News from London Assembly Labour

London Labour: “DLR extensions must not end with Woolwich”

Commenting on the opening of the Woolwich extension of the DLR, the Labour Group on the London Assembly reiterated their call to the Mayor to reinstate the cancelled Dagenham extension of the DLR which would have enabled 10,000 homes to be built in East London.

Labour’s transport spokesperson, Val Shawcross, said:

“We are delighted to see the DLR extension to the Woolwich Arsenal opened on time, which is testament to the work of the previous administration and Transport for London. But, sadly, there is a real danger this could be the last of the extensions to the DLR as our new Mayor seems more keen on abandoning transport schemes than initiating them. If Boris is delighted about the opening of the Woolwich extension, maybe he can try to imagine the bitter disappointment he caused by axing the DLR extension to Dagenham and consider reversing this terrible decision.

“The Mayor has said a lot about the need to invest in major projects for the sake of London’s economy and he’s happy to celebrate the opening of one DLR extension. But, at the same time, he has abandoned the extension to Dagenham – a project vital to the economic regeneration of the city that would have brought 10,000 new homes to the area.

“This Mayor has not set himself one difficult or challenging aspiration for London’s transport planning. He is clearly not interested in going all-out for London’s economic future. The DLR extension to Dagenham Docks is vital to the regeneration of the area, connecting it to other parts of London. £5 million has already been spent on the project and will go up in smoke if the Mayor does not reconsider his regressive decision.”

Other news from London Assembly Labour

• Ken: "This morning's tube delays are completely unacceptable" - 10 February 2012
• Boris Johnson's comments are ill-judged and offensive - 9 February 2012
• Ken answers his critics about his support for LGBT rights - 8 February 2012