10:02am Saturday 10th February 2007
By Benedict Moore-Bridger
AN Ealing councillor's blog has caused shockwaves in City Hall, with London mayor Ken Livingstone becoming embroiled in a debate over Freedom bus passes for pensioners.
Cllr Phil Taylor, deputy portfolio holder for finance and performance, argued on his personal website that the Freedom Pass should be "re-targeted" away from most pensioners to the "very old".
But in a surprise move Mr Livingstone has this week joined the debate saying the scheme should be "defended from the escalating attacks".
He said: "Cllr Taylor says the cost of the Freedom Pass should be "re-targeted" and claims the existing users of the pass are recipients of largesse'.
"I disagree with his claim that free bus travel for older Londoners and disabled people is "quite mad" from any point of view at all."
The Mayor said the pass was "one of the most successful schemes ever introduced" by a London government, adding: "Cllr Taylor's call for the Freedom Pass to be "re-targeted at the very old" is code for huge cuts which would hit hundreds of thousands of older Londoners and disabled people, many of whom rely on the Freedom Pass to get to the shops and see family and friends."
He said it could be the difference between "living a dignified independent life" and "one of poverty and exclusion".
There are currently 43,000 Ealing residents who claim the pass.
But Cllr Taylor defended his argument, saying the Mayor was being "typically mendacious".
He said: "As a ward councillor I meet many old people marooned in their homes unable to leave. Freedom Passes are no use to them, they can't even get out of their front doors, let alone on to buses.
"It is very poor targeting of limited resources to spend £213million on more than a million people, many of whom really don't need this concession.
"It would make much more sense for the boroughs to free some of this cash up to spend on the really old who are amongst the most disadvantaged in society. The Mayor is not protecting the old and disabled he is protecting his power. It is easy for the Mayor to posture in this area but the boroughs have real responsibilities for the care of the old and disabled."
Cllr Taylor added: "The Mayor is essentially saying he knows best in spite of having no responsibility for care, unlike the boroughs. Freedom Passes may bolster TfL's budget but they are not necessarily the best way to help these groups."
It is the third time in as many months that the outspoken councillor's blog has been criticised.
Comments about the Mayor's recent trip to Miami have come under scrutiny, and in December last year he was privately chastised by council leader Cllr Jason Stacey for making "insensitive and inappropriate comments" about people with poor health on his site.
Angie Bray, leader of the London Assembly Conservatives and prospective parliamentary candidate for Central Ealing and Acton, last week proposed an alternative budget which would scrap free travel for all people under 18.
Now Cllr Sonika Nirwal, leader of Ealing Labour Group, and Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, shadow transport cabinet member, have put their names to a Trade Unions Congress (TUC) petition defending the scheme.
Cllr Nirwal said: "Young people in London travel widely to school and college as well as for leisure and social activities. This fantastic initiative has opened up London for young people and can save families with children £350 every year for each child.
"I hope everyone will join the fight against the Tory bus pass snatchers."
But Conservatives - and even Ealing police bosses - have said the free travel feeds antisocial behaviour by allowing teenagers to ride the buses unchecked.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk