Posted by GLA Conservatives in Campaigns
“Renter’s Mayor” Sadiq Khan should represent all Londoners and boost home ownership
The Mayor’s plans for housing are too narrowly focused on renters, and the Mayor should be helping the squeezed middle onto the housing ladder with shared ownership, says Andrew Boff.
Shared ownership allows aspiring home owners to purchase a share in a home and pay a reduced rent on the remaining part. This allows people on lower incomes with very small deposits to climb the housing ladder.
A new report, A Problem Shared: Boosting the Supply of Shared Ownership Housing in London, by Andrew Boff asks for a new shared housing target of 10,000 homes a year.
Response to the resignation of Sir Bernard Hogan Howe
At the last Police and Crime Committee, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime said that she had full confidence in Sir Bernard. What has changed in less than a week?
It has been clear for some time that Sadiq Khan would push out Sir Bernard, not because he has a better option lined up or because Sir Bernard had failed at his job, but because Khan believes that doing so would make him look strong.
This is the latest mistake by a PR-focused administration that will do nothing to improve the safety of Londoners. It is also yet another example of Sadiq Khan interfering in operational policing.
During his short tenure, Sadiq Khan has forced out two Commissioners of key emergency services, putting Londoners at risk.
Mayor risking health of police and public over delay of spit guards
The Mayor has put the Metropolitan Police use of spit guards under consultation without any adequate alternative or safety precautions, said Tony Arbour at today’s policing and crime committee.
Today the Met Commissioner said the only alternative to protect officers from serious infection involves the use of force against a spitting individual.
The Commission also confirmed that officers have been made seriously ill from spit and that when an officer is spat on they have to receive unpleasant and costly medical attention.
Other than choosing a new Mayor, how would you improve London?
Sunday 2nd October 2016 at 21:30
Hall 6, ICC, Birmingham
For each of the last three years, the GLA Conservatives have run the same event at the Conservative Party Conference. Each year attendees have told us that our event was “the most fun we’ve had in” Manchester or Birmingham and “just the sort of thing that Conference should be all about”.
If you find that too many events at Conference involve five speakers speaking for six minutes each, followed by a Q&A where many of the questions are from lobbyists, whose concerns seem far removed from those of Conservative Party members: then our event is perfect for you.
Now clearly the best way to improve London would be to replace the Mayor with someone competent, who keeps his or her promises – but since that won’t be possible until May 2020, what can we do in the meantime?
An open letter to the Evening Standard
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the below members of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee I would like to express our disappointment in your lead story of Tuesday 13 September, headlined “Police do target black people on streets”.
Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa has expressed his deep concern about the way this story was reported. We share his concerns that your article, in particular the headline, does not accurately reflect the comments made in his interview, and could lead some people to misinterpret his views.
The Met is working hard to improve its diversity and relationship with local communities. Only a few days before your article it was reported that the Met had significantly improved on its diversity, with over 4,000 Black and Minority Ethnic officers now in the service. We accept that it still has some way to go, and would encourage responsible reporting as a way of helping to maintain and build public trust in officers in our capital.
LIP funding preservation is welcome news
I’m delighted that the Mayor has this morning given a commitment to preserve vital LIP funding for local authorities in London.
Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding is money given by TfL to London’s boroughs to spend on local projects that support the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. It is a vital source of funding that the previous Mayor consistently protected.
The Mayor told me that local authorities should operate as if LIP funding will be the same for the next year and, when I asked him if it would be fair to tell local authorities that LIP funding is secure, he stated that 'it would be very fair.' Clearly the proof of the pudding will be in the eating but, after he recently seemed to wobble on this commitment, it is very good news if LIP funding – which is a key funding stream for boroughs – is secure.
Just two drivers caught smoking in cars with children since ban
– Figures in first nine months ‘show ban is unenforceable’, says London Assembly member
Just two drivers in London have been caught smoking in their car with a child since an England-wide ban was introduced last year, new figures show.
The legislation was hailed as a ‘tremendous victory’ by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) when it came into force on October 1, despite critics claiming it would be impossible to police.
Numbers obtained by Conservative London Assembly member Steve O’Connell show little is being done to catch drivers flouting the new law.
The data shows just two drivers were stopped by Met officers in the first nine months of the ban, despite the BLF claiming last year that more than 430,000 children were being exposed to second-hand smoke in cars every week.
Appalled At Mayor's Intervention On Police Use Of Spit Hoods
It is appalling that the Mayor has chosen to interfere with police operational matters and block the use of spit hoods.
Has he forgotten he is no longer representing those who make claims against the police but in fact representing the police themselves?
The decision to use these hoods would have been taken as a result of a risk assessment showing that officers were at risk of infection transferred by spitting. I myself know of one serious example of that.
What risk assessment has the Mayor based this intervention on and what alternative safeguards has he put in place to protect officers on the front line?
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