I’m writing to share an update on Hammersmith Bridge following the Government’s recent Spending Review.

In the Spending Review, the Government announced a new £1 billion national Structures Fund, and the Transport Secretary confirmed that this fund could be used to help reopen Hammersmith Bridge. I will be meeting with the Minister to continue making the urgent case for the bridge and to learn more about how the fund will be allocated.

The Spending Review also included a multi-year settlement for Transport for London (TfL), enabling investment in major projects. However, this funding has not been specifically earmarked for Hammersmith Bridge and may be used for several other large-scale schemes.

This bridge is a vital London — and national — transport route, and it should have been repaired and reopened years ago.

Since its closure to all traffic in April 2019, I have campaigned continuously for action. Before it closed, 22,000 vehicles and six major bus routes used the bridge daily. The closure has had a major impact on Putney and Roehampton, reducing our resilience when other road disruptions occur and severely affecting bus routes in the area.

The current congestion on Putney High Street has become so acute that I now hold monthly bus crisis meetings with the Council, TfL, bus operators, and utility companies. We’re working through all the possible changes to ease delays — including issues such as the junction at Putney Bridge (where the traffic lights are still being calibrated) and bus driver changeovers that block the road and can’t be bypassed.

The previous Government failed to act when the bridge first closed, and as a result, costs have soared. Hammersmith Council has already spent over £48 million on highly specialist repairs to the fissures in the bridge’s plinths, and the bridge is now open to pedestrians and cyclists. But a full restoration is still urgently needed.

There is an agreement that the costs will be split equally between the Council, TfL, and the Government.

Since the General Election, I’ve continued to push for a new task force, and this resulted in a Hammersmith Bridge Task Force meeting in January, chaired by the Minister for Local Transport. I spoke at this meeting, where it was agreed that urgent action must be taken. New costings and funding options were considered, and this work fed into the Spending Review.

I will keep campaigning and raising this issue at every opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign — by attending meetings, signing petitions, and writing letters. Your efforts are making a difference.