Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore AM, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, today made a submission to Barnet Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on bus services to Finchley Memorial Hospital

Mr Dismore said:

“So far, the Mayor and TfL have been utterly unresponsive to requests for additional bus services to Finchley Memorial Hospital.  He has been similarly unresponsive to other requests concerning public transport links as a consequence of the health service reorganisations affecting Barnet, for example the reconfiguration of services between Chase Farm and Barnet, with the resulting need for more Barnet patients, including from the west of the borough, to travel to Chase Farm for example for elective surgery, a very difficult journey by public transport involving several changes of bus.

Mayor does not have the political will or desire to help the people of Barnet and in particular the patients of Finchley Memorial Hospital, including those with mobility problems, by providing additional, or adjusting existing, bus services to accommodate this need, which I believe to be well recognised by all in the borough. It is another example of the Mayor ignoring the needs of Barnet (and indeed outer London generally), except at election times, when he makes promises concerning public transport which he does not honour afterwards.

The refusal to assist patients of Finchley Memorial in this way is all the more unacceptable, given the fact that when the Labour Government took the decision to rebuild Finchley Memorial by identifying the finance, developing the plans and commencing the construction of the project, it incorporated into the plans scope for a bus service to take patients to the front of the hospital. This has been conveniently (for him) overlooked by the Mayor.

The London Assembly Transport Committee has launched an investigation into bus services in London. I would urge Barnet Council stand up for residents and make a formal submission and to give oral evidence to the Transport Committee about bus links to NHS services in the borough.

I would welcome the support of the committee and the Council generally in these efforts to get the Mayor to take his responsibilities to the people of Barnet more seriously, and to provide this badly needed service.”

Click here for information on the London Assembly investigation into bus services

Click here for Andrew’s submission to the Barnet Council Heath Overview and Scrutiny Committee