The London Assembly has welcomed intervention by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which has resulted in the release of Transport for London’s (TfL) advice to Mayor Boris Johnson about prospective tube and bus fare rises in January 2013.
The ICO issued a provisional assessment [1] that the advice should be made available under the Freedom of Information Act following a complaint from Budget & Performance Committee Chair John Biggs.
The Budget & Performance Committee has repeatedly asked for the publication of such advice since 2010 [2].
John Biggs AM, Chair of the Budget & Performance Committee, said
“I am glad that the Mayor has finally agreed to publish his fares advice, albeit under pressure from the Information Commissioner’s Office. It’s just a shame this level of openness and transparency required many years of pressure from the Assembly.
“Fares make up such a substantial portion of the Mayor’s income, and have such an impact on Londoners finances, that it is impossible to properly understand how budget decisions have been reached without seeing the advice that informed them.
“I trust that we will all now be able to see the advice and background information that informed the Mayor’s decisions for this year’s fare rises and for the other spending and policy commitments he makes on behalf of Londoners.”
UPDATE
The Mayor's Office has now provided the TfL fares briefings for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Notes to editors
- Text of email from Information Commissioner and TfL Fares advice September 2012 below.
- See Assembly Report Balancing Act: the Mayor’s 2011 fares decision (August 2010), Pre-Budget Report 2012 (December 2012) , Transparency of the GLA Group (June 2013), Pre-Budget Report 2013 (December 2013)
- John Biggs AM, Chair of the Budget & Performance Committee, is available for interview, see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.