Here is a round-up of some of the ways Thomas has been advocating for residents across Beckenham, Shortlands, West Wickham, Penge, Anerly, Crystal Palace at City Hall, and beyond.
Stop Labour’s Police Cuts
Sadiq Khan won’t tell us how many Police Officers he is set to cut from the Met. It is ludicrous that, at a time when so many feel unsafe across Greater London, Labour would seek to cut the number of officers, a stark contrast to the last Conservative Government, which funded an additional 6,000 officers across London.
Labour won’t tell the public how many officers are being cut, but an independent analysis of the figures from the London Assembly puts the figure at about 400.
The Conservatives’ Budget Amendment at City Hall would have protected these officers, but it was voted down by the Labour Party and the Green Party.
Fix Our Roads and Improve Road Safety
When Labour came to office at City Hall in 2016, the amount paid to councils like Bromley to repair potholes on roads used for bus routes stood at £21.8 million; now that figure is £1.7 million – that’s a more than 90% reduction!
For the last few years, Transport for London (TfL) have not paid a penny to Bromley for these repairs, despite Bromley having more roads than any other borough. This means finite council resources are being spent on repairs that TfL should be funding.
I moved an amendment to the budget which would have cut waste at TfL and put £15 million into a new Pothole Repair Fund to invest in our road maintenance.
On Road Safety, items like crossings and junction improvements are funded through grants from TfL to councils from the Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding.
During Sadiq Khan’s Mayoralty, the amount paid to Bromley decreased from £4.3 million to £1.7 million. Now, Sadiq Khan is attaching strict conditions on the funding to prioritise anti-car policies like congestion-causing LTNs instead of making dangerous junctions safer.
Protect Our Green Belt – 150 Mile Walk
The Green Belt is part of the DNA of Bromley. It isn’t just lovely scenery, the Green Belt is the lungs of London. The physical and mental health benefits cannot be overstated. It keeps our air clean, enhances our local environment and supports biodiversity. All this will be lost if we concrete over it.
Bromley is now expected to deliver over 3000 new homes a year – up from a previous target of 774. Even if Bromley built on every inch of our Green Belt, sacrificing farms, woodland and natural drainage, we still would not hit this target. This unachievable target also encourages developers to cram studio, 1- and 2-bedroom flats onto sites instead of building the family homes we need. That’s why I passed a motion at City Hall recently calling for housing targets to reflect local needs.
The thing about the Green Belt is that you can only lose it once. This is why, to celebrate our Green Belt, with all its beauty and benefits, I am challenging myself to walk the 150-mile London LOOP walk in a week.
On the 5th of April, I will set off from Erith and walk around Outer London, taking in our beautiful green and open spaces, to end up in Purfleet on the 11th of April. Along my way, I’ll be meeting with the organisations, volunteers and campaigners who help to keep the Green Belt beautiful.
I will also be raising money for Thames21 and the Woodland Trust, two organisations that are doing a lot of work across Bromley to protect and enhance our local environment.
A20 Sidcup By-Pass Shambles
The scale of alleged errors around the A20 Sidcup by-pass temporary speed limit means TfL cannot be allowed to mark their own homework. At the very heart of this is concern that the signage was too small, being 450mm signs, not 900mm. Now, thousands of drivers have been fined, received points on their licence or even lost their licence.
That’s why I am calling for an independent investigation into TfL’s handling of this, and why at Mayor’s Question Time I asked the Mayor to pause prosecutions while this is looked into. I was disappointed that he refused.
I’ve passed a motion at City Hall supporting this call for investigation and will be meeting with the Deputy Mayor for Transport to discuss the matter.
Spring Park Saved from Festival Nightmare
In March, London Centric published a report into plans for the City of London to hold more private events, like festivals, on the Commons they own across London. In Bromley, that is West Wickham Common and Spring Park. Along with West Wickham Councillors Hannah Gray and Mark Brock, I wrote to the Political Leader of the City of London with our concerns about the plans. Both West Wickham Common and Spring Park are predominantly woodland, neither are close to railway stations, and neither have sufficient parking facilities to accommodate large scale events.
I was also concerned that the parks could become badly maintained following the Corporation’s plans to link funding to how much each site could raise.
I am pleased to report that the City of London has ruled out Festival events on these sites and has agreed they are not suitable locations. The Corporation has also assured me that the plans will not see maintenance reduced. I have asked to meet with them to discuss this to be sure there is no risk to these beautiful Woodlands, which are beloved and well used by local people.
Happy Birthday, Bromley!
This year marks 60 years since the London Borough of Bromley was formed. The Mayor of Bromley, Councillor David Jefferys, started the celebrations for this with a three-stage walk of the borough’s borders. I joined the Mayor on the first stage, Crystal Palace to Biggin Hill, and the second stage, St Mary Cray back to Crystal Palace.
Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnel Tolls
The Blackwall Tunnel will be tolled from the 7th April, when the new (also tolled) Silvertown tunnel opens.
I opposed the tolls and argued for an exemption scheme for South-East London, similar to the scheme Dartford residents have at the Dartford crossing. Instead, the Mayor went for an overly complicated scheme which barely anyone has applied for.
