Minutes:
(i) At item 11(5) on the Summons, the Council received a Motion in the names of Councillors Navin Shah and Phillip O’Dell in the following terms:
“Harrow Council deplores London Mayor Boris Johnson’s proposals for a devastating rise in bus and tube fares with an average increase of 7% going up to an actual increase of 74%.
This Council notes that:
· Tube and bus fares went up by 6% in the first year of his Boris Johnson’s Mayoralty and last year single bus journeys went up by 20 %;
· the coalition government is already hitting Harrow residents with a likely cut of at least 30% in its grant to Harrow Council in addition to the above inflation rises in tube and bus fares;
· the only legacy of Boris Johnson has left so far as the people of Harrow are concerned is that of closing ticket offices like North Harrow Station, endless weekend closures of the Jubilee and Metropolitan line services and the scrapping of funding for disabled access to Harrow on the Hill and Stanmore tube stations.
This Council instructs the Chief Executive to communicate this motion to the three Harrow MPs and the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow asking them to oppose these fare increases and further instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Mayor of London demanding that the fare increases be scrapped.”
(ii) There was an amendment proposed in the names of Councillors Barry Macleod-Cullinane and Susan Hall, which sought to amend the Motion to read as follows:
“Harrow Council deplores London Mayor Boris Johnson’s proposals for a devastating rise in bus and tube fares with an average increase of 7% going up to an actual increase of 74 %.
This Council notes that:
· Tube and bus fares went up by 6% in the first year of his Boris Johnson’s Mayoralty and last year single bus journeys went up by 20 %;
· the coalition government is already hitting Harrow residents with a likely cut of at least 30% in its grant to Harrow Council in addition to the above inflation rises in tube and bus fares;
· the only legacy of Boris Johnson has left so far as the people of Harrow are concerned is that of closing ticket offices like North Harrow Station, endless weekend closures of the Jubilee and Metropolitan line services and the scrapping of funding for disabled access to Harrow on the Hill and Stanmore tube stations.
This Council agrees that, in order to protect and assist some of Harrow’s most vulnerable people from the uncertainty and vagaries of fare prices charges, this Council guarantees that no resident who currently receives a discretionary disabled Freedom Pass will cease to do so as a result of any action taken or decision made by this Council.
Council instructs the Chief Executive to communicate this motion to the three Harrow MPs and the London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow asking them to oppose these fare increases and further instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Mayor of London demanding that the fare increases be scrapped.”
(iii) Upon a vote, the amendment at (ii) was lost;
(iv) Upon a further vote the substantive Motion, was agreed.
RESOLVED: That the substantive Motion, as set out at (i) above, be adopted.