East Surrey MP, Peter Ainsworth is urging Surrey residents to make their views known on controversial plans to give London Mayor Ken Livingstone power over rail services outside London.
The Department of Transport has launched a consultation on proposals to extend the Mayor of London’s rail powers beyond the London boundary. The new powers would allow the London Mayor to propose reductions to train services and use the resulting saving elsewhere in London as well make changes to train stopping patterns.
Speaking about the proposals, Peter Ainsworth MP said:
“These plans could have very serious implications for the Surrey transport infrastructure and for the travelling public. It is perfectly possible for train companies and London Underground to share ticketing technology without giving the Mayor this kind of power.
He went on to say:
“It is vital that our local train services are not placed in the hands of Ken Livingstone who is not accountable to the people that live in Surrey. I fear that outer suburban services will become run down as inner London services, which serve people that vote for the Mayor, will inevitably get priority.
“I am therefore, urging East Surrey residents to respond to the consultation as soon as possible and to make sure their voices are heard”.
Consultation responses should be directed to:
Oliver Mulvey
Zone 3/26
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DR
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1) The consultation requests views on extending the Mayor's powers on specific rail services that run beyond the London boundary, the scope of those powers, and the appropriate governance arrangements. The closing date for submissions is 31st May 2006 and the full consultation document is available to download using the following link:
DFT Consultation on London Mayor's Rail Powers (pdf) |
