In the first U-turn of the new administration, Westminster Conservatives have dropped plans for legal action to block the Mayor’s plans for Oxford Street. After campaigning on this issue for months, the Conservatives have abandoned their promised court challenge just two weeks after taking office.
Council officers advised the new administration that a judicial review against TfL was highly unlikely to succeed and that the timetable for lodging any challenge was extremely tight. Cllr Paul Swaddle has now backed down from his earlier threats. Instead of taking Sadiq Khan to the High Court, he has written him a letter.
Westminster Labour has been clear from the outset that there was no realistic prospect of stopping Oxford Street pedestrianisation through the courts. That is why we chose to work constructively with the GLA, TfL and the new Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to secure the best possible outcome for residents, businesses and visitors.
As a result, the area covered by the MDC has been significantly reduced, there is now a commitment to maintain free-flowing traffic at the eastern end of Oxford Street, and Westminster will retain its share of CIL and Section 106 funding from future development.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Labour spokesperson for Economic Development, said:
“The Conservatives misled voters with their spurious promise of a legal challenge. This was never a realistic prospect, and they knew it.
“The new leadership of Westminster City Council now needs to stop grandstanding and start working constructively with all parties. Oxford Street goes traffic-free this summer and all parts of the public sector should be focused on making it a success for residents, businesses and visitors – not fighting each other to score political points.”