MP raises concerns over delays at Gallows Corner intersection
TFL says they will keep residents and road users updated as work progresses
City Hall has failed to respond to a series of queries and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests about the delay to the Gallows Corner roundabout fully reopening, senior Conservative politicians have claimed.
Shadow Cabinet Minister Julia Lopez, who is the MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, filed a series of requests last month to the Mayor’s office around funding, cost projections, timelines and support for businesses affected by the continued closure.
Public authorities are required to respond to FOI requests within 20 working days, and inform the applicant if this is not possible.
However, Ms Lopez, who has heavily criticised both Sir Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) over the handling of the Gallows Corner closure, alleged no contact has been made.
Refurbishment was first started on the Romford flyover in June 2025, with an original completion date of September.
This was then extended to April, before the junction partially reopened in May this year. However, work is still being done by Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW), who are hoping to complete their repairs by August before TfL can finally resurface the area.
The delays have had a significant impact on local businesses. In many cases, the traffic build-up on alternative routes prompted potential clients and customers to not bother using their services at all, some said.
Transparency Claims
Mrs Lopez says she submitted her requests after meetings with transport and water executives unearthed tensions over a decision to reroute a major water main at the same time as replacing the ageing flyover.
There are concerns that the water main replacement could cost more than the flyover works, at a cost to TfL and the Department for Transport.
Her questions to the Mayor’s office, in a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), included queries around original and projected cost estimates for replacing the ESW water main, whether TfL has sought additional funding from the Department for Transport and the extent of the Mayor’s personal involvement in decisions about Gallows Corner.
Mrs Lopez has now written to Sir Sadiq again, requesting urgent FOI replies and an offer of direct mayoral support to the countless businesses and ordinary Londoners affected by Gallows Corner delays.
She said: “Residents and businesses have endured more than a year of severe disruption and deserve to know why key decisions were taken on Gallows Corner, what they have cost and who is picking up the bill.
“The Mayor has sole political responsibility for TfL. He has neither answered nor even acknowledged a Freedom of Information request concerning a major infrastructure project and the use of substantial amounts of public money.
“This comes at a time when TfL’s debts are spiralling on his watch and Londoners in every part of the capital are crying out for TfL investment.
“The Mayor cannot continue to claim poverty when he is so willing to spray taxpayers’ money on bad decisions, let fare evaders slip away and constantly dips into the pockets of decent residents via ULEZ, fare rises and congestion charges.
“My meetings with TfL and Essex & Suffolk Water raised serious questions about the decision to replace the water main, the management of the project and its rising costs. Those questions cannot simply be ignored.
“I have written to the Mayor again and expect the request to be handled as a matter of urgency. If there is a legitimate reason for the delay, Sir Sadiq should explain it and have the decency to be honest with voters.
“My constituents have waited long enough for Gallows Corner to reopen. They should not also be kept waiting for basic transparency about what went wrong.”
Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Conservatives, added: “Khan has given up on Gallows Corner, now barely able to even answer questions submitted to him regarding it.
“Meanwhile, residents’ lives are made misery by congestion and disruption as a result without any answers as to why or for how much longer they will be expected to endure.”
Rushed Response?
Mrs Lopez did not receive any correspondence until a day after the Mayor’s office was contacted about this story by the LDRS. The Mayor’s office has not responded to the LDRS at the time of publication.
The GLA’s response to the 14 questions submitted by the senior MP was that they could not “locate records within the scope of the request.”
Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance wrote to Mrs Lopez shortly after apologising for the length of the works at Gallows Corner.
He said ESW should complete works by the end of August and that “TfL will confirm an expected reopening date as soon as possible.”
However, he said he could not answer any specific questions raised by Mrs Lopez.
She told the LDRS: “Sadiq Khan has treated the residents and businesses of Havering with contempt when it comes to Gallows Corner.
“He has not once sent a direct reply to me, even when I was highlighting the pleas for help of businesses going under. He has not answered any of the questions about what has gone wrong. He won’t even say whether he has ever held a meeting on Gallows – apparently that information is not held by the GLA.
“This is not just about Havering. TfL is in massive debt, money is being sprayed on mistakes, and it means less cash is around for other critical London transport projects. Sadiq Khan is ready to ask fare payers, taxpayers and government for more money but he never leads or takes responsibility for things that he controls.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “Work at Gallows Corner is continuing as Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) progresses essential testing and commissioning of the newly installed water main. Significant work is taking place underground to ensure the network is safe and resilient, with the installation phase now complete and the project moving through its final stages before the new infrastructure can be brought into service.
“This work is being carried out in phases, allowing each stage to be completed thoroughly and safely, helping to protect vital water supplies and reduce the risk of future disruption. We are working closely with ESW, which remains on track to hand the site back to us at the end of August, and we will continue to keep residents and road users updated as the work progresses.”