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| Hammersmith Bridge |
Hammersmith Bridge Repairs are to be delayed again, as our Council kicks the long-postponed repairs into the long grass.
And, as anyone who has ever postponed repairs to a leaky roof knows, the cost of the proposed works keeps on rising, as do the costs of continuing to patch up the problem.
Papers presented to the council's leadership on November 5 showed that the provisional price-tag has risen to £36m from the 2014 estimate of £25m.
So, the price of delaying the project by four years has cost taxpayers £11million. And that doesn't include the cost of paying bridge attendants to stand at either end of the bridge making sure that double-decker buses don't pile up on the bridge and cause bad things to happen.
To find out more about how well your tax money isn't being spent, read the full story here.
The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com
And, as anyone who has ever postponed repairs to a leaky roof knows, the cost of the proposed works keeps on rising, as do the costs of continuing to patch up the problem.
Papers presented to the council's leadership on November 5 showed that the provisional price-tag has risen to £36m from the 2014 estimate of £25m.
So, the price of delaying the project by four years has cost taxpayers £11million. And that doesn't include the cost of paying bridge attendants to stand at either end of the bridge making sure that double-decker buses don't pile up on the bridge and cause bad things to happen.
To find out more about how well your tax money isn't being spent, read the full story here.
The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com
The Council does not agree: See this email from LBHF yesterday:
ReplyDelete"At the top of the piece, you’ve used the line “our Council kicks the long-postponed repairs into the long grass”, which is not correct. It implies the council has made a conscious decision to delay the works and that the council is solely responsible for the timescales. This is a joint piece of work with Transport for London, who are not mentioned in your piece, which is negligent, given the line about the barrier guards who are TfL employees.
You’ve also mentioned the cost has gone up £11m due to a four-year delay. The figures provided in 2014 were estimated outline costs. The more recent figures represent the fact that we now know much more detail about what and how much work will be required, so can provide a more accurate figure – nothing to do with timescales.
Your story links to the Get West London article which includes the background facts; that the timescales are hampered by the complexity of the bridge, its historic nature and the scale/scope of the works required.
We’re actively trying to drive the works forward and keep costs to a minimum, so to imply the council has deliberately slowed them down is wholly inaccurate. Please can you amend the post immediately?
If you’d like an official line from the council, please come back to me for an on-the-record comment.
Regards,
Russell.
Russell Butt
Communications officer
Corporate services
Hammersmith & Fulham Council
020 8753 2163
07990 530981
russell.butt@lbhf.gov.uk
www.lbhf.gov.uk