Agenda item

9.10 pm – Councillor Mark Loveday moved, seconded by Councillor Frances Staintonl, the special motion:

"This Council notes:

a.                  Its commitment to the Freedom Pass, which provides free travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on bus, tube and most rail routes for the borough’s  over 60 and disabled residents;

b.                  The 3-year agreement made with government in April 2008 to part-fund the Freedom Pass;

c.                  The decision in July 2009 by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP to re-open funding of the Freedom Pass;

d.                  The proposals in the consultation paper “Local Authority special grant funding in 2010/11 for the national bus concession in England” to renege on the funding agreement so that London will lose £29 million - almost half its agreed funding for 2010-11;

e.                  The threat this entails to free travel for thousands of pensioners and disabled residents in Hammersmith & Fulham.

This Council resolves:

a.                 To oppose the Department for Transport’s re-opening of the 3-year funding deal;

b.                 To ask both borough MPs to write to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention to protect funding for the Freedom Pass”.

Speeches on the special motion were made by Councillors Mark Loveday  and Frances Stainton (for the Administration).

Under Council Procedure Rule 15(e) (vi), Councillor Rory Vaughan, seconded by Councillor Colin Aherne, moved an amendment to the motion as follows:

Delete all after “This Council” and add:

“reaffims its commitment to providing the Freedom Pass for the borough’s over 60 and disabled residents.  And as this is a key priority for the Council, it confirms that this free travel will continue despute the extra costs imposed on inner London authorities, including Hammersmith and Fulham, by London Councils as a result of their usage rating exercise.”

Speeches on the amendment were made by Councillors Rory Vaughan and Colin Aherne (for the Opposition) and Councillor Mark Loveday (for the Administration) before it was put to the vote:

FOR                            10

AGAINST                   23

ABSENTIONS           0

The motion was declared LOST.

Speeches on the substantive motion were then made by Councillor Steve Hamilton (for the Administration) and Councillor Stephen Cowan (for the Opposition).

Councillor Mark Loveday (for the Administration) made a speech winding up the debate before the substantive motion was put to the vote:

FOR                            23

AGAINST                     0

ABSTENTIONS           9

The motion was declared CARRIED.

9.40 pm – RESOLVED:

This Council notes:

a.                    Its commitment to the Freedom Pass, which provides free travel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on bus, tube and most rail routes for the borough’s  over 60 and disabled residents;

b.                    The 3-year agreement made with government in April 2008 to part-fund the Freedom Pass;

c.                    The decision in July 2009 by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP to re-open funding of the Freedom Pass;

d.                    The proposals in the consultation paper “Local Authority special grant funding in 2010/11 for the national bus concession in England” to renege on the funding agreement so that London will lose £29 million - almost half its agreed funding for 2010-11;

e.                    The threat this entails to free travel for thousands of pensioners and disabled residents in Hammersmith & Fulham.

This Council resolves:

a.                     To oppose the Department for Transport’s re-opening of the

3-year funding deal;

b.                     To ask both borough MPs to write to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention to protect funding for the Freedom Pass.