{"id":816600,"date":"2026-03-10T12:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816600\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:27:16","slug":"khan-told-to-focus-on-fixing-potholes-rather-than-anti-motorist-schemes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816600\/","title":{"rendered":"Khan told to focus on fixing potholes rather than ‘anti-motorist’ schemes"},"content":{"rendered":"

New report from City Hall Conservatives claims borough councils are forced to \u201cdance to the mayor\u2019s tune on how funds are spent\u201d on local transport schemes, reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"ThomasThomas Turrell at City Hall (credit Thomas Turrell via X)<\/p>\n

Sir Sadiq Khan has been accused of forcing councils to spend money on \u201canti-motorist\u201d schemes rather than fixing potholes.<\/p>\n

Thomas Turrell, the Conservative transport spokesperson who sits on the London Assembly, wants to reform the funding system which means that councils need to use Transport for London (TfL) money for \u201cmayoral priorities\u201d such as 20mph zones and low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).<\/p>\n

Local implementation plan (LIP) funding is the process through which TfL provides boroughs with financial support. The funding is earmarked for schemes to improve local transport networks \u201cin a way that is consistent with and supports the\u00a0mayor\u2019s transport strategy,\u201d according to TfL.<\/p>\n

As well as changing the criteria through which the money is dished out, the Tories at City Hall also want to boost LIP funding for boroughs, which has been slashed by 40% since the Labour mayor took office in 2016.<\/p>\n

In a new report, London\u2019s Crumbling Roads, Turrell called on the mayor to siphon another \u00a395million to restore LIP funding to an adjusted inflation figure in the coming years and to loosen the restrictions which mean it has to all be spent on \u201canti-car\u201d measures.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoroughs which do not support anti-car measures such as LTNs are being locked out of funding pots for this reason, meaning that they cannot access funding for major projects to improve road safety for all road users,\u201d says the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than expecting boroughs to dance to the mayor\u2019s tune on how these funds are spent, this report makes the case that boroughs should be trusted to spend LIP funding where it can be spent most effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal knowledge is being overruled by overly centralised processes from TfL, creating many unpopular schemes across London which damages efforts to improve road safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turrell said the system meant councils were forced to be \u201creactive\u201d to any road safety issues rather than preventing them in the first place. He recommended splitting LIP funding into two pots, with one for road safety and the other for mayoral priorities.<\/p>\n


\nOther proposals include devolving vehicle excise duty to London and spending the extra cash on fixing the roads, as well as a dedicated \u00a315million pothole repair fund in the mayor\u2019s annual budget.<\/p>\n

The report was launched last week at City Hall by Turrell and the Conservative shadow minister for London, Gareth Bacon.<\/p>\n

\u201cYears of inadequate funding by central government of local authorities has contributed directly to the crumbling state of London\u2019s roads,\u201d Bacon, a former London Assembly member, said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has coincided with an obvious ideological distaste for motoring on the part of Sadiq Khan and many \u2013 usually Labour-run \u2013 London boroughs, who have adopted what can only be described as an anti-car culture, with increasingly hostile and punitive policies that raise ever increasing levels of revenue that is not re-invested in planned or reactive road maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the London mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): \u201cThe mayor is committed to cleaning up London\u2019s air, making our roads better and safer, reducing congestion and supporting more people to walk and cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mayor and TfL are deploying a range of tools to improve the safety and quality of London\u2019s roads, while also cleaning up our air and encouraging active travel. They are also working in partnership with London\u2019s boroughs to ensure we create streets that reflect the needs of local communities as we continue building a safer, greener London for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helen Cansick, TfL\u2019s head of healthy streets investment, added: \u201cLondon outpaces the rest of the country in terms of progress in reducing people being killed or seriously injured on the roads, and that is down to the strong partnerships TfL has with our London borough colleagues investing to make our roads safer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur local implementation plan funding guidance uses evidence to ensure that the boroughs spend their allocated funding improving road safety and investing in schemes that have the greatest impact to the transport priorities that matter most to Londoners.<\/p>\n

\u201cLondon\u2019s road network plays a vital role in millions of Londoners\u2019 journeys each day and we\u2019re committed to ensuring its success. We work hard to keep our road network safe and reliable, carrying out regular inspections, resurfacing and upgrades throughout the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain fully committed to working with London\u2019s boroughs and the government to ensure London\u2019s roads have the funding and maintenance needed for safe and efficient travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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More Information about donations<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New report from City Hall Conservatives claims borough councils are forced to \u201cdance to the mayor\u2019s tune on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":816601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,527,393,4884,257,215672,285,23422,14252,11513,16,15],"class_list":["post-816600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-london","tag-britain","tag-conservative-party","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-london","tag-ltns","tag-politics","tag-roads","tag-sadiq-khan","tag-transport-for-london","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116204879929794272","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}