North v south in London foot tunnel row

An east London council has been told to “cough up” funds by its neighbour across the river for repairs to a foot tunnel linking the two boroughs.

Greenwich Council says the northern lift of the Woolwich foot tunnel has been out of service since August 2022 due to a disagreement over money with Newham Council.

The tunnel crosses under the River Thames from Old Woolwich in the borough of Greenwich to North Woolwich in the borough of Newham.

Greenwich Labour councillor Averil Lekau, cabinet member for transport, said she had expected the tunnel’s north lift to be repaired in June this year.

At a transport and place scrutiny meeting last week, she said the repairs had been put on hold due to Newham Council’s delay in agreeing to finance the works.

The two boroughs have equal financial responsibility for the tunnel.

Ms Lekau said the cabinet for Greenwich Council had agreed to a £180,000 contribution on lift repairs and £65,000 on safety improvements.

She said: “We need Newham to agree to cough up a similar amount, that would be half of what is needed to put it up to speed. Whilst we are the authority that is responsible for doing the work, the financial responsibility lies on both authorities and we are making representations. We have been working to try and improve that.”

She added: “It is a bone of contention and it’s very frustrating for me because this is something we’ve actually said we’re ready to put money in upfront.”

A Newham Council spokesperson said they were “disappointed” by Ms Lekau’s remarks and felt they did not fairly represent the situation.

They added that Newham Council had consistently made it clear to Greenwich Council that it would honour the £126,000 of annual maintenance costs needed for the tunnel.

The spokesperson said: “However, like many local authorities, Newham is being forced to closely review any additional capital investments, due to its current financial situation.

"We have repeatedly requested an urgent meeting with officials from Greenwich, which have only just been accepted, where we hope to find a mutual way forward.”

The tunnel was built by London County Council and opened in October 1912.

It is open 24 hours day, seven days a week and is used by an estimated 300,000 pedestrians and cyclists each year.

Both the north and south entrances are Grade II-listed buildings.

Greenwich Council has said that the lifts in the tunnel are vulnerable to unpredictable faults due to their age, with the most common cause of breakdown being doors failing to close as a result of objects being in the way or people forcing them open.

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