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

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Pity poor Sir Peter Hendy – Network Rail’s expenses policy is barbarically stingy

August 7, 2015 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Sir Peter Hendy, former TfL Commissioner.
Sir Peter Hendy, former TfL Commissioner.
Sir Peter Hendy may have left Transport for London but the organisation’s slowness in publishing expenses claims means there’s still a little bit of life left in the ‘How much is Hendy costing us?’ story.

Between January and March (it may be August but the figures have only recently been published), Sir Peter claimed £1,935.83 in meals and taxis – this accounts for two thirds of the total £2,841.15 claimed by all senior management in the period.

A whopping £1,230 of the former Commissioner’s claims went on taxis – no doubt because of that packed diary the TfL press office likes to cite when asked about his travelling habits.

Sadly for Sir Peter it looks as if the days of having his own virtual limo at taxpayer expense may be over.

The expenses policy for Network Rail, where he’s gone to add some much needed competence to the organisation’s upper management ranks, is markedly less generous than TfL’s and states that: “The use of taxis will be permitted and costs reimbursed only in exceptional circumstances.”

Unless Network Rail speaks a different language to the rest of us, having a routinely busy diary and overseeing high value contracts isn’t likely to class as “exceptional circumstances”.

And, unlike at TfL where it’s routine practice to claim for a taxi journey without saying where you went, Network Rail’s policy is that: “Full details of each journey are required to be shown and receipts provided”

So it looks like Sir Peter may have to rough it on the bus and Tube with the rest of us a little more often than he’s used to.

And if that doesn’t make you feel sorry for him, wait until you (and he) finds out about the policy on claiming back the costs of meals. Compared to his last haunt it’s barbarically stingy.

The policy states that “all meals at meetings must be capped at a maximum £5 per person” and that evening meals, capped at £25, are only claimable “where an employee is working at least five miles away from their normal place of work and will not reach home before 21.00 hours.”

A helpful Network Rail spokesperson confirmed to me that Sir Peter’s new office is located within the organisation’s 1 Eversholt Street HQ. This is about one and a half miles from the Groucho Club where he usually likes to wine & dine guests so, tragically, it looks like the days of charging taxpayers for £40 bottles of wine and £32 legs of lamb (plus side dishes and tips of course) for his “working dinner” may finally be over.

  • 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)

Tagged With: TfL expenses

RECENT UPDATES

Record number of candidates stand in London’s Mayoral election

TfL and Siemens unveil new Piccadilly line Tube train designs

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit




POPULAR

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.