Richmond Council has renewed its campaign for the full restoration of Hammersmith Bridge after councillors backed a motion calling for the return of public transport and emergency vehicle access.

At a meeting of Full Council on Tuesday 14 July, members agreed to continue pressing for what they described as a "Better Bridge" that would retain walking and cycling access while restoring buses and emergency services.

The motion follows a report to the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Cabinet on 6 July proposing a reduced bid to the Government's Structures Fund, replacing earlier ambitions for a full restoration of the Grade II* listed bridge, previously estimated to cost around £300 million.

The Council said it regretted the reduction in funding being sought and resolved to continue campaigning for "a fully connected Hammersmith Bridge serving all residents".

East Sheen Liberal Democrat Cllr Julia Cambridge, who has campaigned on the issue since the bridge closed to vehicles in 2019, spoke in support of the motion.

She said: "I hear it said time and again: 'Hammersmith Bridge is open.'

"Well, yes—if you happen to be a cyclist, or if you are fit enough and have the time to walk across it.

"But tell that to the elderly resident who cannot manage the distance. Tell that to the disabled traveller. Tell that to the parent struggling with young children.

"Tell that to the commuter whose journey has become significantly longer every single day. And, most importantly, tell that to the patient waiting for an ambulance in a borough with no hospital, where every minute of delay can have consequences.

"For them, Hammersmith Bridge is not open at all."

Cllr Cambridge described the bridge's continued closure to vehicles as "one of London's greatest transport failures" and criticised what she called a lack of political leadership.

She said responsibility was shared between the Labour Government, the Mayor of London through Transport for London, Labour-run Hammersmith & Fulham Council, which owns the bridge, and the previous Conservative Government's task force.

She argued Hammersmith & Fulham Council should make "the strongest possible case" for additional government funding to enable a full restoration.

Cllr Cambridge told Nub News: "Seven years on, residents in East Sheen and across Richmond continue to pay the price through chronic congestion, worsening air pollution and longer emergency response times, while the bridge's owners, the Labour Mayor of London and the Labour Government continue to pass responsibility between one another.

"At the very least our residents deserve buses and emergency vehicles back on the bridge.

"It is time to stop managing decline and start rebuilding one of London's most important river crossings and a critical part of London's transport infrastructure."

During the debate, Cllr Cambridge also highlighted the impact on East Sheen residents, saying diverted traffic has contributed to congestion, noise and poorer air quality along the South Circular.

She added that while community-led proposals such as shuttle services were welcome, they could not replace the transport capacity previously provided by 16 bus routes using the bridge.

However, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council Cllr Stephen Cowan last week explained that the Council could not afford the cost to open the bridge up to vehicles.

He said: "We have to be honest with the residents, and after a lot of consultation with the residents in Hammersmith and Fulham, we have understood that it is important that we tell them where we're actually at.

"And so, this paper sets that out very clearly. And if it was a magic money tree, we could fix it. But we don't live in something for nothing society."

Hammersmith Bridge has remained closed to motor traffic since April 2019 after structural safety concerns were identified. It is currently open only to pedestrians and cyclists.

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