The government have been very supportive of Gallows Corner scheme and provided the GLA with £54.3 million. However, the delivery of this scheme is a matter entirely for the GLA and TfL.

On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The strategy aims to improve road safety at a national level, with benefits felt across England, including in Romford.

The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65%, and by 70% for children under 16, by 2035. Delivery of the Strategy will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board, which I chair.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, and the Strategy reflects this by setting out the actions required by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives, making our roads safer for everyone.

Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL), and it is for them to determine road safety priorities. Responsibility for improving safety on local roads sits with the relevant highway authority, in this case the London Borough of Havering. The London Borough of Havering received £1.5 million in TfL Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding for 2025/26.

In addition, the Department for Transport provided TfL with £54.3 million for the Gallows Corner flyover refurbishment in the London Borough of Havering. The upgraded flyover will include new pedestrian and cycle crossings to help make walking and cycling safer, alongside improved road markings and resurfacing.

As transport in London is devolved, it is up to Havering to work with the Mayor of London and Transport for London to make decisions on investment in local roads. The Government is committed to supporting local highway authorities to maintain their local roads effectively, and to this end Havering is eligible to receive over £13.9 million of highways maintenance funding between 2026/27 and 2029/2030. The Government has also provided the Greater London Authority with £53.5 million of funding for the Gallows Corner scheme, which is being delivered by TfL and expected to be completed by Spring 2026.

The operation and maintenance of Junction 29 of the M25 is the responsibility of National Highways, which regularly monitors the performance of the junction and surrounding strategic road network.

At the Autumn Budget, the Government committed over £2 billion annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes. For the first time, we have confirmed funding allocations for the next four years, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance.

This is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.

The local highway authority for the Romford constituency is the London Borough of Havering. The table below sets out the highways maintenance funding that Havering is eligible to receive from 2025/26 to 2029/30.

At the Autumn Budget, the Government committed over £2 billion annually by 2029/30 for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes. For the first time, we have confirmed funding allocations for the next four years, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance.

This is in addition to the Government's investment of £1.6 billion this year, a £500 million increase compared to last year.

The local highway authority for the Romford constituency is the London Borough of Havering. The table below sets out the highways maintenance funding that Havering is eligible to receive from 2025/26 to 2029/30.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies which will have national reach. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK! which works closely with local authority partners and the police to align on road safety campaign activity.

The Department for Transport makes highways and local transport funding available to Local Transport Authorities, who decide how to use the funding to support local priorities.

How available resources are deployed within Romford, and London boroughs, is the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Mayor of London, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

I fully appreciate that everyone in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency will want to see progress on this matter as soon as possible. I would point out that Gallows Corner has been in a state of disrepair for many years. In fact, under the previous Conservative Government, Transport for London received no substantive support, but this Labour Government committed more than £50 million to finally make the structure safe and reliable again in the spending review. Responsibility now sits with TfL.

I am sure that the Mayor of London and Transport for London will want to do all they can to minimise disruption during any construction of the type that the hon. Gentleman describes. I am sorry but I did not hear his question in full—did he say it was Gallows Corner?

Local authorities have a statutory duty to take steps both to reduce and prevent collisions, and the powers to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, taking account of the relevant legislation and official guidance.

My Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. We absolutely recognise that young people are disproportionately victims of tragic incidents on our roads, and we are exploring options to tackle the root causes of this.

This Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads and has pledged to help local authorities to fix our pothole-ridden road networks. As part of this, it will help enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year.

At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm 2025/26 funding allocations to local highway authorities in due course.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Havering Council is the local highway authority for the Romford constituency, and they are therefore responsible for the condition and maintenance of their local network.

This Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities in England to fix up to a million more potholes a year. At Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced an extra £500 million for local highway maintenance for the 2025/26 financial year, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the current financial year. The Government will confirm funding allocations to English local highway authorities in due course.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local road network. Havering Council is the local highway authority for the Romford constituency, and it is therefore responsible for the maintenance of its local road network. Havering Council has received £333,000 from this Department during 2024/25 to help it carry out its local highway maintenance responsibilities: it is up to the Council to decide how that funding is used. For England as a whole, the Government has a commitment to enable local highway authorities to fix up to a million more potholes a year.

I will certainly go away and write to my hon. Friend on his specific point, but I reassure him that we are spending over £50 million to improve that particular junction. If my hon. Friend has concerns about the scope of the works, I urge him to take them up with TfL, because it is for TfL to develop the full business case. It is then submitted to the Department for approval, which we hope will happen later this year.

I am pleased to say that the Gallows Corner scheme was recently approved at outline business case stage, with over £50 million-worth of backing from the Department for Transport. My officials are liaising with Transport for London to progress the scheme to the next stage of the process, and I look forward to TfL submitting the final business case for approval.

Before I do so, Mr Speaker, may I fully support your ruling and send my deepest condolences to the relatives of all those who have died in prison?

May I make it absolutely clear that I, Conservative MPs, Senedd Members and councillors are supportive of a 20 mph speed limit in certain areas, such as outside schools, hospitals, old people’s homes or anywhere where there are vulnerable pedestrians? But the blanket 20 mph speed limit has had a detrimental effect on road users, users of public transport and businesses across Wales, and I call on the Welsh Labour Government to think again.

The provision of the school crossing patrol service is a matter for the local authority. Legislation gives local authorities the power to make arrangements for the patrolling of places where children cross roads, on their way to or from school, but does not impose a duty on them to do so.

The Department is providing an unprecedented £8.3 billion of additional funding over this year and the next decade to local highways authorities in England to enable them to transform the condition of their local roads. £150 million of this has already been allocated in 2023/24 with a further £150 million to follow in 2024/25. All of this has been made possible by reallocating funds that would have otherwise been spent on the HS2 programme.

The Romford constituency is in the London Borough of Havering, which will receive a minimum of £10.4 million of additional funding over the 11-year period. £333,000 of that has been allocated in 2023/24 with a further £333,000 to follow in 2024/25. All funding allocations can be found on gov.uk.

The Gallows Corner Major Road Network (MRN) scheme Outline Business Case (OBC) is currently being assessed by HM Government.

A focus for this Government is to make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.

Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any collisions involving an animal to the police, and if possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals and advise them of the situation.