With the Bakerloo Line extension on hold indefinitely, constituents in Lewisham West and East Dulwich sometimes face an uphill struggle with public transport.
Southwark News asked local candidates from the major parties what should be done to improve local transport. Three responded. Here is what they said:
Ellie Reeves – Labour: ‘I will work with the Mayor on projects like the Bakerloop Express’
“If elected I will continue to work with the Mayor of London to deliver on transport projects that help connect our communities like the proposed Bakerloop Express – an express bus service in South East London, cutting journey times along the Old Kent Road from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham ahead of the extension of the Bakerloo Line.
“Previously when I was the MP for Lewisham West & Penge I campaigned tirelessly for the Bakerloo line extension.”
Josh Matthews – Lib Dem: ‘We will freeze rail fares, simplify ticketing, electrify the network and more’
“The public transport vs cars atmosphere must change. Let’s make public transport a great option but not penalize those who need to drive. Liberal Democrats would freeze rail fares, simplify ticketing, electrify the network, improve stations, greatly improve disabled access, and reopen smaller stations. Liberal Democrats would also keep bus fares low and bring back routes that local people need.”
Callum Fowler – Green: ‘TfL needs more funding to deliver cheaper, cleaner and efficient public transport’
“Cheaper, cleaner, and efficient public transport is crucial for making travel easier and tackling the climate crisis. I believe significantly more funding, from the government, needs to be provided for TfL so they can deliver these crucial projects.
“We should also be assessing transport needs and routes so they are working effectively for everyone in the community.”
Christine Wallace – Conservative
Christine Wallace did not respond with her answers to Southwark News‘ questions.
Marian Lynn Newton – Reform UK
Reform UK did not respond when Southwark News asked for the candidate’s contact details.
Other candidates standing:
Gwenton Dennis Sloley – Workers Party of Britain
Katherine Hortense – Christian Peoples Alliance
Seat Analysis
Parts of Lewisham are sometimes described as ‘suburban’, understandable given the area’s ample green spaces and distance from central London. But you’d be mistaken to think this would entail an abundance of conservatively-minded voters. The new constituency is likely to be just as Labour-leaning as its antecedents.
As mentioned, both Lewisham and West Penge and Lewisham Deptford have been Labour seats for at least 50 years. They have now partly combined, and taken on part of East Dulwich and Peckham, to create this new seat. Given these newly-added neighbourhoods also tend to be progressively-minded, the changes are unlikely to hurt Labour’s vote share.
The most intriguing part of this race will be the battle for second place. The Conservatives tend to be the main opposition in this area, albeit hardly a formidable one. In Lewisham and West Penge, the Tories finished second in each of the last three general elections. In 2017, future mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey secured 23 per cent of the vote share, roughly 43 percentage points short of Ellie Reeves. However, the Tories lost 3.2 percentage points in 2019. The Liberal Democrats, who saw a resurgence that year, have a good chance of pipping the Conservatives to second place this time.
Lewisham West and East Dulwich shares the same concerns as other south London constituencies. Impoverished sections of the community are still struggling with the cost of living crisis. Crime, particularly gang violence, remains a prominent issue. Lewisham Council recently had to put some development sites on hold amid “challenging” economic conditions. Locals will expect the next government to have serious solutions to the housing crisis.
The Constituency’s History
Lewisham West and East Dulwich has been newly created for the 2024 general election. It combines areas from four different parliamentary constituencies; Lewisham West and Penge, Lewisham Deptford, Camberwell and Peckham and Dulwich and West Norwood. However, the bulk of the new constituency is made up of the first two.
Lewisham has a long-standing Labour history. This stems, in part, from Deptford’s importance to the local area. Sitting on the Thames, its repair yards and dockyards provided work to nearby residents and also those living further out. These working-class voters have traditionally been inclined to vote Labour.
The now-defunct Lewisham West constituency has voted Labour at every election since 1974. Lewisham-Deptford has also voted for a Labour MP at each election since it was created in 1974.
East Dulwich has now been bolted onto the new constituency, as has the area around Peckham Rye Park following the Boundary Commission’s recommendations. The change has been criticised by some local people. Among them was this year’s Green Party candidate for Peckham who described the changes as ‘madness’. She said the area around Peckham Rye was “clearly part of Peckham” but said her representations to The Boundary Commission were “ignored”.
Lewisham West and Penge 2019 election results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/-%- |
Labour | Ellie Reeves | 31,860 | 61.2 | -5.4 |
Conservative | Aisha Cuthbert | 10,317 | 19.8 | -3.2 |
Liberal Democrat | Alex Feakes | 6,260 | 12.0 | +5.8 |
Green | James Braun | 2,390 | 4.6 | +2.4 |
Brexit Party | Teixeira Hambro | 1,060 | 2.0 | NEW |
CPA | Katherine Hortense | 213 | 0.4 | -0.2 |
What are the candidates’ key pledges?
Ellie Reeves – Labour
- Set up Great British Energy – a new publicly owned clean, green, British company – giving us cheaper
- bills, energy security and climate leadership.
- Create 40,000 extra NHS appointments a week to bring down waiting times.
- Recruit 6,500 more teachers in key subjects to set children up for life, work and the future.
Josh Matthews – Liberal Democrat
- Positive politics: We should demand better. A positive politics built on freedom in a truly fair society, with real opportunity for everyone. That’s what the Liberal Democrats stand for.
- The plan we need for climate change: Detailed plans are a must for the climate and sustainability emergency. Not slogans and meaningless targets. Liberal Democrats will also continue to lead the fight against sewage dumping in our rivers and seas.
- Listening to you: I’m committed to working with local people, communities, and organisations to ask, “what do you want?” Not, “what don’t you want?”
Callum Fowler – Green
- Invest in our council homes and social housing stock, so people can afford to live in the community they grew up in.
- Increase NHS and social care funding so we can rebuild our struggling health service.
- Push for a wealth tax on the top 5% so we can afford the vital rejuvenation we need in our public services and infrastructure.