'Interference with democracy': High Court battle over LTN removal ramps up

In a written statement submitted to the tribunal by a barrister representing Tower Hamlets Council, the judicial reappraisal brought by the campaigners was described arsenic “an impermissible interference with antiauthoritarian determination making”.

All of the debased postulation schemes successful question person remained successful spot pending the result of the hearing.

Mr Rahman had promised, successful the manifesto connected which helium was re-elected successful 2022, to “reopen our roads, and abolish the failed Liveable Streets scheme, which has seen exigency services and susceptible residents’ entree blocked”.

One of the 7 arguments made by the campaigners was that, contempt the mayor’s manifesto, determination was inactive a “failure to springiness capable reasons” by Mr Rahman astatine the clip of the determination being made successful 2023.

He said astatine the clip that helium was removing the LTNs due to the fact that they had a “divisive” effect connected the section community, they displaced postulation onto “arterial roads”, they caused problems for residents moving section businesses, led to concerns astir ambulance access, and besides caused difficulties for the council’s bin collections.

But the campaigners’ barrister, David Wolfe KC, argued that these reasons were “unintelligible and inadequate”, due to the fact that they did not intelligibly explicate wherefore it was indispensable to region the schemes successful their entirety.

In her written statement responding to this point, the council’s barrister, Saira Kabir Sheikh KC, said Mr Rahman’s reasoning was “entirely capable for its purpose”, adding that the politician “was nether nary work to place each portion of data, stakeholder feedback and consultation effect that weighed successful favour oregon against the argumentation attack adopted”.

Ms Sheikh wrote that the campaigners “true complaint” was that they disagreed with Mr Rahman’s determination “to springiness greater value to” the criteria which led to the determination to region the LTNs completely. She called this ailment “an impermissible interference with antiauthoritarian determination making” which “does not recovered the ground for a assertion successful judicial review”.

Another lawyer speaking connected behalf of the campaigners said that portion Mr Rahman had the powerfulness to marque governmental decisions wrong Tower Hamlets borough, these powers are “circumscribed”, arsenic helium inactive has to abide by London politician Sadiq Khan’s authoritative transport strategy.

Transport for London’s barrister said that the “central aim” of Mr Khan’s strategy is “the promotion of harmless and steadfast streets”.

Ms Sheikh countered this statement by pointing to abstracted legislation, the 2004 Traffic Management Act, which places a work connected councils to unafraid “the expeditious question of postulation connected the authority's roadworthy network”.

Mr Justice Fordham, presiding implicit the case, said helium would present a verdict successful owed course.