'Crime Museum Uncovered' will finally show Met's hidden history
Posted by GLA Conservatives in Opinion
This taxpayer funded collection has been locked up for too long. Putting it on display is a great step towards having it cover its costs, but also for the promotion of the Metropolitan Police. These artefacts show off decades of great policing, with the Met solving some of the world’s most notorious crimes. An exhibition will increase public engagement, which could help with recruitment and even increase public confidence
For more on the 'Crime Museum Uncovered' exhibition see the Museum of London's website.
To see my 2013 report asking for a Crime Museum exhibition see History's Life Sentence.
Cut needless drunk A&E admissions to ease winter pressures
We need to urgently reduce needless admissions if we are to relieve the current pressure on London’s A&E departments. Getting too drunk is no excuse for wasting our health resources, especially when each A&E visit costs the taxpayer over £200. We should remove drunks from our A&Es in London by using specially built sobering facilities, such as Alcohol Recovery Centres and Booze Buses, as suggested in the recent report On the Wagon. Recovery centres provide a place for the intoxicated to sober-up, and booze buses help treat drunken patients on-the-go, both allowing these patients to avoid emergency departments altogether, if they have no other medical complications. With 7% of all emergency callouts being alcohol related this practical measure could lift the massive burden on A&Es and save over £40 million every year. It’s common sense.
Government should pull the plug on failed £20m Davies Commission
London needs a globally competitive hub airport. In ruling out the Thames Estuary plans, the Davies Commission has just ruled out the only remaining option that fits the bill. In reality it is the Commission itself that should be scrapped. Building a new runway at Gatwick will simply just mean a bigger Gatwick. A third runway at Heathrow would cause misery for millions of Londoners without solving the problem. The Davies Commission, with a budget of £20m, is heading down a blind alley, whilst wasting time and taxpayer cash. The Government must pull the plug and adopt the Mayor of London’s Estuary airport solution.
Walkouts in London number almost one a week – the Government needs to get tougher
The Government needs to get tougher with union barons, especially with public transport strikes. The UK may be bracing itself for a day of mass walkout, but there have already been 20 days of Tube strikes in London this year, the equivalent of almost a day a week. It’s barmy that power control room staff on the Underground are currently in the middle of a two week strike, despite earning £54k basic salary plus generous perks. Private sector workers such as cabbies, office secretaries or cleaners – on half the wage – wouldn’t be able to get away with it. The Mayor needs to lobby for New York style, judge led, mediation, which would protect workers’ rights and stop commuters and businesses from being hit by chaos and loss of pay.
You can sign my Government e-Petition on protecting workers by reforming public transport strike laws here.
Have your say on common sense measures to help flexi workers
Like it or not, employers are going to have to offer more flexibility if they want to hire the best. It’s good news that every employee now has the right to ask for flexible working hours, but the Government should go further and implement common-sense measures to help people in their day-to-day working lives. In the Capital, the Mayor is listening and progress is being made. Thanks to my persistent campaigning, the City will see flexible ticketing introduced in 2015. I’m specifically pushing him to include a system of rebates for commuters, so someone living in London could receive a refund of up to £310 upon expiry of their annual Travelcard, if they choose to work from home – or walk or cycle – just one day a week. We’re now listening to commuter views through a 90-day public consultation. The Government should commit to rolling this out across the country. It would put cash back into home, flexi and part time workers' pockets and free up public transport capacity.
There is still time to take part in the 90-day consultation for Londoners. I urge everyone living or working in the Capital to have your say.
Mayor’s bold housing plan will boost supply… but let’s scrap concrete warehouses for families
The root of many of London’s housing problems is the longstanding problem of a lack of supply. The Mayor’s strategy addresses this with a bold plan to build at least 42,000 high quality homes per year – double what has been achieved in the last 20 years. It includes, for the first time, targets for purpose-built homes to relieve pressure on London’s private renters. It provides for a huge expansion of low cost homes for first time buyers. And we will see funding for the much-needed larger family homes that we have consistently been calling for, as well as building new homes for downsizers – freeing up more family housing for where it is really needed.
However, we must learn lessons from the 60’s and 70’s and stop building affordable housing for families above the third floor. In the 21st century, in a highly developed city such as London, it is nothing short of a scandal that children are being rammed into these high rises. Tower blocks are concrete warehouses for families – they fail to create strong communities, lead to isolation and a poor standard of living. Families with kids need gardens and neighbours they can interact with.
Part-time travelcards will put cash in the pocket of commuters from January 2015
At the beginning of last year I published a report called Home Works. In it, I argued that Transport for London should introduce part-time Travelcards and annual rebates for those who underuse their full-time tickets. As well as encouraging flexible working, the introduction of part-time Travelcards would help to make part-time work pay and reduce demand on London’s overcrowded public transport.
Unfortunately the Mayor is somewhat sceptical of home working, so he was not initially keen on my proposal. However I have continued to plug away at building support for a measure that will improve the lives of a great many Londoners. My report has been downloaded hundreds of times and the weight of numbers in favour of my proposal has increased.
Tony Arbour: Oppose any increase in flights at Heathrow
This week, my Conservative colleagues and I voted against a poorly drafted motion in the London Assembly. Although the motion aimed to oppose a larger Heathrow, the way it was written was unclear, opening the door for the introduction of mixed mode at Heathrow, increasing flights and noise for millions of Londoners. As a result, I tabled an amendment asking for the Assembly to “categorically state its opposition to any additional flights from Heathrow”.
Unfortunately, although the Greens backed us, my Labour and Lib Dem counterparts on the Assembly refused to support it. Let me be clear, I, and my Conservative colleagues, are unequivocally opposed to any increase in flights at Heathrow, and we will not consider any concession to those who would further increase the noise and disruption that the airport brings to millions of Londoners.
Richard Tracey: Strike reform is urgently needed
Once again, we find ourselves under threat from yet another potential tube strike. RMT members are being balloted on a possible “significant few days of action” in the New Year according to union bosses.
Whether or not the strike ultimately goes ahead, just the threat of action will make life worse for ordinary Londoners. If strike action does happen, then London’s economy will suffer but so will the many Londoners who will not get paid if they do not go to work.
Research shows that one day of tube strikes costs the City’s economy around £48 million, reflecting costs to businesses and the many hard-working people for whom a tube strike means loss of pay. These people deserve better.
- More than 5,000 ppl signed the petition calling fr changes to the current CR2 proposals @KemiBadenoch @WimbledonNews https://t.co/JraHnbumBd
- .@KemiBadenoch receives a petition from @WimbledonNews and local residents opposing Crossrail 2 proposals https://t.co/NxaZBxwhrI
- .@SteveO_Connell says TfL's financial commitment 'is a sign that this plan is being taken seriously' https://t.co/EQf2Sfzlmb
