Council's failings over foot tunnels, Olympic tickets and library closure

The comments come after a series of silences on Olympic tickets, delays to work on foot tunnels and a library closure.

Leader of Greenwich Conservatives Councillor Spencer Drury said of the failures: “It’s an information blackout.

“For an organisation with such a massive press and publicity department their core concern seems to be trying to hide things rather than trying to let people know what’s going on.”

Foot tunnels

In a blow to the 1.5m who use the borough’s foot tunnels annually, Greenwich’s river crossing will not resume opening 24 hours a day for a further three months - bringing the total delay in work to half a year. It means more restricted opening hours and no lift access.

Woolwich foot tunnel’s complete closure will also continue to August as the tunnels’ £11.5m restoration work - originally due to end in March - continues.

But instead of formally announcing the setback, Greenwich Council merely tweaked the information on its website.

Council leader Councillor Chris Roberts even failed to respond to deputy chair of the London Assembly transport committee Caroline Pidgeon, who wrote to him in February about lack of information on the closures.

Ms Pidgeon said: “Does he really think the incompetence and false promises over the Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels can be swept under the carpet?

"Greenwich Council should come clean and provide a firm date for when pedestrians and cyclists can finally return to using the two tunnels 24 hours a day.”

News Shopper is still awaiting a comment from Greenwich Council on the delays.

Olympic tickets

Greenwich is the last London borough to have made public its plans on purchasing Olympic tickets.

In March, Dee Doocey, the chair of the London Assembly Economic, Culture and Sport Committee wrote to all 33 London borough councils asking if they would take up the 100 tickets controversially reserved for them by Games organisers.

By May every council had responded or made the information public - except Greenwich.

It took a Freedom of Information request by the London Assembly Lib Dems, finally answered this week two days after the statutory deadline, to reveal Greenwich will take up all 100 tickets.

But it has still not been revealed who they will be allocated to or how much they will cost.

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said: "Greenwich has applied for its full allocation of 2012 tickets.

"The council aims to cover as much of the cost as possible by sponsorship.

"A decision on how these tickets will be allocated will be taken later in the year."

Woolwich Library

A LIBRARY closed yesterday - but the chances are you don’t know about it.

News Shopper first asked three weeks ago about the closure of Woolwich library after being called by a surprised user. But we have still not been given information.

Posters advertising the closure only went up at the library one week beforehand.

It will reopen again in three weeks at its new home in the Woolwich Centre, Wellington Street.

But Greenwich Council has refused to say what will happen to the old building.

News Shopper is still awaiting a response from Greenwich Council on this.