The 2026 Local Elections: Where do the Candidates Stand on Healthy Streets?

It’s local election time again! Right now, William Morris and Higham Hill wards have a full slate of Labour councillors, responsible for representing your interests to Waltham Forest Council. Whether it’s bin collections, how the council delivers support to vulnerable children and adults, or the state of parks, councillors make a real difference to quality of life. 

Key among their responsibilities is streets, highways and the local environment.

There’s a real problem with road safety in our neighbourhood. You don’t need to walk far before you see irresponsible behaviour like speeding and driving through zebras when people are crossing. Then there is outright dangerous road design coupled with poor driver behaviour like sight lines blocked by parked cars, putting everyone at risk. You might have seen some coverage in the local and national media on what the parties standing for election plan to do with the streets if elected, but what about the people who are seeking your vote? Are they fans of making streets safer for children, or do they prefer to see cars speeding up and down the roads?

With that in mind, we put together what we think are the three most impactful solutions for our streets, and asked the candidates whether they’d support these improvements. They focus on redesigning streets to prioritise pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users while reducing car dependency and road danger whilst improving accessibility for residents.

We asked all known candidates in the upcoming May 2026 local elections from William Morris and Higham Hill Wards for their response to the following 3 asks:

1. Fill in the gaps in cycle lanes on Blackhorse Lane and Billet Road adding more safe crossings on BH Lane.

2. Reduce non-local through-traffic on Higham Hill Road and Priory Court, developing a low-traffic scheme for both areas.

3. Prioritise pedestrians on pavements - Remove/redesign pavement parking and street clutter giving pavements back to people.

We chose these three because we think they can lead to real transformation to our quality of life. 

A cycle lane with dangerous gaps on might as well not exist, and Blackhorse Lane has poor sight lines and fast traffic, making a serious accident one day inevitable. 

Residents on Higham Hill Road and Priory Court know all too well the misery that large numbers of fast cars cause, as well as the pollution and safety problems they bring. These roads were never built to be main roads, they’re just not wide enough. They should only be for local traffic. 

Pavements in the ward are in a terrible state, often cracked and broken by the weight of the cars that are illegally parked on them. People using buggies and wheelchairs often face huge difficulties going where they need to get to just because of obstructions on the pavements.

Here’s a table of how the parties responded in Higham HIll:.

Party	Support ask 1?	Support ask 2?	Support ask 3?
Conservative	No reply	No reply	No reply
Green	Yes (more detail required)	Yes (more detail required)	Yes (more detail required)
Labour	Yes	Mostly, although Priory Court construction needs to be complete before progressing..	Yes
Liberal Democrat	Yes	Yes, in principle	Yes
Reform	No reply	No reply	No reply

Here’s a table of how the parties responded in William Morris:.

Party	Support ask 1?	Support ask 2?	Support ask 3?
Conservative	No reply	No reply	No reply
Green	Yes (not all candidates)	Yes (not all candidates)	Yes (not all candidates)
Labour	Yes	Mostly, although Priory Court construction needs to be complete before progressing..	Yes
Liberal Democrat	No reply	No reply	No reply
Reform	No reply	No reply	No reply

There’s some nuance to the candidates’ replies, so we recommend you read their full responses, which we’ve published below. 

Now you can hold the candidates who replied to account for delivery of their promises, and for the candidates that didn’t reply, we’ll just have to guess what their attitude towards healthy streets is.

William Morris and Higham Hill Green Party candidates.

Thanks Higham Hill Healthy Streets and Mums for Lungs for your work. The health of our community is an absolute priority for me and the other two local Green Party candidates in these elections. 

We strongly support your campaign and share your concern about the impact of air pollution on families across our community. The Green Party of England and Wales has long argued that clean air is a basic right, and that councils must take a lead in reducing traffic and improving public health. This is at the core of what we stand for.

I’m still learning the technical aspects of policies and specialist knowledge but what I can guarantee is that we’ll listen to your expertise and learn the best ways to get your aims actioned. 

