Over the past few weeks constituents have been raising their concerns, and voicing their outrage regarding the recent announcement by Transport for London and the government to increase rail fares in January next year. Many Londoners are already struggling to make ends meet and this is another increase to their already high cost of living.
It was announced last week that local commuters will be hit yet again with increased rail fares on the c2c and National rail with an increase of between 2 and 5.5 per cent. This increase highlights that commuters could be up to an extra £300 out of pocket per year.
Jon Cruddas MP is deeply concerned with this news, coupled with ticket office closures across London it seems that people are paying more for less. The increased fares are an unjustified 1 per cent above inflation. This is yet another indication that the Tories are out of touch with every day people, especially those living in London. With falling wages and rising cost people are struggling. This is why Jon Cruddas MP and Barking and Dagenham Council fully support a living wage and are actively trying to tackle underemployment and zero-hour contracts.
Jon commented: "Many local commuters have contacted my office in the past week, all very concerned about the proposed fare rises. People travelling to work from Rainham, Dagenham Dock and Chadwell Heath will all be hit by the increase. At a time when people in full time employment are falling into debt and turning to food banks, these price hikes are completely unfounded and unacceptable.
"Like previous rises and the ticket office closures earlier in the year, I am opposed to TfL and Boris Johnson's plan. This will be the sixth price hike since Boris became Mayor. It's about time we had a Mayor that stood up for Londoners, reducing fares and alleviating some of the pressure that the cost of living crisis is putting people under."