Lib Dems Call For Flexibility On Tube PPP As Mayor Reveals New Cash For Jubilee Line

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 12th Sep 2002

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson, commenting on Mayor Ken Livingstone's revelation that the Government had added clauses to the Tube PPP to provide extra cash to increase Jubilee Line capacity ahead of Thames Gateway regeneration, said:

"At the eleventh hour Labour is still revising their insane PPP for the Tube, and thank heavens for it. But with huge redevelopment in East London and elsewhere as Ken Livingstone's London Plan unfolds, there are bound to be all kinds of unforeseen needs and pressures on London Underground."

"We cannot be locked into an inflexible 30-year deal. New ways must be found to meet the ongoing needs of Londoners by some kind of 'PPP-Plus' which lets us add value to the deal as the years pass. And we still have no answer to how the £1.5 billion funding gap for the Tube is going to be covered."

"Mayor Livingstone was responding to questioning from Ms Featherstone at today's Mayor's Cabinet meeting about how the necessary extra capacity for the Jubilee line required by regeneration could be provided under existing PPP arrangements.