
“The pandemic has accelerated trends in flexible working and the businesses that will grow at pace will be those that harness and embrace these changes. But there is continuity as well as change,” John Dickie, chief executive of London First told the paper. “Many people have been in their place of work throughout the pandemic — notably the key workers who have kept our city going. And most businesses which have been largely working at home want to get their people together as soon as they can: to share, to collaborate and to create.”
(Picture – Highways News)
