Blocked-off roads – Why have council ‘hijacked’ questions we put to consultants who wrote LTN report? (or: Have Lambeth finally lost the plot? part two)

On January 4th News From Crystal Palace published a story headlined:  Blocked-off roads: ALMOST 2,000 RESPONSES NOT COUNTED IN RAILTON AND OVAL LTN SURVEYS – but who was trying to influence the result or muddy the waters? And WHY??

Our story began: Almost 2,000 responses to Lambeth council’s ‘consultation’ surveys on their highly controversial Oval to Stockwell Low Traffic Neighbourhood and Railton LTN schemes were NOT included in the final results – because of a large number of “suspicious” or possibly duplicate responses.

We asked: Who was trying to influence the result – or muddy the waters? And why?. We stated: Lambeth’s ruling Labour group were always going to introduce both LTNs. (As we have previously reported, residents were not given the chance of rejecting or saying a direct ‘No’ to either LTN in the ‘consultation’.*)

A journalist’s duty is to probe – and to report.

Because there were various questions unanswered, News From Crystal Palace contacted Systra’s press office with various questions.

Systra had yet to respond when, out of the blue, we get the following from Mr Benjamin Morgan at Lambeth council:

I work in the Lambeth Council comms team. Colleagues at Systra mentioned you had been in touch directly about the data involved in the Railton and Oval LTNs.

Please find a response below. May I ask you come to us directly rather than Systra in the future? It saves time in preparing a response. (Mr Morgan’s email then added a lengthy quote from Cllr Danny Adilypour which did not answer any of our questions and just spewed out Lambeth’s now-traditional stance on LTNs). 

News From Crystal Palace have responded to Mr Morgan thus:

Thank you for your communication.

Firstly: Systra were the authors of the report so it was only natural that I contact them in the first instance and not Lambeth council.

We had already posted two stories on the latest ‘consultation’ based on the Systra report:

Blocked-off roads Railton LTN ‘Consultation’ results – The figures Lambeth Labour also chose to ignore:

 Blocked-off roads: ALMOST 2,000 RESPONSES NOT COUNTED IN RAILTON AND OVAL LTN SURVEYS – but who was trying to influence the result or muddy the waters? And WHY??

Instead of giving me the traditional claptrap quotes we have come to expect from Lambeth Labour councillors on LTNs and a multitude of other subjects / issues,  PLEASE COULD YOU THEREFORE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WE PUT TO SYSTRA:

Social media is (this morning) highlighting part of Systra’s Oval LTN report (appendix C of appendix E, Internet pages 68 to 69.)

One Twitter poster says: Well, well, well. No wonder the anti’s are spitting feathers now they have been found out! while a local anti-LTN group says a pro-LTN group have admitted ‘manipulation of data’.

For clarification – if possible  please –

• Did Systra make a record / count of what the 302 responses removed from the Oval survey said?
• If so, what were the main opinions expressed (five or more people making the same points?)
• Did Systra make a record / count of what the 1,626 responses removed from the Railton LTN survey said? If so, what were the main opinions expressed ((five or more people making the same points?)

We are ccing this email to Lambeth council’s press office and the person I emailed at Systra for their information.

We look forward to your VERY DETAILED answers. (For the record, we don’t expect to get them.)

Yours very sincerely

newsfromcrystalpalace.wordpress.com