Greenwich Council says it is talking to retailers about plans to introduce £150 bike vouchers for children, as promised by Labour in the election campaign.
The party pledged to give every resident aged 16 or under a £150 voucher to buy a bike or scooter and safety equipment in its manifesto for the election in May.
Labour won the election with a reduced majority, and the bike voucher policy was one of the most-discussed topics during the campaign.
Calum O’Byrne Mulligan, the cabinet member for transport, climate change, waste and streets, told councillors on Wednesday that his team was working on the “implementation mechanism” for the scheme, to be called the Greenwich Active Travel Voucher.
In a written answer to Charlie Davis, the Conservative deputy leader, he said: “Over the summer we are meeting with local and national retailers to properly understand what works for all parties so that we have a voucher programme that is manageable for them, as well deliverable for the council.
“Initial meetings on this have been very positive and helpful. We are confident that this scheme will play a positive role in decarbonising journeys in the borough, helping kids get active, have fun and be healthy.”
Speaking at the full council meeting on Wednesday, Davis took a potshot at the price of the scheme if all the 61,000 children in the borough were given a voucher at full cost. No costing for the scheme has been given.
“I heard a lot about this policy during the election, and I’m afraid to say that none of it was complimentary,” he said. “I want to give the cabinet member the opportunity to perform a U-turn on this gimmick, and will he instead commit to putting the potential £9 million towards actual improvements to active travel infrastructure across the borough.”
O’Byrne Mulligan responded: “We’re obviously talking to very different people because I heard nothing but praise for this policy, which is, I think, a really innovative use of Section 106 money to support. support decarbonising travel in the borough.
“We’re not going to be performing a U-turn on this policy. In fact, we are going to be accelerating ahead to make sure that we can introduce the active travel voucher to give that sense of freedom and independence to every child in the borough, because not every child is lucky enough to be able to afford a bike, and we are going to be using the summer to complete the engagement with some of the retail partners who we hope are going to be able to deliver this with us, to increase the reach and breadth of this policy as well.”
The cabinet member added that the council would soon be consulting again on plans for a cycle lane between Eltham and Greenwich. Past plans were scrapped in the run-up to the election in 2022.
In response to a separate question from Green councillor Stacy Smith, O’Byrne Mulligan said work was under way to introduce a £5 charge for bulky waste collections, another Labour manifesto promise. At present the council charges £13.82 per item.
Neighbouring Lewisham currently charges £5 for mattresses and other large items, but £25 for fridges and freezers.
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