The comments made by Andrew Adonis on Twitter on 11 December 2021.
London makes huge net contribution to national taxation, billions in excess of the current TfL deficit. So it’s absurd to call it “unfair” to taxpayers to maintain TfL through the pandemic. TfL is economically & socially vital not just for the capital but for the country at large.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 10 December 2021.
This shows how bold action reaps rewards on air quality and climate change. Just one month after expanding the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, we have seen a significant reduction in the number of older, more polluting vehicles driving in our capital. This is vitally important because toxic air is an invisible killer, responsible for one of the biggest public health crises of our generation.
In central London, the ULEZ has already helped cut toxic roadside nitrogen dioxide pollution by nearly half. But pollution isn’t just a central London problem. Everyone should have the right to breathe clean air, which is why expanding the ULEZ was a crucial step. The high compliance rate means that millions of Londoners are already benefiting from cleaner air.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 3 December 2021.
It’s unacceptable that many Londoners can’t afford to keep their homes warm and instead suffer cold, damp conditions throughout winter. We know the economic impacts of the pandemic and rising fuel prices are likely to plunge even more London households into fuel poverty. That’s why from today, I’m reopening my Warmer Homes programme to support vulnerable Londoners this winter.
I’m pleased that our £51 million commitment will directly help those living in ageing, energy-inefficient homes. This investment will help tackle the climate emergency and support Londoners with the skills they need for jobs in the green economy.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 3 December 2021.
I am committed to tackling violence in our city and for City Hall to do all we can to help make communities safer. I set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit, England’s first, to lead an approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention.
We know that after school is a high-risk period for violence and that’s why it’s crucial that we invest in programmes like Stronger Futures to provide mentoring to support our young people and help them access positive opportunities where they live.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 30 November 2021.
I agree with the Government and Mayors across the country when they say other regions should have “London-style” transport services.
But the irony is that a failure to provide enough operational and capital funding for TfL means that it won’t be long before London itself will no longer have “London-style” transport services.
Instead, we’ll be forced to move into managed decline – leading to run-down services reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s.
This is no exaggeration.
If the Government continues to starve TfL of funding, bus services would have to be reduced by almost a fifth, and Tube services would need to be cut by nearly 10 per cent.
In practice, this could mean more than 100 bus routes being withdrawn and less frequent Tube timetables on a number of lines and branches. TfL is even having to look at potentially closing a whole Tube line to achieve the savings it may need to make.
And that’s not all.
There would also be an increase in road and tunnel closures due to a lack of money to maintain London’s key transport infrastructure.
This combination of deteriorating public transport services and an increase in road and tunnel closures would cause wide-spread disruption and gridlock across the capital.
Not only would this have a devastating effect on passengers, but it would put the national economic recovery at risk.
Because there can be no national economic recovery without a London recovery, and there can no London recovery without a properly funded public transport network in the capital.
On 11 December, the existing temporary funding deal between TfL and the Government comes to an end.
So it’s time to remove short-term political thinking and to come together to call on the Government to provide the long-term funding TfL urgently needs.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 1 December 2021.
Since becoming Mayor, I have made tackling rough sleeping a personal priority. From City Hall we are doing everything we can with the resources at our disposal to keep rough sleepers safe and I’m confident Londoners will once again show their generosity by backing my winter fundraising campaign and helping to support young Londoners who find themselves homeless.
Even so, the generosity of Londoners alone cannot end rough sleeping in our capital. This time last year we were hailing the remarkable success of the ‘Everyone In’ programme for saving the lives of hundreds of vulnerable Londoners. Despite seeing what can be achieved when we work together, ministers now appear unwilling or unable to confront the appalling reality that hundreds of young Londoners could spend this Christmas sleeping on the streets.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 26 November 2021.
Once again far too many people are facing the first cold snap of the winter on the streets of the capital, without the safe, secure accommodation that should be the basic right of every Londoner.
Across London, we will do everything we can to protect rough sleepers in these freezing conditions. I know London’s councils and charities will also be working tirelessly over the weekend to help the most vulnerable amongst us and I thank them for their efforts.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 24 November 2021.
City Hall’s move to The Crystal building will usher in a new era for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and this flourishing part of East London.
The move will save £61m over five years which will be used to help protect vital front-line services including in policing, the London Fire Brigade, and our transport network. It will also enable me to invest further in London’s economic recovery from the pandemic.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 19 November 2021.
I’m utterly devastated that a teenage boy was fatally stabbed last night in Croydon. Violent crime tears families and communities apart. We’ll continue to bear down on violence— but we must root out its causes too. Prevention is the only long-term solution.
The comments made by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, on 19 November 2021.
Transport for London is dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis caused by the pandemic. We are now less than a month away from TfL’s emergency funding deal expiring on 11 December. Unless the Government provides the long-term funding needed to maintain our public transport network, there will be no choice but to make significant cuts to services just as demand is growing again.
This would mean fewer, less frequent and more run-down bus and tube services for Londoners, making it more difficult to travel around the city. It would also mean more road and tunnel closures due to a lack of funding to maintain key transport infrastructure. The widespread disruption and gridlock all these changes would cause would not only unfairly punish millions of Londoners for the impact of the pandemic on TfL’s finances, but would put the national economic recovery at risk.
I support greater transport investment in regions across the country, but levelling up Britain must not come at the expense of levelling down London. There can be no London recovery without a properly funded public transport network in the capital, and there can be no national recovery without a London recovery. Our city contributes £36.1bn net to the Treasury each year. TfL contracts contribute around £7bn to the UK economy, and its supply chain supports 43,000 jobs around the country, which could be at risk.
If the Government fails to work with us to protect London’s transport network, the capital and the whole country will pay the price for decades to come.