the history of Leyton and Leytonstone
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Transport
A faster road linking Stratford with the M11 and M25 motorways and the A12 Eastern Avenue was planned from before the Second World War. It became a priority for central government. A public enquiry in 1983 had approved the route and other details. In November 1994 a campaign against the road’s construction reached a climax with a battle over possession of Claremont Road, Leytonstone 1. The squatting protestors evicted tended to be better educated, more enthusiastic for experimental art and from a more affluent background than other residents of the area 2.
Public transport in London, and public amenities generally, were not properly maintained or renewed. Leyton had particularly little local employment and its working population would have benefited more than most from increased investment in public transport, as was achieved for London’s buses by Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London (a post created by a 1999 statute, which was a reflection of Tony Blair’s admiration for government by strong leaders, constrained only by the need for periodic re-election). Renovation of underground and rail services was postponed by the national Labour government for some years after its 1997 election victory and until economic prosperity had been restored. There were few ministers from London in Tony Blair’s government.
1 Maureen Measure writing for Leyton & Leytonstone Historical Society
1979-97
