Campaigners for safer Tower Hamlets streets have their day in court

Save Our Safer Streets (SOSS) is a campaign group, made up of people living and working in Bethnal Green. It had welcomed the introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) which it says made the area more pedestrian friendly.

At a two-day hearing from Wednesday 20 November 2024, a judge will review whether Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman acted unlawfully by deciding to remove the LTN schemes in September 2023.

SOSS is represented by Leigh Day environment team lawyers who have instructed counsel who will argue on seven grounds including that the mayor: 

• Ignored government guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods 
• Ran a flawed consultation and decision-making process 
• Failed to properly consider if removing the LTN’s safer street layouts would be a good use of £2.5m.

Transport for London has also joined the case as an ‘Interested Party’ and has submitted detailed evidence. It argues that the decision to remove LTNs did not follow the necessary legal processes and that it goes against a Local Implementation Plan, agreed with City Hall.

Executive Mayor Rahman has previously said he wanted to find “less divisive” ways of achieving cleaner air in Tower Hamlets.

Jane Harris, spokesperson for SOSS, said:

“This is a proud moment for our campaign, for the thousands who have helped us raise the funds to come to court and those who’ve spoken out in favour of keeping safer streets.

“No local authority has previously removed a permanent low traffic scheme that has local support. Local people have repeatedly said they want to keep the Bethnal Green schemes and removal would be an appalling waste of £2.5m of public money which would be better spent on the housing, social care and schools Tower Hamlets residents urgently need”. 

Ricardo Gama, senior associate solicitor at Leigh Day, said:

“Lutfur Rahman committed in his election manifesto to following a legal consultation process before deciding whether to remove the safer street layouts in Tower Hamlets. The High Court will hear why the procedure which he and the council followed appears to have been anything but that.

“Our client argues that by failing to comply with the legal safeguards for local government decision-making, Mr Rahman and the council have ridden roughshod over the plurality of voices who live and work in Tower Hamlets, in particular the majority of households in the borough who don’t own a car.”