Talks between two councils on either side of the river have been hampered by costs and difficulties finding parts, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter

The Woolwich Foot Tunnel’s north lift could finally be fixed by December, Greenwich Council says – after almost four years out of action.

The lift in North Woolwich, Newham, has been out of service since August 2022 after being vandalised.

Talks between the two councils on either side of the river have been hampered by costs and difficulties finding parts, which have delayed repairs.

Newham’s senior Labour councillor Zulfiqar Ali, in charge of finance, has now suggested the lift could be open “by the end of the summer”.

However, Greenwich Council, which is responsible for managing the tunnel, indicated work could take longer.

It told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it expects repairs to take place between now and December.

Greenwich Council previously told the LDRS in July 2025 that it hoped the work would be done by January, after reaching an agreement with Newham Council – which jointly owns the tunnel with Greenwich – on funding.

However, Greenwich’s senior Labour councillor Calum O’Byrne Mulligan, responsible for transport, said the age of the tunnel meant further delay.

He said: “The structure is well over 100 years old, so it requires bespoke parts which have taken some time to manufacture.

“That has meant it has taken longer for the works to start than we, Newham, and our residents had hoped would be the case.”

Cllr O’Byrne Mulligan added his authority had “worked productively with Newham on the joint agreement needed for these works and to ensure the good maintenance of the lifts going forward”.

Greenwich Council said the repairs will cost a total of £217,000.

Cllr Ali said Newham Council “was advised of a requirement to fund part replacements late in 2024, and in 2025 secured funding for improvements to get the lifts, fire systems, CCTV and lighting upgrades completed”.

Papers presented to Newham Council’s cabinet committee this month suggested it contributed £120,000 towards “replacement parts for the fire system, the lift control, lighting and CCTV works”.

It added that this is on top of its yearly contribution of £125,000 towards inspections, maintenance, cleaning and power.

Cllr Ali said: “Improvements to the lifts are the responsibility of Greenwich Council and installation of new parts is due to take place over the next few weeks with a possible reopening of both north and south lifts by the end of summer.”

Nathan Budden, of the Greenwich-based ‘Lifts Now’ campaign, told the LDRS that the broken lift had made the trip across the river longer and less accessible for people unable to use the stairs.

He said: “It stops me from cycling a lot of places because I’ve got a longstanding shoulder injury so I can’t carry my bike up the stairs on the other side.

“I can’t always rely on the boat either because of the time of day or the weather, and it more than triples the amount of time.”

He added: “Getting a bike on the DLR [Docklands Light Railway] is not allowed at peak times, so it means I just don’t bother”.

Budden also said that when Lifts Now campaigners leafleted the Tate and Lyle factory in North Woolwich, “half of the people we spoke to were all commuting to work via the tunnel”.

He said: “They’ve all been frustrated by the lack of action on it”.

Lifts Now has called on Transport for London (TfL) to take responsibility for the tunnel, as well as for the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which Greenwich and Tower Hamlets councils jointly own.

However, Cllr O’Byrne Mulligan said in October 2025 that TfL didn’t want to do this.

He now says that Greenwich, Newham and Tower Hamlets councils have formed “a joint working group” to work on a “full regeneration of the Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels, which we hope will ensure reliable step-free access through both tunnels for generations to come”.

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