Higham Hill has already seen the benefits of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and School Streets, Parklets and cycle parking. Thanks to your work and also the current local Councillors (who deserve some credit!). There’s still a long way to go though, and it’s a big era of change locally; notably the huge new tower block developments that Labour has given the go ahead for in the local industrial estates. Major construction work will increase traffic pollution, potentially further jeopardise road safety with heavy construction vehicles and cause other types of pollution such as VOCs and noise. I was part of community action contesting the planning bid, but now it’s got the go ahead we need to manage the impact. We have to fight extra hard for our human rights to clean, healthy air in these coming years. I’m extremely passionate about such issues, that’s why I’m running as a Green local councillor. 

My background in community art and my academic role in art and ecology mean I’m an excellent advocate for young people, empowering children and families to voice their own concerns through creative projects and to find their voices so that their needs and dreams can be listened to. If I were elected I’d push relentlessly to ensure that local funding and decision-making prioritises actions that make the area cleaner, safer and more enjoyable for our brilliant community. 

If elected, I will work to build on this progress by supporting the expansion of School Streets in our area, ensuring more children can travel to school safely and breathe cleaner air. I also support the appointment of a cabinet-level lead for clean air within Waltham Forest, to ensure accountability and sustained focus on tackling pollution.

I recognise the contribution of domestic wood burning to local pollution. I will push for stronger local action, including public awareness campaigns and appropriate enforcement, alongside support for cleaner alternatives. I think young people can be involved in this too, making posters and processions that raise the profile of these concerns. I’m very much keen to catalyse creative approaches to change as part of  Councillor work to champion measures to reduce traffic and emissions in Higham Hill, including tackling engine idling, supporting walking and cycling, and ensuring new developments reduce car dependency. Prioritise people, and the biodiversity crucial to our health and well-being. 

Clean air is not a luxury; it is essential for healthy communities. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Higham Hill Healthy Streets and Mums for Lungs and local residents to continue improving air quality and healthy, happy living in Higham Hill.

Louise Ashcroft 

Higham Hill Green Party Candidate 

I'm Robyn Page, one of the Green Party candidates for William Morris.

I'd love to sign up to your election pledges please! 

All 3 of the pledges are causes already very close to my heart as one of your neighbours. I want to see Higham Hill road given the same treatment as other parades in our borough, prioritising pedestrians and making it a proper local destination, not just a rat run with dangerous driving and pavement mounting.

I also recognise that where other areas of the borough have strong traffic reduction and calming measures implemented, our area has been left behind.

If I'm elected I will advocate for our area and champion the best possible improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, and reducing non-local vehicle traffic.

I'm just in the process of getting my candidacy publicised, as are my fellow William Morris candidates, so when we are announced I will let you know.

In the meantime please let me know if there's anything else you need from me.

Best

Robyn

Response from William Morris and Higham Hill Labour Party candidates.

This response is a group response, receiving support from all Labour party candidates in Higham Hill and William Morris. 

"Dear Healthy Streets Higham Hill & Lloyd Park

Thank you for your email regarding support for your 3 'Election Asks'.

 As you know under the Labour Administration in Waltham Forest support for initiatives that improves the priority and safety of vulnerable road users and ‘active travellers’ has been a priority for well over 12 years. We continue to be widely recognised as one of the leading councils subsequently in London, the UK and even internationally for our political leadership and innovative and pioneering approach.

In short, we support fully your 3 'asks' and then some and our Manifesto makes that clear.

Whilst all the other political parties active in Waltham Forest have not offered support for low traffic neighbourhoods, dedicated cycling infrastructure, prioritising people over parking and enabling more people to choose active and sustainable travel choices, over the many years that Waltham Forest Labour has, we have literally worn our colours on our sleeves and proudly ploughed on delivering schemes and initiatives across all of these areas, that put the needs of people first.

And it's worked with more and more people walking, cycling and wheeling more and more of their local journeys and with significant and proven improvements in road safety, alongside reductions in those killed and injured on our roads- although any single death or injury is one too many.

