HC Deb 16 February 1983 vol 37 cc178-9W
52. Mr. Dykes

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet representatives of the Greater London council and of the London transport executive to discuss the structure of the new low-fares plans for London following the legal judgment on 27 January.

Mr. Eyre

The structures of London Transport fares is a matter for the London transport executive and the GLC. The court judgment on 27 January provided clear endorsement of the principle enshrined in the Transport Bill that local authorities cannot arbitrarily embark on a policy of reducing fares and increasing subsidy—as the GLC did in the Fares Fair case. They have been forced to recognise—as we have urged upon them throughout the last year—that a proper process of planning and justification is essential.

But the judges made it clear that they were not ruling on the question of whether the GLC's proposals provided a proper balance between the interests of ratepayers and travellers. London's ratepayers will no doubt have their own views on that.