Andrew Dismore

Dear editor,

Your story ‘Mill Hill East station could soon have step-free access’ ( 4^th October) was somewhatoveroptimistic.  Based on their own spin, Mayor Boris Johnson and the Conservative MP for Hendon would have Mill Hill East  tube passengers  believe that step free access was on the way.

The truth is rather different. I have investigated what is really happening ( or not)   through detailed questions to the Mayor, Sir Peter Hendy, Transport for London commissioner, and Barnet Council officers .

What is clear is that step free is not going to happen any time soon. The ‘s106’ funding ( the contribution required of a developer to fund local infrastructure) allocated to this project is dependent on the developer making an excess profit from the Inglis Barracks site; and the step free access is a long way down the Council’s priority list for work to be done funded by s 106 contributions  anyway . Whilst the London Mayor has announced some time  limited extra funding for step free tube station projects generally,  Sir Peter in his response   to me confirmed  Mill Hill East  step free is  dependent on these  funds from  the  developers,   so the project is  a very  long way down the track if it  appears at all.

Yours sincerely

 

Andrew Dismore

Labour Parliamentary candidate  for Hendon

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden

79 the Burroughs NW4