Ghislaine Maxwell’s nephew is pushing to save a divisive Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in a London borough as it is set to be ripped out following accusations it has torn the community apart. 

Ted Maxwell, the grandson of disgraced media mogul Robert Maxwell, presented a petition to Tower Hamlets council to ban vehicles from roads with schools.

The Regeneration Manager, whose aunt is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking underage girls, is running as a councillor for Bethnal Green West and vows to create ‘safer streets’ for children.

The east London borough is dominated by the Aspire Party and Labour, but the 39-year-old is running as an independent candidate ahead of next May’s local elections.

It means he will be looking to beat the party of his former MP grandfather, who acquired Mirror Newspapers before plundering £440million from their pension fund to prop up his struggling business empire.

Before then though he is demanding that the council, which is majority controlled by Aspire, drop its bid to remove an LTN scheme, branding it a ‘waste of time and money’.

In a petition, put before a council meeting on November 20, he also called for a greater roll out of School Streets – a LTN initiative which bans vehicles from roads with schools near their opening and closing times to reduce congestion and pollution.

The council are embroiled in a fiery legal battle to push through the traffic bans which have been delayed for years with a campaign group taking them to the High Court. 

Ted Maxwell, 39, is running as an independent councillor for Bethnal Green West in Tower Hamlets

The scheme is so controversial that the council was forced to send in construction workers in the middle of the night to dismantle a wooden structure protecting a School Street after they were previously prevented by a group of protesting pupils. 

Mr Maxwell told the Daily Mail: ‘I have well-known relatives. They are who they are. I am who I am.’

He said he was encouraged by the support he was receiving as an independent local candidate and is passionate about improving the community’s health and wellbeing.

Speaking at the meeting, where he introduced his petition, entitled safer school journeys for Tower Hamlets children, Mr Maxwell claimed ‘families miss safer drop offs, cleaner air and cycling without worrying about traffic and fumes. They say that every journey feels exposed again with lorries at the gates.’

‘Tens of thousands of children are left to navigate busy polluted streets every day,’ he added.

‘School Streets are a cheap and proven way of improving the health and wellbeing of children for the long term. They make it safer for children to get to school on foot or by bike or on a scooter and they improve air quality.’

School Streets are part of a wider LTN drive which has faced significant local opposition since their expansion in 2020.

Tower Hamlets introduced LTNs on roads around Columbia Road’s famous flower market, Brick Lane and Old Bethnal Green Road during the pandemic in a bid to reduce pollution and make streets safer.

Mr Maxwell (second from right) is a member of the Save Our Safer Streets campaign group who are pushing for the reintroduction of LTNs in the east London borough

Ted, whose middle name is Robert, is running as an independent rather than for Labour – the party of his former MP grandfather

Ghislaine Maxwell is serving a serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking children

But mayor Luftur Rahman announced their removal in September 2023, claiming the ‘failed LTNs’ pushed traffic down roads ‘typically lived on by less affluent residents’.

Rahman, who was previously removed from office after being found guilty of electoral fraud and spiritual intimidation of voters, said they ‘have divided political parties, but most detrimentally divided our communities’.

He added a ‘significant proportion’ of the borough’s local economy is ‘dependent on car usage, particularly among lower paid workers such as taxi drivers, couriers, small businesses and market traders’.

They also caused severe delays to bus services which undermined efforts to increase public transport use and reduce emissions, he said.

But a public consultation found that 57 per cent of residents wanted the LTNs to remain in place and their removal sparked outrage among activists and locals.

Campaign group Save our Safer Streets (SoSS), which counts Mr Maxwell as a member, took the council to the High Court last year, unsuccessfully arguing Mr Rahman broke the law by planning to remove the LTNs.

They failed in their challenge after claiming the mayor’s consultation process was unfair and that the council cannot act against Transport for London (TFL) plans which supported LTNs.

On November 26 they launched a ‘last resort’ appeal at the Court of Appeal after raising over £100,000 from crowdfunding.

TFL are supporting the appeal and claim LTNs ‘make our streets safer’ and ‘encourage more active travel across London’.

Campaigners believe the council would have to spend £2.5m to redesign the roads if the scheme is ripped up. 

The scheme is so controversial that the council was forced to send in construction workers in the middle of the night to dismantle a wooden structure protecting a School Street after they were previously prevented by a group of protesting pupils

Campaigner Jane Harris said: ‘We are deeply concerned about one London council developing transport plans that are totally at odds with what its own residents want, and with the transport policies of both regional and national governments.’ 

Mr Maxwell said: ‘I’ve long been passionate about improving my neighbourhood and my community’s health and wellbeing. 

‘I’ve fundraised for an adventure playground and campaigned to save the LTN in Bethnal Green – £2.5m of public money would be much better spent on rolling out School Streets, which help children have safer journeys to school, than on destroying a popular and successful road scheme.

‘I’ve lived in Bethnal Green for 15 years, I have four kids in local schools and I’m a project manager working for positive change for communities within local government. 

‘This is what people are interested to hear when I’m canvassing, and I’m really encouraged by the support I’m getting as an independent local candidate.’ 

A TfL spokesperson said: ‘Walking and cycling infrastructure, such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, plays an important role in making our streets safer and encouraging more active travel across London. 

‘We have supported an appeal by a community-funded group challenging Tower Hamlets’ decision to remove a Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme in Bethnal Green and await the outcome.’ 

Tower Hamlets Council declined to comment.