Sadiq Khan closes free public toilets on the London Underground

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Sadiq Khan has been embroiled in a row over free toilets on the London Underground after Labor officials blocked plans to help commuters in trouble.

The London Assembly Labor Group has rejected an amendment put forward by the Green Party to funnel £20m into new toilets via transport for London stations.

The proposals could be paid from TfL’s cash reserves and would drive up prices, according to Green London member Caroline Russell.

She said: “Despite the warm words and many years of cross-party support for a further loss in London, the Working Group today chose to vote against my amendment.

“This was a fully feasible and cost-effective plan for new, free toilets at TfL stations, which would mean more accessible toilets for all if the mayor took over.

“It seems that workers are unwilling to put their money where their mouths are on this issue, and they will need to respond to the elderly, disabled and commuting workers in our city who are losing out as a result.”

Labour’s refusal comes as Khan, the head of Transport for London, faces pressure to balance the books on Transport for London.

The Mayor of London was forced to ask the Westminster government for billions of pounds in state aid to keep TfL out of bankruptcy – money that came with conditions such as the blasphemy of an obligation to freeze prices.

Demand for metro and bus services remains below pre-pandemic levels as many people skip back to the office in favor of working from home. Passenger numbers on the subway are at 60 to 80 percent of pre-crisis levels and bus levels from 80 to 90 percent.

As a result, fare collections became lower, forcing TfL to make tough decisions by cutting costs.

Former minister Norman Baker of the Campaign for Better Transport said: “More public toilets on the London Underground would be welcome although we understand TfL is not full of money. In fact with fares so high Londoners are already spending far more than a penny to travel in the tube.”

TfL did not respond to requests for comment.

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