Halt Bus Cuts, Southwark Lib Dems Demand from Sadiq Khan

The Southwark Liberal Democrats criticised the London Mayor on Thursday for disproportionately harming South London and demanded he stop proposed bus cuts.

Southwark Lib Dems demand mayor stop bus cuts in open letter, petition

One in four bus routes to be scrapped run through Southwark

Lib Dems call on mayor to extend consultation, attend public meetings

The group sent an open letter to Sadiq Khan asking him to also scrap the Silvertown Tunnel and invest money instead into existing or alternative transport such as the Bakerloo line extension.

TfL plan to withdraw 16 bus routes, of which four run through Southwark. 17 other bus routes in the borough will also be affected.

Although TfL argue that passenger levels are significantly down, Southwark bus usage was at 77% of pre-pandemic levels in March.

The Liberal Democrats called on the Mayor to extend the bus cuts consultation and to hold public meetings.

They also called on the Mayor to attend Southwark Council’s July Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to answer questions from councillors.

The group launched a petition to reflect these demands, as well.

Commenting, Cllr Victor Chamberlain, Southwark Liberal Democrat Group Leader said:

“TfL’s proposals to reduce our bus network will have a devastating and gutting effect on Southwark and South London. They are especially harmful when we need to be going greener, faster alongside helping residents with the cost-of-living emergency. The Labour Mayor must finally show he cares about the south of the river by halting these bus cuts immediately. Bus numbers are almost back to where they were before the covid pandemic. Our buses are vital to so many Southwark residents and Sadiq Khan’s cuts will hurt the poorest and most vulnerable first and hardest. This is not what a Labour Mayor should be doing.  Despite claiming to be green, our Labour Mayor has failed time and time again to stand up for sustainable south London transport. He kicked the Bakerloo extension into the long grass, cut the RV1 (London’s first zero-emission hydrogen bus) and is ploughing ahead with a polluting tunnel under the Thames. If he cuts south London buses even further, his environmental credibility will be in tatters.”