Westminster Labour and the Mayor Sadiq Khan ignore residents on Oxford Street pedestrianisation
At Westminster's Full Council on Wednesday 21 January, Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative) pressed the Labour-led Council to stand up for Westminster residents and demand transparency from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, over his consultation data.
Nearly 80% of local residents in our referendum said they don’t believe pedestrianisation will work. Westminster Conservatives are fighting to protect bus access, support local businesses and make sure the Mayor listens to local people.
Watch Cllr Swaddle hold Labour to account and read the transcript below.
Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative):
My first question is for the Leader. Has he or the Council asked the Mayor for a full postcode breakdown of the responses to the Mayor’s consultation on Oxford Street — the one used to justify plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street?
Cllr Adam Hug (Labour, Leader of the Council):
As outlined in our published consultation response, which is available on the Council’s website, we have raised a number of robust concerns about the Mayor’s scheme. Our officers have been working with Transport for London (TfL) to secure as much data as possible relating to these proposals, and we will continue to ask for further information wherever necessary.
Cllr Paul Swaddle (Conservative):
It seems the Mayor consults on almost everything except this. Since the data hasn’t been released, I’ve carried out my own survey — nearly 1,000 people responded, and of those living in Westminster, about 80% said they don’t think pedestrianisation will work.
Will the Council finally step up and fight for residents’ views, and will you present our data to the Mayor and the Marylebone Development Corporation to show the strength of local feeling?
Cllr Adam Hug (Labour, Leader of the Council):
I don’t think anyone is under any illusion about the strength of local feeling on this issue. That’s exactly why our own proposals for Oxford Street retain bus access along the full length of the street.
We recognise that residents have real concerns, and this is not a question of confusion. The Mayor’s consultation process covers all of London, meaning he weighs the views of Londoners citywide differently from how Westminster would approach its own scheme.
That said, we are clear there are strong local objections, which is why we’ve been engaging intensively with residents’ groups, councillors, and a wide range of local stakeholders to ensure their voices are heard.
The Mayor has set out his broad intentions for the scheme, but we are in the room at all levels, working to ensure that the real and practical challenges are properly understood. Wherever possible, we are seeking mitigations — as Councillor Barraclough mentioned earlier — to protect local people who will be most affected.
We’re also very aware that many residents, particularly those with mobility issues or those living further afield in Westminster, will face real difficulties if bus routes are changed. That’s why we continue to set out those concerns robustly to TfL and urge them to take residents’ views seriously.
This is Same Old Labour in Westminster: wilfully ignoring local people’s concerns, shutting out scrutiny by pushing the Oxford Street handover through as a minor decision, and then crying wolf while still backing the Mayor’s pedestrianisation pet project.
Only Westminster Conservatives will stand up to Sadiq Khan and listen to local people.
