The London Assembly has today called for a fair funding settlement to tackle the backlog of repairs needed on London’s roads.
Highlighting the long-running closures of the Hammersmith and Broadmead Road bridges as examples of the disruption being caused to Londoners, the Assembly called the capital’s traffic problems “unacceptable”.
The Chair of the Assembly should also write to the Government, requesting additional funding to get London’s highways network back to an acceptable standard.
Elly Baker AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“London should see a fair funding settlement for our roads.
“Londoners currently pay in far more than they get out of transport budgets, which has worsened as a result of the previous Government’s cuts to TfL and local authorities.
“We’ve been left with a legacy of closed roads, blocked off bridges and thousands of potholes – all of which will cost millions to repair.
“I urge the Mayor and the Chair of the Assembly to request a fair funding settlement from the Government to help tackle the road maintenance backlog."
The full text of the motion is:
The Assembly notes the findings from London Councils’ State of the City report 2022 which outlines the state of London’s highways network.
The reports show that the capital has an overall maintenance backlog totalling £1.9bn and an annual maintenance funding gap of £275m, meaning the backlog is likely to increase unless additional funding is found.
Various high-profile road maintenance issues have emerged in recent years, including Hammersmith Bridge, an iconic London landmark, which has been closed to road traffic since 2019 and Broadmead Road bridge, which has been shut to traffic for nine months. This has caused unacceptable traffic problems for our city.
The Assembly also notes that London boroughs and TfL, which are responsible for London’s highways, saw significant cuts to their budgets since 2010 resulting from the policies of the previous Government.
The Assembly calls on the Mayor and the Chair of the Assembly to separately write to the Government to request for a fair long-term funding settlement to help tackle the road maintenance backlog. This should include the devolution of London’s VED revenue, as has long been the settled view of the current Mayor and this Assembly.
The meeting can be viewed via webcast or YouTube.
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Notes to editors
- The motion was agreed unanimously.
- Elly Baker AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interview.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more details, please contact Alison Bell in the Assembly Media Office on 07887 832 918. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.