Local Liberal Democrats in Wembley have been stunned by revelations uncovered this week that the lift at Wembley Central station, installed by Network Rail several years ago, seems to have never actually been opened for public use.
Councillor Daniel Brown, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for transport, has demanded to know what Transport for London are going to do to improve services at the station and asked Caroline Pidgeon AM, Lib Dem leader at City Hall, to quiz Boris on how he planned to deal with resident’s pleas for better station facilities.
According to the Mayor, the lift to platform 1 hasn't been commissioned due to technical issues regarding the fire evacuation strategy, preventing the lift ever opening to the public.
Other facilities at the station, such as the Help Point, have regularly been broken, leaving vulnerable people at risk, and London Underground now say there is no money left for additional works.
Speaking about the revelations, Cllr Daniel Brown said,
"It's a disgrace that London Underground has not yet brought the lift into use - What I and many local residents don’t understand is how thousands of pounds have been spent on a lift that may now never be used as according to the Mayor there is no cash for any additional works.
"It shows a total lack of planning and I’m deeply frustrated that nobody considered the fire safety implications before they installed the lift. The Mayor has been waxing lyrical about his plans to improve the tube across London but I think he must have forgotten about us in Wembley"
Photo: Brent Lib Dem councillor Chandubhai Patel and local campaigner Valerie Brown outside Wembley Central station