Minister Commits to Reconvening Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce
City Hall working group also to start meeting again
The Local Transport Minister next to another bridge. Picture: Simon Lightwood MP
September 21, 2024
Hopes that the new Labour government might seek to accelerate progress on fully reopening Hammersmith Bridge have been raised following two announcements this week.
The new Minister for Local Transport,Simon Lightwood MP, has agreed to reconvene the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce after Putney MP Fleur Anderson, wrote to him about the issue inviting him to visit the constituency to see for himself the impact of the ongoing closure of the bridge to motorised traffic.
Ms Anderson says that this is a ‘significant step’ in in her long-standing campaign to reopen Hammersmith Bridge.
The Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce was originally convened in September 2020 by the previous government . Its primary goal was to address the urgent structural issues with the bridge that had been closed to all motor traffic since April 2019 due to safety concerns.
The taskforce was chaired by Baroness Vere, the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, and included representatives from Transport for London (TfL), Hammersmith & Fulham Council, and Richmond Council.
The taskforce focused on finding funding solutions and coordinating efforts to repair and reopen the bridge although it became less active as progress seemed to stall on the matter.
Supporters of reopening are hoping that with a Labour government in place, there may be a more sympathetic attitude at the Department for Transport meaning that the body may prove to be more effective in its aims going forward.
The move by the Minister follows on successful lobbying by Fleur Anderson to gain a commitment from Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance to reconvene the working group for Hammersmith Bridge.
The ongoing closure is diverting an estimated 22,000 daily vehicles through her Putney constituency causing additional congestion, air pollution, and economic disruption.
According to the Putney MP, the closure of the bridge has not only negatively affected local bus services and increased traffic but also caused a significant drop in footfall for local businesses, with over 75% of surveyed business owners reporting negative effects.
Fleur Anderson MP said, “Hammersmith Bridge is the number one issue raised with me, and I have been campaigning since its closure in 2019 for a plan to be put in place urgently for its reopening. I am encouraged by Minister Lightwood's commitment to move this project forward. This is welcome news for the thousands of residents, businesses, and commuters who have been suffering due to the ongoing closure. It is also brilliant that we have received Deputy Mayor for London Seb Dance’s commitment to restart the working group looking at the future of the bridge.”
In a letter dated this Monday (16 September), Minister Lightwood responded to the local MP’s earlier communications, acknowledging the severe impact the prolonged closure has had on the local community and the wider South-West London region.
He expressed his gratitude for his colleague’s persistent efforts on behalf of constituents in Putney to reopen the bridge to motorised transport.
Fleur Anderson MP continued, “If the previous Conservative Government at the time had put a plan in place for the reopening of the Bridge, it could have been reopened by now – but thanks to their inaction, the Bridge remains closed and costs have spiralled, thanks to amongst other things Russia’s war in Ukraine impacting steel prices, to £250 million.”
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