Category: Ex-Mayor Livingstone

Yesterday Andrew Gilligan did a good piece illustrating the difference in price hike between Livingstone and Johnson. He rightly makes the point that we can judge both men on their record so we should. Gilligan created four scenarios and compared the price increase in council tax precept and combined for each man in their last term in office. Johnson comes out ahead in three out of four cases and draws on the fourth. Livingstone can make implausible promises about fares but his record show he costs you more. Livingstone cost you more when times were relatively good. Johnson costs you less when times are hard. That is worth having.

Case 1: Single person in zone 2, living in a Band-D house, travelling daily to central London by public transport
2004: £989               2008: £1200.36       2012: £1398.04

Case 2: Couple in zone 3, living in a Band-D house, both commuting to central London by public transport.
2004: £2145.33        2008: £2581.82       2012:  £3042.72

Case 3: Couple in zone 5, living in a Band-D house, one commuting to central London by train, one travelling daily in the local area by bus.
2004: £2025.33          2008: £2485.82         2012: £3050.72

Case 4: Couple in zone 6, living in a Band-D house, one commuting to central London by train, one a tradesman with his own van, paying the congestion charge 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, using autopay if available.
2004: £2973.33        2008: £4013.82          2012: £4602.72

During the course of today as you amuse your children or whatever other challenge today’s public services strike throws up you might like to spare some time to think about how you will cast your vote in the London mayoral elections in May.

On the one hand Ken Livingstone said in an interview for Total Politics magazine in August:

I don’t think the candidates will be too involved in fundraising, after all the problems Blair got into with Lord Levy. Richard E Grant gave money to my campaign, but 80 per cent of my funding will come from the trade unions, and 77 per cent of Boris’ funding will come from individuals, hedge funds, banks, investment boutiques. It’s quite clear, from who funds us, who we represent.

Livingstone is the candidate of organised, mainly public sector, labour.

Boris Johnson made his views pretty clear in the Telegraph on Monday:

We are told that this strike is just the first, and that the union leaderships are planning a long and miserable Seventies-style “winter of discontent.” I very much hope that is not so – and so, to judge by their reluctance even to take part in the ballot, do many thousands of sensible union members.

It is time the Labour Party stopped prevaricating, and came out against the strike. They are the political arm of the unions, and it is from the unions that they receive 86 per cent of their funding. They could call it off tomorrow.

Johnson is the candidate of service users, council tax payers, travellers, parents, etc. Livingstone tries to brand him as the banks’ candidate but it doesn’t really work does it?

Frankly I am brassed off this morning. Our Olympic ticket allocation came through by e-mail overnight. We got rowing and dressage. Maybe we should count our blessings but not getting into any venue in the Olympic park is going to make it feel like it is someone else’s Olympics. I know that lots of people, about a million, got no tickets so I maybe I should just shut up.

On the other hand Londoners have been paying for the Olympics since April 2006 through our council tax. The Olympics levy adds £20 to a band D council tax. It is set to run for 10 years and might be extended if there are over-runs in Olympic spending.

Famously Ken Livingstone likened the £20 a year levy as being the equivalent of a Walnut Whip or 38p every week. This was typically disingenuous of Livingstone. The average property in London isn’t Band D. Most people will be paying rather more, see below. The levy adds 6% to the GLA precept.

I will pay £333 for the Olympics and will have to go to Eton’s Dorney Lake rowing course, paid for by Eton College, and Greenwich to see any of it. The Olympic park I paid for will be out of bounds.

I look forward to hearing a pledge from Boris Johnson about when the Olympic levy will end and that the Mayor’s precept will be reduced by the full amount of the levy at that time. I am looking forward to a 6% reduction in the GLA precept. As the levy should end during the course of the next mayoral term we should be told as a part of the election campaign.