Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hey all,


The Congestion Charge hours and days have changed in the last few weeks!!


It?s now EVERY day. No more free weekends.

And it is now until 22:00. No more free theatre/cinema/dinner trips.



No communication of the changes. And no warning letter when you unknowingly enter at times that used to be free. Just straight to a fine.



Cheers

Brad

And TFL have agreed to squander a huge sum on the daft DV "improvements", having just gone cap in hand to the government for yet another huge bail out.

Further, I read that TFL have 550 (!!) employees "earning" over ?100,000 pa. If correct, complete madness. West End restaurants and businesses are collapsing wholesale and this punitive congestion charge, particularly at weekends will turn central London into a ghost city.

Forget Rhodes.Khan must fall. Hopeless.

seenbeen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> TfL was ?1 billion in deficit before the lockdown.

> He used ?600m for a fares freeze which did not

> benefit Londoners- only tourists



What i was thinking! The fit and mobile cd always walk, surely many peeps live within 30 mins walk of a restaurant? Maybe not- happy to stand corrected.


I am a shielded wheelchair user and had been told to avoid f2f b4 lockdown, social distancing etc. No longer took minicabs or uber to places had previously done so but walked if about an hr away. - well husband did as he accompanied my in chair. Helped keep him fit as well. It was very interesting we discovered streets we had no idea existed as we tried out different routes.

apbremer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And TFL have agreed to squander a huge sum on the

> daft DV "improvements", having just gone cap in

> hand to the government for yet another huge bail

> out.

> Further, I read that TFL have 550 (!!) employees

> "earning" over ?100,000 pa. If correct, complete

> madness. West End restaurants and businesses are

> collapsing wholesale and this punitive congestion

> charge, particularly at weekends will turn central

> London into a ghost city.

> Forget Rhodes.Khan must fall. Hopeless.


If all these employees/local authority /civil servants are working from home will they be losing their London Waiting top up to help the cause.


Surely that would help the TFL deficit

gabys1st Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> seenbeen Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > TfL was ?1 billion in deficit before the

> lockdown.

> > He used ?600m for a fares freeze which did not

> > benefit Londoners- only tourists

>

>

> What i was thinking! The fit and mobile cd always

> walk, surely many peeps live within 30 mins walk

> of a restaurant? Maybe not- happy to stand

> corrected.

>

> I am a shielded wheelchair user and had been told

> to avoid f2f b4 lockdown, social distancing etc.

> No longer took minicabs or uber to places had

> previously done so but walked if about an hr away.

> - well husband did as he accompanied my in chair.

> Helped keep him fit as well. It was very

> interesting we discovered streets we had no idea

> existed as we tried out different routes.


Also school children up to age 19 get free passes- they bus hop even if it's only 2 stops. Also it doesn't exactly encourage going to local schools or fitness either,

surely many peeps live within 30 mins walk of a restaurant? A restaurant, surely, but not necessarily one of the many in the West End. And an hours walk for a meal may be healthy, but if you're over 60 it ain't going to be much fun, particularly as the weather worsens into autumn and winter. With so many now working from home and thus not starting their evening in the City or West End coming in specially is going to be less attractive. This makes it even more so.

Its Killing the west end stores and restaurants and everyone who works in them is afraid for their jobs.

not a great idea when people have just started to reopen and try to claw back some of their lost takings.

No spenders in the west end after 7pm now just gangs of teenagers wandering about

The mayor pledged a fared freeze and this has been overturned by the government.


The government removed the funding it previously have to TFL. That means our transport system is funded solely by fares and other revenue (advertising, rent, property) and is the only self-funded transport system.


The mayor has been fighting the government to reintroduce the transport grant.


Despite this, TFL were on track to run a surplus AND deliver key projects.


It now looks like the mayor is screwing London but it's actually the government.

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It was imposed by the government only in response

> to poor financial management by the mayor. Bit

> like any rescue deal , terms and conditions apply.


Yes exactly- and if the mayor wants some kind of autonomy he needs to sort it without the Government aid- i.e. the tax-payers' money. I'm sure the tax payers of Manchester, Liverpool etc would love to know they are subsidising London!

seenbeen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Spartacus Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> I'm sure the tax payers of Manchester, Liverpool etc

> would love to know they are subsidising London!


You think that?s how it works!?


Liverpool etc propping up London!

Jules-and-Boo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That's not how it works. People travelling in

> London pay fares which partly fund TFL


TfL used to get government money

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-34923879

Jules-and-Boo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


>

> Despite this, TFL were on track to run a surplus

> AND deliver key projects.

>

> It now looks like the mayor is screwing London but

> it's actually the government.


How is a ?13 billion debt "on track to run a surplus" ? For context this article was the 12th May, only a month and a half into the reduction in passenger numbers so when the mayor got his bailout it was possibly higher.


BBC News - Coronavirus: Transport for London expects to lose ?4bn

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52630386


It's obvious that the Mayor's policies in this area have failed but remember to TFL and the Mayor of London every bailout is important.

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------


> How is a ?13 billion debt "on track to run a

> surplus" ? For context this article was the 12th

> May, only a month and a half into the reduction in

> passenger numbers so when the mayor got his

> bailout it was possibly higher.

>

> BBC News - Coronavirus: Transport for London

> expects to lose ?4bn

> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52630

> 386

>

> It's obvious that the Mayor's policies in this

> area have failed but remember to TFL and the Mayor

> of London every bailout is important.


You think this Mayor?s created all that debt? Really?


I?d be keen to see your evidence that he inherited debt free balanced books, particularly once you take into account that eg the previous Mayor received government support that his successor doesn?t benefit from and Boris clearly had nothing like a coronavirus hit income to deal with

The government support has been reduced agreed, but it was approximately the same amount per year as the fares freeze cost, and as a result the Mayor put more funding into tfl. If he hadn't frozen fares then the phased reduction in government grant wouldn't have made a difference.