The only thing that has slowed or stopped our work and progress has been access to funding and therefore capacity to deliver. However, in William Morris Ward we have delivered a large low traffic neighbourhood during this administration and in Higham Hill Ward we have invested in a major public realm scheme in Sutherland Rd and one of our largest ‘School Streets’ for the residential streets impacted by the Eden Girls School, as well as making further attempts- with more to come- to respond to the challenges on Higham Hill Rd around the shopping parade and Whittingham Primary School. Ward councillors have been proud and proactive advocates for this work and have been talking to residents on the doorstep, at consultations and at regular ward meetings for the last four years, even when that has been very difficult.

Cllr Clyde Loakes, recently publicly announced (see below) the priorities for the coming years for funding and he made clear reference to a ‘neighbourhood scheme in Higham Hill’ which should be read to address your ‘Ask 2’ and regarding Priory Court we have always said that cannot be considered or addressed until the significant works at Priory Court had been concluded, but we can commit to coming back to that. 

In that same announcement he made a clear reference to ‘upgrading’ and ‘filling in the gaps’ regarding Billet Rd which should be read to address your ‘Ask 1’ and will also include Blackhorse Lane. This is recognised as being long overdue.

Regarding ‘Ask 3’- as we roll out all of our schemes including those mentioned above, as well as in other schemes and those we have already undertaken in Higham Hill and William Morris, we will continue to review historic and outdated approaches that negatively impact the needs of pedestrians and active travel including pavement parking and excessive parking opportunities. Our work as part of the Sutherland Rd Scheme is recent testament to this approach.

Going further we are also looking at how we can work with schools, residents, parents and carers to introduce ‘School Streets’ for those schools in and around William Morris and Higham Hill Wards, that are not currently part of such powerful behaviour changing schemes. As well as continuing to proactively campaign and lobby for powers for local councils to be able to enforce 20mph and for laws and enforcement around pedestrian crossings to be dramatically improved and modernised.

We are the only candidates and Party that have the proven track record in delivery and are proudly part of an Administration that is so widely recognised as being still the 'go to Council' when it comes to the art of the possible in favour of people, over a mode of transport that has for so long been allowed to totally dominate our streets and neighbourhoods, at the expense of so much else. 

We would encourage you to raise the following questions with other parties: 'Did you show your support when the council developing and implementing its pioneering schemes across Waltham Forest, in favour of active and sustainable travel and in favour of people?

We have found working with you and your fellow activists very helpful and constructive over recent years and we want to continue to do so going forward, especially with so much on the horizon for Higham Hill and William Morris.

Thank you for your continuing support and ongoing work.

Higham Hill Lib Dem Candidates

Dear Healthy Streets Team,

Our final response in support of your three pledges is as follows:

1. We fully support filling the gaps in the cycle lanes on Blackhorse Lane and Billet Road. A cycle network is only as strong as its weakest link; gaps that filter onto the road at pinch points and busy junctions discourage all but the most confident cyclists. Our delivery plan will include lobbying for the immediate allocation of the Community Infrastructure Levy funds to prioritise connecting these missing links. We will also push for signal-controlled crossings on Blackhorse Lane, ensuring that children and less-mobile residents can cross safely to reach local green spaces, schools and amenities. 

2. We support the principle of low-traffic schemes for Higham Hill and Priory Court. As Liberal Democrats we will undertake an extensive consultation with residents and involve them with any plans, rather than impose them from above. We’ll pay particular attention to the needs and safety of children, the elderly, and those with disabilities.

3. Waltham Forest has a 'red' rating for the poor quality of its pavements. We would invest in and improve the pavement inspection programme so that trip hazards are fixed as a matter of urgency.

Where the clear pedestrian space on pavements is below the recommended 2 metres, we support the removal/ re-design of pavement parking and street clutter. Pavements are essential infrastructure, especially for those in wheelchairs, with double buggies, and those with visual impairments.

We will work, with resident consent, to replace chaotic pavement parking with designated safe-bays where necessary, while prioritising the planting of street trees and the installation of more bike hangars.

Yours,

Alan, Alex and Kath