Boris agrees to meet SLL campaign deputation

[Laurie Eggleston]

Hi all,

Here's an update from today's Mayor's Question Time at City Hall.

Boris Johnson publically agreed to meet a delegation from the SLL campaign at City Hall, and then join the delagation in a meeting with the Department for Transport, should Lord Adonis agree to meet them. Quote: "I will receive a delegation, and lead it. We will muster in City Hall and then we will go together".

He also 'agreed in principle' to the retention of the South London Line service. He 'would not want to see any reduction for financial reasons'. He was under the impression that due to works at London Bridge the service would be unable to continue for logistical reasons. This is despite Network Rail telling us the other week that it was possible to keep the service, but that they deemed the ELLx2 as more important. It seems as though Boris had been briefed by Network Rail it was not possible (indeed, Boris said it was news to him that it was in fact). He then seemed to imply after further questioning that maybe it was a funding issue after all (while reading from briefing notes), and appeared thrown by the facts.

It's great that he's agreed to meet a deputation as now the facts can be made clear to him in person. Once he knows the facts, it's crucial that as many people attend People's Question Time in Brixton as possible so he knows the strength of feeling in South London over this issue. If we can convince him of the logic and get him to argue in our favour, then a meeting with Lord Adonis could be the turning point for the campaign.

Good stuff.

Thanks,

Laurie

www.laurieeggleston.org

twitter.com/Laurie1984

[sophiesofa]

well done!

[Laurie Eggleston]

Well done to Jenny Jones AM, she asked the question at MQT and got Boris to agree.

[Eileen]

Just shows that there IS a real job to do to get a message across to the Mayor about the key role that the South London Line plays in the transport infrastructure of inner south London. So it?s important to book your tickets for his appearance in Brixton on 9 November (details below). When EDF is back from holiday you might find all the places gone. This could be some really interesting and important democratic theatre that evening.

There are several different strands to the campaign with ALL the elected reps playing valuable roles, whatever their party, as South Londoners first in this case - in spite of some of our local Forumites perhaps not seeing the wood for the trees, and raising objections to the campaign. But this is often on the mistaken idea that the campaign is opposed to the ELLX, and that the reconstruction work at London Bridge inevitably rules out the SLL continuing there. Neither of those things are 100% true. The campaign is an endeavour to get the whole thing reviewed properly giving proper weight for the FIRST time to the need to plan for proper integration in south London?s overground rail services.

Mayor's Question time - Monday 9th November 7pm - 9pm Apply for tickets to this next Mayor's Question Time in Brixton Academy, south London. Let's have so many rail users there that he has to hear us. TO APPLY: email - [email protected] including your name, address, postcode, daytime phone number and the number of tickets you require (max 6 per application) OR call 020 7983 4762. For background see http://www.southwarkrailusers.net

Hope you have a good hols EDF administrators... We will be even more in the thick of this debate when you return!

[*Tee*]

Yes indeed well done! i think now is the time to really do something about this while we still can, people will miss this service when its gone, and will complain and kick them self's for not taking any action.

If i get any tickets, i'm certainly going along.

[Huguenot]

Maybe at last there'll be some sanity to the entire debate.

I trust that the 'delegation' will act rationally and listen to both sides of the story. At the moment the highly polarised attitude smacks of no realistic solution.

And I also trust that no idiot will suggest that I must work for a rail company just for making this observation.

[thatguy]

We'll be there! got tickets by calling 020 7983 4762. Still a few left. Its vitally important that we protect and preserve transport services in the area. Boris is not as flatulant as he is portrayed onTV

[thatguy]

We'll be there! got tickets by calling 020 7983 4762. Still a few left. Its vitally important that we protect and preserve transport services in the area. Boris is not as flatulant as he is portrayed onTV

[puzzled]

bit worrying that the mayor did not seem to have much of a clue what was going on. can't wait the rest of bullingdon club to take over the country. god help us all!

[puzzled]

bit worrying that the mayor did not seem to have much of a clue what was going on. can't wait the rest of bullingdon club to take over the country. god help us all!

[Gimme]

I like it! The old 'ask the same question to different people then embarrass each of them with the fact that they are obviously lying' tactic. The best known device to avoid the 'fob-off'.

SLL Campaign seems to be achieving really impressive momentum. I'm always a bit sceptical about how much home-spun single issue campaigns can achieve (look what 1 million people marching against the Iraq war managed) but it seems like you are doing really well. Hopefully the momentum will continue gathering pace and you achieve what you are aiming to achieve.

