London Newspapers

Comments from today's London evening papers:

London commuters could be hit by new fare increases to pay for the policing of the transport network during the 2012 Olympics.
Services could also be cut if the Department for Transport fails to cover the £27million cost of ensuring passenger safety during the Games.
Ministers insist that negotiations about funding are continuing but sources say that police and transport companies are becoming increasingly concerned that passengers could be forced to pay some or all of the bill.
Londoners are already facing higher council tax bills to pay for the Games as well as rising costs for Tube and train travel.
British Transport Police have submitted a funding bid to cover the cost of extra officers and vehicles to cope with the thousands of additional passengers using the transport system during the Olympics.
These will be used to prevent overcrowding at key stations and tackle incidents such as vandalism that could cause delays as well as to protect against possible terrorist attacks.
A source close to the negotiations said: "We are arguing that this is a special event and it should be paid for by a one-off Government grant but the signs coming out of the Department for Transport are not entirely positive.
"If the money doesn't come from the Government, then the rail operators will have to carry the cost and that means that passengers will ultimately pay. There is a lot of concern and strong views are being expressed about this privately."
Concern about the Government's attitude to meeting the costs have already been raised in the House of Lords by Lord Imbert, a former Met commissioner.
He told peers: "Transport security is a critical element in the preparation for the Olympic Games and therefore any further failure or delay in clarifying the funding provision will add unnecessary risk to the Games and their preparation, particularly at a time like this when the threat level is severe."
Labour peer Lord Rosser also urged the Government to foot the bill. The budget set by the police is intended to cover their expenditure from April this year until December 2012, months after the Games.
Under normal arrangements, British Transport Police revenue expenditure, which covers staffing and other day-today costs, is paid for by the rail companies and London Underground.
Up to 240,000 people an hour are expected to use the transport system during the peak Olympic periods and up to 1,000 police officers will be needed to marshal the crowds and keep the network operating safely.
The Department for Transport said it was unable to give any assurance that passengers would not be required to foot the security bill but added that no decision had been taken.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------£32m to be spent sprucing up shabby streets for 2012 visitors
Key parts of London are to get a multimillion-pound facelift in the run up to the Olympics.
Organisers have set aside £32 million to spruce up the main routes to the Olympic Park and other venues for the 2012 Games.
The scheme, called the Look of London, will mean shabby streets around the Stratford site are smartened up, with benches restored and painted, graffiti removed and chewing gum blasted away.
Other measures being planned include re-painting red phone boxes, decorative planting and hanging 2012 banners.
A Government spokesman said it wants the city to look "fabulous" for the Games. However, there are no details on exactly where the money will be spent or how it will be allocated.
In a parliamentary answer, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said: "The purpose of this budget is to help improve the look of streets en route to the Olympic Park and off-park Olympic venues by assisting with street cleaning and dressing measures.
"The responsibility for allocation of these funds will be determined nearer the time of the Games."
The Conservatives questioned whether the money, which comes from the Olympic budget and will be overseen by Ms Jowell, would be better spent on promoting tourism.
Shadow culture, media and sport secretary Hugh Robertson said £32 million was "an awful, awful lot of money" for the things mentioned by Ms Jowell.
He added: "We need to establish exactly what Look of London is and who is on it. It would have been easier to give the money to Visit London which is already there to promote the city."
Mr Robertson pointed out that Visit Britain's budget was being cut from £49 million a year to £40 million a year between now and 2011.
"The irony is that £32 million is being put in Look of London's budget at exactly the same time as the Government has cut the tourism budget," he said. "The one thing we do know from the past three or four Games is they have all boosted tourism."
A spokesman for Visit Britain said it would not comment on Look of London but said the Games had the potential to unlock a £2billion benefit for the tourism industry if there was investment from the Government.
"This money doesn't grow on trees, we have to work for it," he added.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said the money was included in the £9.3billion budget for the Olympics.
She denied the money would be better spent on promoting tourism.
"Visit Britain will have its programme not just for London but Britain and will be announcing its Olympic plans for attracting tourists," she added.