4 2GM Saturday November 14 2020 | the times
News
Train fares are forecast to rise by more
than inflation for the first time in eight
years as passengers pay the price of a
multibillion-pound bailout of train
companies.
The government is likely to increase
ticket prices by 1 per cent above infla-
tion early next year, although not on
the first working day in January, when
new fares are usually imposed.
Negotiations over the rise are con-
tinuing between the Treasury and the
Department for Transport. The gov-
ernment has missed last month’s dead-
line to confirm next year’s increase with
the rail industry, which needs two
months in which to load new fares on to
databases and ticket machines.
It is understood that a decision will be
taken as part of the spending review on
November 25.
The delay will give commuters
which are a government commitment.
The taxpayer spent £3.5 billion to
keep largely empty trains running in
the first six months of the pandemic. In
September the government pledged to
underwrite the network’s costs for a
further 18 months. Rail bosses fear thatBoris Johnson may want to build back
better but he better not build in his own
backyard, Conservatives in his consti-
tuency have warned.
The prime minister and Robert
Jenrick, the housing secretary, are
facing revolts over plans to give devel-
opers approval to build huge numbers
of new homes. Tory councillors respon-
sible for planning in Uxbridge and
South Ruislip, Mr Johnson’s consti-
tuency, and Newark, Mr Jenrick’s seat,
constituency, said that the plan was
“one of the worst pieces of planning
legislation we’ve had for a long time”.
He added: “We always have legislation
come out of central government and
some of it makes sense. Unfortunately,
this one doesn’t. This one is so out of the
field, I don’t know whether the person
[who came up with it] was just bored.”
Mr Burrows said that when he was
presented with the plans “I actually
thought somebody was pulling my leg”.
Under the reforms 446 new homes a
year will need to be built in Mr John-son’s west London constituency. Mr
Johnson has previously been critical of
housebuilding in the area. Last year he
objected to a scheme for 514 flats.
In Mr Jenrick’s constituency Roger
Blaney, of Newark and Sherwood dis-
trict council’s planning committee, said
that the algorithm’s focus on the south-
east contradicted the government’s
“declared intention of levelling up”.
A housing ministry spokesman said:
“We’re reforming the country’s plan-
ning system to deliver the high-quality,
sustainable homes communities need.”George Grylls
National debt ruling
A £512 million fund set up in 1928
to clear the national debt could
be used to pay down the deficit.
Suella Braverman, the attorney-
general, brought the case to the
High Court arguing for use of the
trust set up by Gaspard Farrer, a
banker. Mr Justice Zacaroli ruled
the fund is a “valid charitable
trust” and said a further hearing
would determine its use.Kylie’s record album
Kylie Minogue has become the
first female artist to have a No 1
album in the UK across five
consecutive decades. Her new
album, Disco, sold 55,000 copies
— the biggest opening week of
any new release so far this year.
This is also the eighth time that
the artist, 52, has hit the top spot
of the Official Charts for albums,
surpassing Sir Elton John.Plant protein benefit
Diets rich in protein, particularly
plant proteins, are linked to a
lower risk of early death from any
cause, research suggests.
Scientists, who reviewed 32
studies, found that intake of total
protein was linked with a 6 per
cent lower risk. There was an 8
per cent reduction in death from
any cause for people with the
highest intake of plant protein.Mental health alert
Thousands of mental health
patients in England are being
sent for treatment out of their
area and far from their homes
because of a shortage of NHS
beds, the British Medical
Association has said. The added
pressures of the coronavirus
pandemic made it all the more
urgent to end the “harmful and
destructive” practice, it added.Tesco’s online crush
Tesco apologised to thousands of
customers who waited for hours
online for Christmas delivery
slots after its website crashed. It
released the slots at 7am
yesterday for customers who pay
£7.99 a month for its delivery
saver scheme but had to quickly
install a queueing system because
of demand. Those who managed
to book complained that festive
goods such as turkeys were not
available. Tesco said that it had
more slots this Christmas and
had removed the waiting room.A A C C C E E G
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Times Quintagrams: Book 2 out nowRevolt in PM’s own constituency over planning reforms
have said the reforms are “worryingly
naive”. One said that he initially
thought the proposals were a joke.
About 80 Tory MPs plan to oppose
the reforms, which will limit the ability
of residents to block developments.
They have denounced a “mutant algo-
rithm” which allocates where homes
will be built. The formula demands in-
creases in housebuilding in rural areas
and London, while development in
many northern cities will shrink.
Keith Burrows, head of planning at
Hillingdon council, in Mr Johnson’sCommuters face big rise in rail
fares to bail out train companies
several weeks to buy an annual season
ticket at 2020 prices, potentially saving
an average of £80 each.
Annual fare rises are usually pegged
to the retail prices index (RPI) rate of
inflation recorded in the previous July.
RPI was at 1.6 per cent this July, sug-
gesting that an increase of 2.6 per cent
is likely to be imposed. An average
annual season ticket could rise from
£3,064 to £3,144.
Bus and Tube fares in London will
rise by inflation plus 1 per cent in Janu-
ary as part of a government bailout of
the capital’s public transport system.
Rail industry sources said that the
Treasury was “aggressively” pushing
for the 2.6 per cent increase to help to
balance the books after spending bil-
lions of pounds propping up the railway
during the pandemic. It also wants an
indefinite delay in the introduction of
flexible season tickets — two or three-
day passes for part-time commuters —a big fare rise will drive more passen-
gers away from train travel. At the start
of this week passenger numbers were at
27 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
However, an above-inflation rise
next year could be justified by the gov-
ernment because the Conservatives
last committed to a real-terms fare rise
during the 2015 election campaign,
when the party promised it would last
for five years. This expires at the end of
this year.
A rail source said: “The Treasury
wants a fare rise and they want to kick
flexible season tickets into the long
grass because they want to start re-
couping the money they’ve already
spent on the railway. Negotiations are
ongoing but it looks like the Treasury is
going to win.”
A Department for Transport spokes-
man said: “While we won’t comment on
speculation, we must ensure any
changes are fair to taxpayers.”Graeme Paton Transport Correspondent Annual season ticket rises
With a 2.6 per cent fare rise, the
average cost of a season ticket is set
to rise by £80 to £3,
Woking to London £3,529 (£89 rise)
Ludlow to Hereford £2,401 (£61)
Brighton to London £5,109 (£129)
Liverpool to Manchester £2,
(£70)
Neath to Cardiff £1,855 (£47)
Maidenhead to London £3,361 (£85)Masked riders Horses in head protectors, equine inhalers and body suits feature in Equus, an exhibition by the wildlife photographer Tim Flach at Gallery 8 in Mayfair
TIM FLACH