The Conservatives have accused Labour of wobbling on the Old Shoreham Road cycle lane less than a day before a decision is due on whether to scrap it or stick with it.
Tory councillors said that they had been waiting to learn what amendment Labour would propose to reinforce their vote last month to scrap the cycle lane.
Their comments follow the publication of a Brighton and Hove City Council report spelling out the cost of removing the “temporary” lane between The Drive and the Hangleton Road traffic lights.
The report said that the council risked missing out on almost £280,000 of government funding as well as having to stump up £50,000 to rip out the cycle lanes themselves.
The Conservatives said that they were backing the overwhelming wish of residents, adding: “An amendment to the report is required because it currently recommends the retention of the lanes, contrary to the democratic decision of the council made two weeks ago to remove it.”
The Tories said that Labour put in the cycle lanes as a “temporary” covid measure but had realised how unpopular they were while the Greens wanted to keep them.
The Labour group was understood to be meeting this evening to finalise its position before a meeting of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Urgency Sub-committee tomorrow morning (Tuesday 10 August).
Councillor Robert Nemeth, who speaks on transport for the Tories, will represent the Conservative group at the crucial meeting at Hove Town Hall tomorrow.
He said that he was concerned that Labour, represented by Councillor Gary Wilkinson, could go back on its most recent vote to remove the lanes.
Councillor Nemeth said: “The deadline for amendments has passed and the Conservatives have made our position clear – as it always has been on this issue – with an amendment published ordering the immediate removal of the Old Shoreham Road temporary cycle lanes.
“Our Conservative team has stood with residents from the start and been consistent, voting on five previous occasions to have the lanes removed while Labour and Greens voted to keep them in place.
“Labour finally came round to our way of thinking at the fifth time of asking at the ‘special meeting’ last month, in the face of overwhelming community sentiment in the latest consultation on the matter.
“However, with just hours to go before the decisive vote at 11am tomorrow, it is of great concern to residents that Labour has not had any amendment published to the council report, which calls for the cycle lanes to remain.
“There appears to be a wobbling in the Labour group over their position at the last moment which will be of great concern to the residents.
“The council must finally listen to the residents who have completed two separate consultations, signed petitions, attended council meetings and each and every time told councillors in no uncertain terms that they want this cycle lane gone.
“There must be no last-minute wobbles from Labour and residents will be watching closely tomorrow to see if Labour backs the Conservative amendment to unequivocally remove the temporary cycle lanes or instead sides with the Greens.”
The Conservative amendment said: “That having regard to all relevant considerations, the committee resolves to remove the Phase 1 Old Shoreham Road cycle lane and instructs officers to take all steps necessary or incidental to the removal of the cycle lane as soon as reasonably practicable.”
The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
If Labour truly meant they were listening then they need to stand firm. Retaining this lane will be the biggest set back to active travel because we need to admit our mistakes. The least used lane in the city so poorly planned the extension has been abandoned, (even though money was available). Its time to listen to the residents not the pressure groups. The Greens have made this political rather than practical and failed in the process.
They’ll drag it out for three years, hoping people will forget rather than exercising their democratic duty, whether they agree with it or not. Not unlike another political hot potato.
Put this council into special measures now. Not fit for purpose.
Labour need to start listening to the people they represent not the childish green party.
If the fail to listen and vote against the removal of this lane I’m sure their cowardice will be rewarded come the local elections in 2023.
It always amazes me, those who claim to predict Election results.
I predicted your loss as well loser.
The conservative government literally wrote to the council asking them not to remove the lane and threatened them with financial penalties if they did. So if anyone is to blame for the lane not being removed, it’s the conservatives!
As a Green councillor, you can provide us with a copy of that letter of course?
Please post here, literally, or surely this is not Green politics is it?
It’s publicly available, the government published it and it’s with the documents for the meeting today.
This is outrageous. I even emailed Gary Wilkinson and all of his Labour colleagues to thank him after the last ETS meeting.
Looks like he will be coming off of my Xmas card list
The labour councillors are suffering severe Cognitive dissonance on this matter and the city should not have to put up with it. This disgraceful in-fighting within the labour party is tearing the city apart. And the appalling chasing the funds reeks of corruption. And to think that it is being decided by a small cabal with no Full Council involvement beggars belief.
The Tories are about to vote to cost the council three and a half million quid in transport funding. Labour might be ‘wobbling’; the Conservative group have long since fallen over.
Labour bottling it again, Squidgie?
Surely not.