A fare deal for Sutton

This week, I met with London’s transport bosses to talk about the need for longer term investment to give Sutton a public transport system fit for the second quarter of the 21st century.

We need to see investment especially in improving our trains and buses. Our train services into London need to go back to at least pre-covid frequency - two trains an hour is not good enough for a London borough. You should not have to wait more than 15 minutes for a train. We need more buses especially in the southern half of the borough where services are infrequent and coverage patchy. We need fairer fares for outer London. Sutton sees the lowest Transport for London (TfL) capital investment per person of any London borough despite paying the same tax and we  pay higher fares and get poorer service. This must change.

Sutton has been a London borough since 1965 and for too long we have missed out on investment in our transport infrastructure. Over the past 30 years there has been major capital investment in London's transport infrastructure, with the Elizabeth Line, Crossrail, the Bakerloo extension and even Tramlink, none of which has come to Sutton. 

We know that London’s economic growth is going to come from the outer London boroughs like Sutton. The London Cancer Hub located in Belmont is already attracting international interest and investment and creating local jobs. The Mayor and the Government recognise this and so now, they must start to invest long term in good public transport. As Leader, I will continue to stand up for Sutton and make this case to the Mayor, Government and Transport for London. With the right investment, we can unlock Sutton's full potential.