Labour’s Ken pledges Palace tram extension

RESTORING plans for the Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace will be a top priority if Ken Livingstone wins the London Mayoral race in May next year.

His pledge came at the end of a day-long tour of the borough on Monday, part of a commitment to visit every London borough to gauge local views in the run-up to the election.

Addressing a “Tell Ken” public meeting held at the Croydon Conference Centre in Surrey Street, the Labour Mayoral candidate condemned current mayor Boris Johnson for pulling the plug on the extension and other outer London transport projects shortly after coming to power.

He said: “The first project we will reinstate will be the building of the Crystal Palace link.

“It is madness to have extended the East London Line down to Crystal Palace and then not link it up to the tram.”

Mr Livingstone also used the meeting to attack Mr Johnson’s hike in fares, which he claimed had hit Croydon passengers hard.

Since 2008, the cost of weekly tram and bus passes has increased by 36 per cent, while there has been a 44 per cent rise in the price of a single tram or bus ticket.

And he claimed the mayor has done a deal with the Government that will lead to fares rising by two per cent above inflation every year for the next 20 years.

Mr Livingstone said: “Jacking up fares while encouraging people to switch to public transport is bizarre.

“I say there should be no fare increases above the rate of inflation.”

He also attacked the mayor’s decision to halve the number of sergeants serving in neighbourhood policing teams, pledging instead to preserve the strength of the teams.

Stressing Croydon’s position as a major business area, Mr Livingstone said he wanted to help the area attract investment and businesses from further afield and capitalise on the growing desire to invest in London from emerging and growing economies such as China, India and Brazil.

Mr Livingstone was joined during the day by former Croydon Council leader Valerie Shawcross, who will become deputy mayor if he wins the election.

He started his tour with a visit to the Sir Philip Game centre, in Addiscombe, which is struggling to cope with the effects of council funding cuts.

Mr Livingstone, who served as Mayor between 2000 and 2008, also spent time meeting shoppers in North End before visiting the Advertiser’s offices and going on to meet parents at Ecclesbourne Junior School in Thornton Heath.