Deputy Mayor leads defence of D7 bus (again)

A FIRM “NO” came from a meeting of Tower Hamlets Council last week – in response to a proposal from Transport for London (TfL) to “restructure” bus routes on the Isle of Dogs.

There was unity in the Town Hall as ASPIRE’s Deputy Mayor Cllr Maium Talukdar and Isle of Dogs Conservative councillor Peter Golds joined forces to table an emergency motion opposing the changes. There was even more unity when councillors voted on the motion – a vote that was declared, from the top table, as “unanimous”.

Cllr Maium Talukdar

Cllr Talukdar proposed the emergency motion, emphasising the hardship the loss of bus services would cause to local residents. He pointed out that TfL had tried to cut bus services on the Isle of Dogs in 2022 – but had backed down in the face of huge local opposition. Seconding the motion, Cllr Golds called on local Labour councillors to approach their colleague Sadiq Khan, Labour Mayor of London, and ask him, as Chair of TfL, to withdraw the proposed changes.

A number of Councillors spoke during the short but focussed debate. Cllr Ahmodur Khan, ASPIRE Councillor who represents Blackwall and Cubitt Town ward, pointed out that TfL says it wants more use of public transport, with fewer people using cars. He said that most of the new developments on the Isle of Dogs are car-free zones – so residents have to rely on public transport! He referred to a Labour speech which had suggested that the Administration should come to a compromise with TfL. He was not prepared to compromise: he wanted the buses – all of them – to be retained!

Labour Party councillors said they opposed TfL’s cuts. They hinted that they might be speaking to the local GLA member, but they did not seem to be intending to beat a path to Sadiq Khan’s door. Green councillors spoke up in favour of public transport and mentioned that the Green enclave of Bow didn’t have enough of it.

The Deputy Mayor Cllr Maium Talukdar replied to the debate, thanking everyone for their contributions and support for the motion. He looked forward to seeing Mayor Lutfur Rahman leading the campaign to save the buses.

Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, took the Council through the various votes that were outstanding at the end of the debate. He asked who was in favour of the motion and whether anyone was against – after which he declared the motion was passed unanimously. From this we have to assume that everyone was in favour and no one abstained. That was quite an achievement, uniting the whole council against the actions of a Labour Mayor of London.

The motion ended with a commitment to engage with local residents, schools and community groups to support their participation in the consultation before it closes on 16 November 2026. We look forward to hearing more about the community engagement.

●Respond to the TfL consultation:
Go to TfL consultation: website
Email: haveyoursay@tfl.gov.uk
Tel: 020-3054 6037 (call back service available), quoting “Isle of Dogs bus restructure”
Write (no stamp required) to: Freepost TfL Have Your Say

●Read the Emergency Motion:
Iod bus restructure Em Motion

●Read more about it:
Tories reveal strange, uncosted London bus policy
Starmer and the buses: spin or substance?