The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of showing contempt for Westminster City Council by giving the local authority just an hour’s notice of a press release announcing his traffic-free day on Oxford Street before the news was sent to journalists.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has seen correspondence indicating the Greater London Authority (GLA) had been in prior contact with the council regarding the proposal but had allegedly provided limited information. It is unclear exactly what details had been passed on.
It also appears as if the council may have been informed of the Mayor’s press release, announcing what is essentially a one-day trial of the planned pedestrianisation, only an hour before it was issued to the media under embargo — despite both the London Mayor and the leader of Westminster Council being Labour party colleagues.
Westminster Council said it was told of the event in “advance” of the Mayor’s announcement, but would not answer further questions on what it knew and when.
Conservative Cllr Tim Barnes, deputy leader of the Opposition at the council and a representative for the West End ward, accused the Mayor of having “no interest in meaningful engagement”.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office described the allegations as “completely untrue”, adding they have been working closely with the council on the event and are in “constant communication” regarding wider pedestrianisation plans.
On 29 August the news went public that Oxford Street would be shut to vehicles from 12pm to 8pm on 21 September.
It will be used for a free public event where businesses will run themed areas such as fashion, music and heritage.
The day is also seen as a test for the Mayor’s proposed permanent pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, which he announced last autumn but has touted on numerous occasions as an aspiration during his tenure.
The Mayor’s wider plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street have proven controversial. Westminster Council’s Labour administration raised a number of concerns about the proposed permanent pedestrianisation following the announcement last year.
These included how any proposed pedestrianisation scheme could be implemented without increasing congestion, pollution and road danger in the surrounding districts and how it will protect access for older people, as well as the fact the local authority had only been told days before the Mayor went public about the plans.
Council leader Adam Hug said in a Full Council meeting at the time: “We have made very clear since then our concerns about that process.”
The LDRS spent several days last week trying to nail down exactly when, and what, Westminster Council was told of the 21 September test-run ahead of the Mayor going public on 29 August.
The press office would confirm the council knew in “advance” of the news being announced but would not comment further on what it knew and how far ahead of time the local authority was informed.
The LDRS has since seen correspondence which suggests limited details were provided to the council, with only an hour’s notice given by the GLA of the embargoed release.
Approached for comment, Cllr Barnes told the LDRS: “The Mayor has no interest in meaningful engagement or hearing from the people who know the area. He has never asked for input from the local councillors on the pedestrianisation plans.
“He only told the Labour-run council of his plans for this test run an hour before he spoke with journalists and there was no discussion on how traffic or rubbish collection should be managed before it was all made public.”
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “This is completely untrue. We have been working closely with Westminster City Council on the development of the ‘This is Oxford Street’ event and remain in constant communication with the council with regards to the Mayor’s proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street and plans to regenerate the area.”
The Fitzrovia News has also seen a correspondence from a Labour ward councillor at Westminster which claims that no local councillors were informed ahead of the Labour Mayor’s announcement in August.
This week Westminster Council agreed to give up “highway authority” control of Oxford Street after a request from the GLA because it felt it had no other option.
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