‘The government have effectively wrested control of TfL from our elected mayor’

• CHRISTINE Moulie in her letter makes a point when she states that those that have imposed cuts to how Transport for London operate can’t possibly be kind people, (Cutting free bus and tube travel will punish people doing a good deed, October 22).

With that in mind, the answer to her question on who is responsible for this is clear – the transport secretary Grant Shapps and the Conservative government.

As part of the emergency financial package needed by TfL to address the fall in income that has occurred because Londoners have done the right thing during this crisis, followed the rules and stayed at home, the government has placed short-sighted, ill-informed, and downright malicious restrictions of TfL’s own operations. They have effectively wrested control of TfL from our elected mayor.

If you think the current restrictions are horrendous enough, just wait for their new demands for further emergency funding to come into force with the expansion of a ban on free travel, an extension of the congestion zone and an expectation for Londoners to pay more through a supplement to their council tax to help improve TfL’s finances.

They do it all while their candidate for Mayor of London in next May’s elections, Shaun Bailey, continues to blame Sadiq Khan for it all. Not only are these people unkind and oblivious to the real lives of London’s communities, they’re also wilful in allowing the blame to fall at any other door than at Number 10.

BEN DAVIES
Kentish Town