A Conservative candidate for the London Assembly has blamed Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for a bailout package that could see a £15-a-day travel charge extended to Barnet. 

Cllr Roberto Weeden-Sanz claimed the mayor had “bankrupted” Transport for London (TfL) before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and the Government could not “keep throwing taxpayers’ money” at the organisation. 

But a spokesperson for Mr Khan denied the claims and said the majority of TfL’s borrowing was incurred while Prime Minister Boris Johnson was mayor of London. 

The dispute comes after a proposal to extend the Congestion Charge to the North and South Circulars.  The extension could be one of the conditions attached to a £4.9 billion bailout deal proposed by the Government for TfL, alongside higher council taxes and a rise in Tube and bus fares. 

The proposals were revealed in a letter from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to the mayor, which was seen by the Financial Times. It reportedly warned that if Mr Khan did not accept the offer, ministers would take direct control of TfL. 

Cllr Weeden-Sanz (Conservative, Brunswick Park) said: “Mayor Khan bankrupted TfL before the pandemic hit. As the Government has repeatedly stated, it is up to the mayor and TfL to fix that situation and any decision will be taken by him.  

“The Government cannot keep throwing UK taxpayers’ money at TfL without the mayor taking action to balance the books. As I have made clear, I am opposed to any extension of the Congestion Charge zone and the withdrawal of the Freedom Pass from older people and the disabled.” 

His comments came after Barnet Labour’s GLA candidate Cllr Anne Clarke attacked the Government over the Congestion Charge proposal, warning it would “hit families hard and destroy local businesses”. 

But City Hall hit back at Cllr Weeden-Sanz’s claims, stating that before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, a plan was in place for TfL to reach a net surplus by 2022-23. Income had since been “decimated” by the virus following a drop in passenger numbers. 

Before the outbreak, TfL’s deficit was forecast to be just over £200 million – down from nearly £1.5 billion when Mr Khan became mayor, the mayor’s office added. 

A spokesperson for the mayor said: “The majority of TfL’s borrowing was incurred under the previous mayoralty, throughout which TfL accumulated £7 billion of debt – vastly more than in all other years of TfL’s existence combined – so most of the interest that TfL is currently paying results from borrowing when the current prime minister was mayor of London. He left no plans of how to reduce this debt.  

“By contrast, Sadiq has dramatically slowed TfL’s rate of borrowing and hugely improved its finances during his mayoralty, reducing TfL’s operating deficit by 71 per cent since he came into office and increasing cash balances by 13 per cent.” 

The Prime Minister’s office and the Department for Transport have been approached for comment. 

Earlier this week, a DfT spokesperson said: “We have agreed an extension to the support period and to rollover unspent funding from the Transport for London Extraordinary Funding Agreement, allowing further time for negotiations for a new settlement. 

“These discussions will ensure London has a safe, reliable network. It would be inappropriate to disclose further details at this stage.”