I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2002 to request the following information from Transport for London (TfL). From the 25th March to 1st of April what was communicated with TfL from City Hall regarding the operational status of Tooting Bec Underground station? Please provide the information in the form of emails sent from City Hall to TfL. During this time period, who at City Hall instructed TfL to keep Tooting Bec station open despite publicly stating it was to close? What was the reason cited by TfL regarding the operational status of Tooting Bec station? What measures where put in place to ensure Tooting Bec station was staffed as normal? Who signed off the measures to ensure Tooting Bec station was staffed as normal? If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request. If you can identify any ways that my request could be refined, I would be grateful for any further advice and assistance. If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or phone and I will be very happy to clarify what I am asking for and discuss the request, my details are outlined below.

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TfL Ref: FOI-0033-2021

Thank you for your request of 6^th April 2020 asking for information about Tooting Bec station.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below.

Question 1: From the 25th March to 1st of April what was communicated with TfL from City Hall regarding the operational status of Tooting Bec Underground station?

There has been no such communication between TfL and City Hall in relation to Tooting Bec station.

Question 2: Please provide the information in the form of emails sent from City Hall to TfL.

There have been no such emails sent.

Question 3: During this time period, who at City Hall instructed TfL to keep Tooting Bec station open despite publicly stating it was to close?

There has been no such instruction from City Hall to TfL in relation to Tooting Bec station.

Question 4: What was the reason cited by TfL regarding the operational status of Tooting Bec station?

Each station was assessed against a number of factors, including geographical proximity to key locations which included hospitals, schools, police stations, mainline train stations, as well as interaction with the bus network and interchanges with other London Underground lines / services. The availability of resources across the network was also taken into account.

Question 5: What measures where put in place to ensure Tooting Bec station was staffed as normal?

No additional measures were implemented.

Question 6: Who signed off the measures to ensure Tooting Bec station was staffed as normal?

No additional measures were implemented.

If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

On a more general matter, please note that the Government has announced a series of measures to tackle the Coronavirus. It is essential for London, and in particular for all critical workers, that we continue to provide a safe transport network that enables them to make the journeys they need to.

In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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