Wednesday 16 January 2013

Eat your own dog food!

Never mind the MP expense scandal(s), what about TfL?  MayorWatch reports the evil company's seven most senior executives claimed expenses (paid for by the public, ultimately) totalling £22,000 between 2010 and September 2012.  That acutally doesn't seem like a huge amount for roughly two years: it's just £1,500-odd a year per executive after all.

Except that it isn't:
"Of the overall sum, £16,125 was claimed by Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy"
In 2012, he claimed hundreds of pounds on meals and £99.60 for a subscription to Ville Rail & Transports magazine.  Fair enough; I also get peckish from time to time.  But he also claimed more than £2,500 on taxis and travelling costs, which begs the question: what's wrong with taking the public transport he works so tirelessly to provide?  Why won't he eat his own dog food?

TfL explains:
"Sir Peter Hendy travels to and from work by public transport and he also regularly uses public transport when travelling in the capital on business... there are occasions when his full schedule and late hours necessitate the use of taxis (which, of course, TfL licenses).”
Really?  Tube and overground tend to run till around half midnight.  Has he really been working past this time so often as to necessitate such large taxi bills?  It's possible, I suppose, but I doubt it.

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