Publication from Caroline Russell: City Hall Greens Budget Amendment 2022-23

London has not yet seen the end of the coronavirus pandemic that has created an on-going domestic health crisis and the unparalleled disruption of our city’s economy. This has been reflected in the Mayor’s budget process, and as yet Transport for London does not have a long-term funding deal from Government that the London Assembly can scrutinise or propose viable alternatives.

The London Assembly met on 26 January at the Draft Consolidated Budget Plenary and we were pleased that several of our constructive ideas were supported.

We proposed a budget amendment that found funding for a Residents’ Empowerment Fund which was welcomed by the Assembly. Although the Mayor did not include this good idea in his final draft budget, we will continue to work on behalf of resident groups to help them access expert support and to elevate their voices in planning processes.

The Assembly also agreed to pass two of our budget-related motions, calling on the Mayor to provide a broad estimate of the cost of immediately cancelling the Silvertown Road Tunnel, and to provide more toilets and new pedestrian crossings in London.

This amendment from the City Hall Greens now builds on the Assembly’s cross-party support for one of these positive ideas and greater accessibility in London. We propose a financed plan for more toilets and new pedestrian crossings that will improve London’s landscape for anyone living in, working in, or visiting the city.

We also propose an amendment that would allow the Mayor to introduce London’s first real smart road charging scheme, as well as improving resilience by tackling congestion at an infamous spot for traffic jams.

These ideas are core to our work and are the result of years of work on the topics we are really passionate about. The costs of the schemes we propose are modest in terms of the Mayor’s budget but would have huge, positive benefits for Londoners all over the city. All Londoners should be able to safely cross the large hostile road they avoid in their neighbourhoods, and all Londoners should be able to find a clean, open, free toilet when they need one.

As usual, our group amendment to the GLA budget is a sincere effort to improve the Mayor’s budget for the benefit of Londoners. The ideas we present in this document are genuine changes we would be glad to see realised in the final budget.

With these as our guiding principles, we have drafted an amendment to the Mayor’s budget comprising three parts:

1. A plan to accelerate the development of smart road charging technology with an innovative scheme for charging to use the Blackwall Tunnel.
2. A scheme to provide new public toilets across London, to enable more people to move freely around the city without worry.
3. A programme of design and preparation for more safe pedestrian crossings.

Our proposals will be funded, between 2022-23 and 2025-26, using a total of £581.5 million, including £54 million from the business rates reserve, £112.5 million from the Transport Services Reserve, and new borrowing financed with future new income.