The 87-year-old bridge in Woodford was closed to drivers in July 2023 after it was found to be suffering from “extensive structural defects”.
Last year, the council said that the bridge required “substantial work”, and would likely cost around £50 million to rebuild.
The local authority has since said that although the bridge is “not at immediate risk of collapse”, motorists will continue to be banned while assessments to determine its load capacity are carried out.
Ahead of a meeting this week (February 27) to decide the borough’s budget, Conservative opposition leader Paul Canal has now accused the council’s leadership of years of “inaction” over the bridge.
Likening the local Labour party to “an ostrich with its head in the sand”, Cllr Canal claimed that the bridge had been “neglected” for a decade, pointing to the fact that Transport for London (TfL) first raised concerns in 2014.
It was a “calamitous oversight” for the council to have not already secured funding for the project, he added.
Cllr Canal also criticised local leaders for “demanding” that the previous Tory government fund the bridge’s repair, then “silencing those demands” once Labour took power in Westminster.
It is expected that the Conservative opposition leader will ask that funds be allocated to commence detailed design work and that a comprehensive funding plan be put in place at tomorrow’s budget meeting.
But in a scathing response, Labour council leader Kam Rai described Cllr Canal’s comments as “performative cries”.
He said that the council’s calls on the government “have not stopped”, and that leaders have also been lobbying TfL to make the case for investment in the project.
“As usual, the Conservative group have had zero input on this issue throughout the year,” he said.
“As ever, under the pretext of caring for the borough, they might produce a last-minute amendment which no doubt will continue their tradition of financial illiteracy.
“In 14 years of dreadful Tory government, the Conservative group did not once make the case for fairer funding for Redbridge.
“They wake up once a year with half-baked ideas on the budget, and then go back to sleep for the rest of the year.”
Tomorrow, councillors are expected to agree to reserve all past uncommitted and future community infrastructure levy from developments in the borough to fund the costs of rebuilding the bridge.
A technical report into the load the bridge can bear is expected in early April, with an options report about how to resolve the closure to be published in “late spring”.
