Mayor’s terrorism review has serious ‘lack of focus’
Posted by GLA Conservatives in News
On the release of the Mayor of London’s Harris Review on terrorism preparedness London Assembly Member Gareth Bacon said:
“Though the intentions of the Harris Review were noble, and it has some good recommendations such as the Mayor attending Cobra meetings, it has a serious lack of focus.
“Of the 127 recommendation nearly 50% are not even within the Mayor’s powers.
“We appreciate detail but this report on terrorism preparedness references police pensions, diversity in recruitment, and starting a fortnightly security services newsletter.
“Some complex aspects, such as merging the City of London Police and Met, are explained away in a single paragraph.
“The danger of a review that is so slap dash is it clouds what London’s terrorism preparedness priorities truly are.”
‘Disappointing’ Heathrow decision signals years of M25 misery
– Motorway disruption will affect 223,000 journeys every day for seven years
Responding to the government’s announcement that Heathrow is its preferred airport for expansion, Conservative London Assembly member Keith Prince said:
“I am extremely disappointed the government has ignored the vast swathes of evidence indicating that a third runway at Heathrow will be an environmental and logistical disaster.
“Even if you ignore the damning air quality assessments, the mere fact that the busiest junction on the M25 would have to be moved underground should have been enough to make this a no-go.
“Millions of drivers will face seven years of congestion and severe delays whilst the monumental task of tunnelling one of the world’s largest motorways underground gets underway.
“Experts predict 223,000 journeys will be delayed every single day as a result, causing misery for hundreds of thousands of commuters and businesses, not to mention those simply trying to drive around west London or to the airport itself.
“I sincerely hope that during the upcoming period of consultation, the government recognises it has made a mistake and reconsiders.”
Ground-breaking trial could significantly cut A&E waiting times across London, report finds
– Mayor urged to promote Londonwide rollout of scheme
– Educational ad campaign could encourage people to seek other care options
– Increased GP registration in poorer areas could help reduce A&E congestion
The Mayor of London should promote the London-wide rollout of a ground-breaking trial that has helped reduce waiting times at an east London Accident and Emergency department, according to a new report by a London Assembly Member.
Shaun Bailey AM’s report, ‘Time to Care’, found that a major contributing factor to worsening A&E times is the attendance of patients who could be treated at other services.
The report looked at a trial at Queen’s Hospital, in Havering, where a doctor was placed at the entrance of its A&E to assess patients as they arrived and redirect those who could seek help elsewhere.
The trial resulted in up to 60 people a day being redirected away from the department, with 33 per cent of those found to require no NHS care at all.
Mayor has ‘torn up years of work’ with new Gallions Reach proposals
– Anger over new Mayor’s lack of consultation over DLR extension
The Mayor of London has ‘torn up years of hard work’ by announcing plans to extend the DLR at Gallions Reach, according to Bexley and Bromley’s London Assembly Member.
Conservative Assembly Member Gareth Bacon said TfL had spent years working on proposals for new road bridges in east London, including countless meetings and two public consultations, both of which showed high levels of support for the road bridge proposals.
But all of that work risked being ‘blown out of the water’ when the new Mayor instead announced a DLR extension would be built at Gallions Reach earlier this month, potentially killing any hopes of a road crossing.
Mayor ditches promise to plant two million trees by 2020
– Sadiq Khan u-turns on major environmental pledge
The Mayor of London has ditched a key election promise to plant two million trees by 2020.
Sadiq Khan’s new Deputy Mayor for Environment, Shirley Rodrigues, dropped the bombshell during her first meeting with the London Assembly’s Environment Committee this morning.
Responding to a question from London Assembly member Tony Arbour, Ms Rodrigues said the two million target would be dropped and there would instead be an attempt to 'increase tree coverage by five per cent by 2025'.
Sadiq's 'Zero Strikes' pledge was incredibly naïve
From day one Sadiq’s ‘zero days of public transport strikes’ pledge has seemed incredibly naïve, and today a mere 6 months into his 4 years it is starting to fall apart.
The Mayor thought he could just give into every union demand and avoid strike, but what he underestimated was their greed.
The Mayor should be working towards real solutions to strike action, such as binding arbitration where agreements are reached by a judge avoiding industrial action.
Sadiq once said that ‘Strikes are ultimately a sign of failure’, and I can’t think of a better word to describe his Mayoralty.
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