One in the eye for the service-cutters!

[Gimme]

I like it! The old 'ask the same question to different people then embarrass each of them with the fact that they are obviously lying' tactic. The best known device to avoid the 'fob-off'.

SLL Campaign seems to be achieving really impressive momentum. I'm always a bit sceptical about how much home-spun single issue campaigns can achieve (look what 1 million people marching against the Iraq war managed) but it seems like you are doing really well. Hopefully the momentum will continue gathering pace and you achieve what you are aiming to achieve.

One in the eye for the service-cutters!

[Eileen]

Gimme Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> SLL Campaign seems to be achieving really

> impressive momentum. I'm always a bit sceptical

> about how much home-spun single issue campaigns

> can achieve (look what 1 million people marching

> against the Iraq war managed) but it seems like

> you are doing really well. Hopefully the momentum

> will continue gathering pace and you achieve what

> you are aiming to achieve. > One in the eye for the service-cutters!

Thanks from the Campaign for this appreciation. One of the excellent achievements has been the coming together of all 4 main parties to be part of the broad Campaign coaliton. What we aim for is for the current review of services to be as thorough as it needs to be. We have made huge progress in getting not only the services to Victoria reviewed but also now the latest news that they are definitely reviewing the issues at London Bridge see http://www.bellenden.net/srug/news/success-%E2%80%93-tfl-review-cover-london-bridge A summary of achievements so far can be found on the Southwark Rail Users' Group webpage at: http://www.bellenden.net/rail-cuts#news

[Eileen]

Gimme Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> SLL Campaign seems to be achieving really

> impressive momentum. I'm always a bit sceptical

> about how much home-spun single issue campaigns

> can achieve (look what 1 million people marching

> against the Iraq war managed) but it seems like

> you are doing really well. Hopefully the momentum

> will continue gathering pace and you achieve what

> you are aiming to achieve. > One in the eye for the service-cutters!

Thanks from the Campaign for this appreciation. One of the excellent achievements has been the coming together of all 4 main parties to be part of the broad Campaign coaliton. What we aim for is for the current review of services to be as thorough as it needs to be. We have made huge progress in getting not only the services to Victoria reviewed but also now the latest news that they are definitely reviewing the issues at London Bridge see http://www.bellenden.net/srug/news/success-%E2%80%93-tfl-review-cover-london-bridge A summary of achievements so far can be found on the Southwark Rail Users' Group webpage at: http://www.bellenden.net/rail-cuts#news

[PeckhamRose]

And Boris was on telly last night bigging it up.

[Eileen]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And Boris was on telly last night bigging it up.

Hi PeckhamRose - I didn't see this. Can you say what the impression would be for the viewer what the issue was and what had or not been achieved by the Boris intervention? It would be helpful to know how it is coming across. At least, we have now broken through the local ghetto and made it onto the London stage. That is a big step forward.

[LibraCarr]

Hi,

I read a article in the Metro newspaper (on the transport page) on Monday stating quite clearly that the service was going to be terminated.

I am a little confused, have the Metro journalist's got it wrong?

Kind regards,

Libra Carr.

[Eileen]

Hi LibraCarr - I didn't see the Metro piece so can't vouch for its accuracy. But yes there was a decision to terminate the SLL and that is what the campaign is trying to reverse. There are two ends to the SLL with different issues to be overcome:

* the decision that we didn't need a direct service to Victoria in the evenings and on Sundays and wouldn't be provided with one. That has been conceded, and they are looking to see how that could be provided. But the Mayor and the Minister keep battling in public about who should pay for whatever they can devise.

* the decison that SLL can't have any of the terminating platform space at London Bridge. We now have won a commitment that this will also be reviewed, though no guarantee of success yet on that one. All is still to play for.

So now we have both ends of the SLL in the review which was essential if we are to make any headway in getting the whole link restored. Hope that is clearer than mud. The summary of the campaign which also might help is on the http://www.southwarkrailusers.net pages at http://www.bellenden.net/rail-cuts

LibraCarr Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi,

>

> I read a article in the Metro newspaper (on the

> transport page) on Monday stating quite clearly

> that the service was going to be terminated.

> I am a little confused, have the Metro

> journalist's got it wrong?

> Kind regards,

> Libra Carr.