Prior to covid 19 hitting travel tfl were already in debt due to fares freeze, falling passenger numbers and other factors that the mayor should have addressed. I would like to see your evidence that the current mayor didn't get a balanced set of books. I'm not aware that he did or didn't but as you have raised the question can you provide evidence?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • on a practical level found here these have very positive feedback:   Danny - 07943 673482 joeast 12/09/23 Just had my roof replaced by Danny (mobile 07943 673482) who I would highly recommend. He is honest, clean, reliable and explained the work and sent photos as the work progressed. His initial estimate for costs was detailed and close to the actual price of the job. jamondo 07/12/24 Another recommendation for Danny here!  After carrying out extensive work on our property in 2018, we have constantly had problems  with the newly built roof.  Then followed numerous fixes and bodges by the builders then by other so called 'experts' and professionals' charging extortionate amounts and / or giving guarantees that amounted to nothing.  Lots of 'it could be this and that etc...'  Sadly our tale of woe is not uncommon. After getting a number of people to look at the roof - the consensus was that the whole roof needed redoing (it was clear that by now the roof looked a mess with multiple things done wrong or poorly).  We obtained quotes and decided to go with Danny - his was the most competitive but it was not overriding factor behind why we did.  Danny made clear what the quote covered and where there might be extra work required as he got to it (this was fairly minor). He was easy to get a hold of and responded promptly and he was also happy to offer up refences which I did contact and all were happy to vouch for him. Minor downside was that we had a bit of a wait, but it was worth it.  When work started I was kept updated with progress and photos.  Issues were dealt with, and although I'm not an expert by any means the appearance of the work was top.  Most importantly we are leak free! bonzo 17/05/25 Needed a new rear roof for terrace house in East Dulwich and heard about Danny Denton (07943 673482). Have worked with over 20 builders in the past but this guy was way the best - polite, hard working, honest, professional, informative, highly skilled and above all quoted lower than any of the others who came down to view the job. If you need roofing work I would definitely give him a call. If he's busy working else where I assure you he is well worth waiting for. He got the scaffold up and job finished in no time and kept me informed at every stage. Another roofer (who appears on this forum) gave a quote which was three times higher than Danny's.   #########################################################   Norwood Roofing 07412 000 214 Email Address: [email protected] Website: https://norwoodroofing.co.uk/ Fee163 01/01/26 Another 5 star recommendation for David and Patrick. Got in touch with David last week regarding clearing our gutters and as always he quoted immediately and came out within the week to do the job.  We've used David and Patrick for all our roof work for almost 10 years .   They also did an amazing job for my sister who is based outside the area - she couldn't easily find someone local and they stepped in and did a fantastic job (it was quite a big job).  Can't recommend them highly enough, really personable, always reliable and so easy to work with and consistent, just wouldn't work with anyone one else!  Thanks again David and Patrick. caroline5553 12/01/26 Another recommendation for David and Patrick. David came out the same day we called, had scaffolding up by the weekend and the job done on Monday. Really nice guys, never made me feel uncomfortable, easy to work with and seemed to have done a great job. Thanks, David and Patrick! sheppick 15/12/25 I would also recommend David and Patrick. David quoted immediately, and they came and did the work I needed the following week. They fixed my leaking roof and did a number of other jobs for me that were needed on the roof. Really reliable, turned up on time and very reasonable quote. Super easy to deal with and I would highly recommend.  #################################################################   Which Trusted Trader R Tredget & Son 07905829393 or 07956553852  [email protected] http://www.rtredgetandson.com/ OUR FEATURED WORKS Roofing, plumbing, kitchen installation, building, interior decorating, electrical installation, bathroom installation, exterior decorating, tiling, plastering, landscaping & carpentry 02/08/25 This is the second time R. Tredget & Son have carried out works on our property. Part of the work included the repair of cladding on an end gable that Richard had previously installed but it had since been accidentally damaged by another trades-person. I assumed I'd pay for such repair work, as the damage was no fault of his own, but when we discussed this, Richard was adamant he would not charge! Made a lovely job of the repair too. When you turn your home (or part of it) over to builders it often feels like they've taken over. Not so with Richard, Adam and Harrison. They respect your property and are willing to work with you. They keep you informed at every stage, offering suggestions and alternatives as appropriate and they don't take liberties. We are so glad to have found R. Tredget & Son builders: quality work from reliable, hard-working and courteous folks. 10/10/24 Multiple jobs complete to a high standard We've used Richard for a few years now getting our house complete. He and his team have completely refitted our kitchen, replaced ceilings, built internal and external walls, laid flooring, plastered, decorated, fixed guttering, fit skirting boards; the list goes on! They take pride in their work, and every job we've needed doing, they've always done to a high standard. No job was too big or too small for them, and I've no doubt the quality work they've done has increased the value of our house, so a big thanks again for everything they've done. 17/04/24 A Great Family Run Company This was our first time having works done in a new house so we were understandably nervous! From the first meeting with Richard and Adam we knew that we would be in good hands. Nothing that we wanted done was too much of an issue, even if it was a bit more of a challenge to them (unlike some other quotes we got!). They gave clever suggestions but weren't pushy with it and had good ideas! We had a whole new bathroom installed and then some structural work done around the house. The guys always made sure that they left the house in a clean state at the end of every day, which really made a difference to our standard of living during the works. Richard, Michelle, Adam, and H were trustworthy and communication was perfect throughout. We used some of their guys for boiler/electrics too and they were also great. Would highly recommend taking them on for your works!       
    • Bit of a long-shot, but I dropped my glasses somewhere along my run last night, after taking them off due to the rain. The glasses are Giorgio Armani with grey frames. My running route attached, so they could be anywhere along this route. If you've found them, please get in touch! 07971806292 Many thanks James
    • I'm in the middle of the civil service pension crisis with no pension for 4 months and counting. No access to the much publicised loans either. I have emailed Helen Hayes several times. It took her 6 weeks to contact Capita on my behalf but no follow up, no reply, she didn't attend the Westminster Hall debate about the issue either. Lots of other MPs are speaking and acting on behalf of their constituents but I've had no joy. Has anyone else please? What works to get help from Helen Hayes?
    • Our cat Suki has gone missing from Keston Road near Goose Green. Please let us know if you see her anywhere or can check your sheds and gardens. You can contact us me on 07980308743 or [email protected].  Thanks Chris
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...