• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

NYE fireworks – Labour call on Mayor to explain lack of anti-touting measures

September 26, 2014 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Image: photowings / Shutterstock
Image: photowings / Shutterstock
Boris Johnson is facing calls to confirm whether tickets for the New Year’s Eve fireworks display bought from online touts will be accepted on the night.

As reported earlier, tickets were listed were being offered for sale on some of the UK’s most popular re-sale sites within minutes of officially going on sale at midday Friday.

While City Hall’s official seller, See Tickets, is selling tickets for £10 each, touts are offering them for up to £500.

Last week the Mayor claimed the decision to introduce tickets for the display was made after Transport for London and the Met police expressed concerns about the safety of crowds, which last year exceed 500,000, and the ability to disperse them after the event.

London Assembly Members have warned that Londoners will be unhappy to see ticket touts and re-sale sites profiting from a taxpayer funded event.

Earlier today Green Party AM Darren Johnson said: “One option is for the Mayor to suspend the sales until he has thought this through a bit better and put in safeguards.”

The risk of touting was first raised at last week’s Mayor’s Question Time session by Labour leader Len Duvall.

The party’s economy spokesperson, Fiona Twycross, has now written to the Mayor seeking clarification about the acceptance of resold tickets.

In her letter, Ms Twycross asks: “Can you now confirm whether tickets sold-on by touts will be accepted at the event and, if so, why no system was put in place to prevent the public – who have paid for this event through their taxes – from being ripped off?”

In a statement she added: “This is a celebration funded entirely by the public through their taxes.

“It is bad enough that Boris Johnson wants to exclude many families from this event who will not be able to afford a £10 ticket; but it is absolutely shameful that no protection appears to have been put in place to prevent touting.

“Touting was successfully prevented during the London Olympics, so it would highlight an extraordinary level of carelessness if it emerges that these same policies weren’t automatically applied to this event as well.”

Mayor Johnson’s office has urged people to only buy from the official london.gov.uk website.

However there was some confusion about buyers’ eligibility for refunds.

The Mayor’s office said anyone who purchased a ticket could obtain a refund simply by returning the ticket, however the official booking site initially claimed tickets were non-refundable unless buyers took out an optional protection plan.

That claim has now been removed from the site.

A City Hall spokesperson said customers who’ve paid for a protection plan will be refunded and re-confirmed that all tickets can be returned for a refund if the buyer can no longer use them.

ticket-protection

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

TfL proposes bus and tube cuts and annual fares increases to achieve long-term financial sustainability

London’s entire bus fleet now meets ULEZ emissions standards

New road layout comes into effect at Old Street roundabout

TfL funding enables creation of 2,000 new cycle parking spaces




Popular

1,700 extra Santander Cycles are coming to London’s streets

TfL confirms changes to Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card hours

TfL fares to rise in return for £1.6bn Government rescue package

Election for Mayor of London and London Assembly postponed until 2021

FEATURED

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.