£17M FEES TO SHAMBLES FIRM
CRISIS hit rail firm Avanti paid out £11million to shareholders while accepting taxpayers’ cash.
From 2019 to 2021, it received £17million in performance and management fees from the Department for Transport, despite being the worst operator, with almost half of its trains arriving late. Passengers have faced misery over the last month as it slashed services.
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Ministers have rewarded abject failure. If services are not urgently restored, they should be stripped of the contract and money clawed back.” It also emerged the boss of Avanti’s parent company Firstgroup could pocket £3million this year.
CEO Graham Sutherland, on a basic £580,000, could get a £825,000 bonus plus a £1.65million “incentive”. The DFT said: “Performance pay to train firms is independently evaluated.”