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Passengers suffer but TfL pays 123 staff over £100,000
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent25 Jun 2008
Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy was paid more than £540,000 last year despite continued delays and overcrowding on the Tube and bus network, it was revealed today.
Four other senior Transport for London bosses, understood to include London Underground chief executive Tim O'Toole and surface transport managing director David Brown, were paid between £300,000 and £460,000 a year.
The other two are believed to be senior staff members who have recently left TfL and whose identities cannot be revealed as they are still negotiating remuneration packages.
As well as the top earners, 123 TfL staff received more than £100,000 and more than 2,000 were paid more than £50,000.
Overall, TfL wage bill for its 20,500 staff, the vast majority who drive Tubes and buses and man the stations, is almost £1billion.
This includes £764 million on salaries, £64 million on social security costs and £173 million on pension costs, according to TfL's annual accounts.
But delays on the Underground and buses have risen, largely due to the network's multi-billion-pound modernisation programme. Other reasons for delays given in TfL's "operational performance report" include staff and rolling stock shortages, last year's Tube strike, burst water mains, the Camden Market fire, road closures and various demonstrations blocking the streets.
Mr Hendy was paid a salary of £334,720 plus a bonus of £115,200 and other benefits. Mr O'Toole received £283,254 and a bonus of £73,115. Mr Brown was paid £261,500 plus a bonus of £42,625.
Overall, almost five per cent of the TfL workforce took home extra cash in 2006-7 while passenger satisfaction levels plummeted. Caroline Pidgeon, deputy chairwoman of the London Assembly transport committee, said: "Londoners struggling with the public transport system every day will need some convincing that these salaries are worth it.
"Boris Johnson will need to ensure that those of us who use the network are getting value for money."
But a TfL spokesman said: "TfL has to attract and retain the best transport experts in the world. That requires paying the global rate for the job."
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson's new first deputy mayor Tim Parker warned that the credit crunch presented difficult decisions for TfL on funding major projects, such as tramlines. He suggested there would be less money available from central government and the Mayor would have to make some tough choices.
"We can't assume that the cup which overfloweth for the last eight years is going to be running over quite so extremely for the next four," he told the London Assembly.
"I think we will have some funding challenges within the organisation. We will fight for projects. I think part of it is understanding the art of the possible and part of it is understanding what we can actually get out of the Government."
Reader views (1)
As a London bus driver on strike action for a better wage I feel the unfairness of the system.
- Omer, london/uk, 11/10/2008 13:12
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