Boris under pressure over fire cuts

At today’s Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall, Boris came under pressure over his plans to cut 12 fire stations, 18 fire engines and 520 firefighters. He had to respond to the arguments and questions of Labour group members in front of a public gallery packed by fire fighters and concerned members of the public who had come along to express their opposition to the plans. At one point the session had to be adjourned after the public gallery demonstrated against the Mayor’s plans and staged a walk-out in protest.

Prior to the session, I joined this group and my colleagues for a rally outside City Hall.

Firefighters, concerned Londoners, and Labour AMs rally outside City Hall against Mayor’s cuts to fire service

During the session, I backed calls for the Mayor to re-consider his reckless plans, to listen to Londoners and protect our frontline fire services. We all know that savings have to be made, the London Fire Brigade has already saved £66 million from the back office. Boris is cutting too far and all to fund his penny a day council tax cut, at the end of the year what would you rather have, £3.70 or a fully funded fire service that can respond to incidents more quickly?

Beddington Incinerator: Opponents coming to Mayor’s Question Time

Proposals for a new incinerator at Beddington have raised alarm bells. Local people are concerned about the impact on health and the environment. Others from across London argue that we as a city should be moving away from polluting incinerators and turning towards cleaner and more productive ways to deal with our waste.

My colleague Fiona Twycross is going to challenge Boris on the Beddington proposal tomorrow morning at Mayor’s Question Time, with a follow-up question from me.

Communities in Beddington could be affected by the proposed incinerator

As we push the Mayor to say no to incineration in south London on the floor of the chamber, concerned Londoners from the Stop the Incinerator campaign will be in the gallery to express their opposition to the plans. If you are able to join, please come to City Hall for a 10am start. If you’re unable to make it in person, as always you can watch MQT online via the live webcast and you can also email Boris at mayor@london.gov.uk. You can also sign the petition.

2020 Vision: Labour’s initial response

Mayor Johnson today released his 2020 Vision, a muddled report identifying where London needs to go and what infrastructure it needs to get there. The London Assembly Labour Group sent out this press release as an initial response:

“Mayor’s long-goodbye to London begins”

Today the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, set out his “2020 Vision” report for the capital. The report launch has been described as the beginning of Boris Johnson’s “long-goodbye to London” as his attention increasingly turns elsewhere.

Mr Johnson also today faced renewed criticism that he has failed to deliver on the promises he made during last year’s election. He promised 1,000 more police, to “bear down” on fare rises and build 55,000 affordable homes. On all of these main promises Boris has failed to deliver.

Responding to the report Leader of the Labour Group on the London Assembly, Len Duvall AM, said:
“He’s been Mayor for five years and all he’s done is open projects started by his predecessor, today’s report launch looks like he’s panicking about his legacy. Many of the aims in the report are laudable, but the Mayor’s failure to deliver any of this in the last five years doesn’t fill us with confidence that he’ll do them in his last three. This is the beginning of Boris’ long-goodbye to London as his attention turns elsewhere.

“The Mayoralty is a potentially powerful tool for setting the strategic direction for London and tackling the big problems facing ordinary Londoners. Today he has re-announced old policies, some of them started by the previous Mayor and previous government. He has said nothing about tackling the cost of living crisis that is hitting Londoners’ quality of life and driving some to desperate measures like using foodbanks to survive.

“Today we’ve seen another nice photo opportunity and more empty rhetoric. He talks a good game, but he has failed to improve the quality of life for Londoners. His ‘2020 Vision’ report doesn’t change that simple fact.”

In the past year Boris Johnson:

- has raised transport fares above inflation for the fifth year running, despite promising to “bear down on fare rises”

- has cut 1,351 Police Officers and lost 497 Special Constables, despite promising 1,000 more Police Officers and extra Special Constables (since 2010 over 2,700 police officers and over 1,900 PCSOs have been lost)

- Failed to meet his own target of ending rough sleeping by the end of 2012

- Delivered just 1,672 social housing starts last year, down from 11,329 in the previous year

- Is trying to cut 12 fire stations, 18 fire engines and 520 firefighters, none of which were presented to Londoners prior to May 2012

- Has cut council tax by 1penny a day for a Band D Household – enough to buy a pint once a year

- Delegated major decision and spending powers to unelected political appointees

International Federation of Housing and Planning

One hundred years ago, architect Ewart Culpin looked around at the state of cities and countryside across Europe and beyond, and did not like what he saw: inhumane overcrowding, families living under the shadow of heavy industry, an unhealthy built environment. Human settlement has always been a work in progress, and that’s why the emergence of planning as of profession during the twentieth century has done so much to improve our human condition.

Culpin helped on the emergence of that profession. Under the presidency of Ebenezer Howard, the infamous planner known for his pioneering of garden cities, Culpin founded the International Federation of Housing and Planning (IFHP), which tasked itself with improving the physical conditions in which people live.

This week, the Hague-based IFHP celebrates its anniversary with a Centenary Congress here in London.

I was honoured to give the opening address this Sunday evening at the fantastic Formans Fish Island building overlooking the Olympic Stadium. I argued that, in the face of enormous global and local challenges, cities must be adaptable and flexible if they are to thrive. I shared London’s story of adaptability: how we transformed from an industrial city with a huge port, to a centre of business and finance, academia and medicine, and the arts and new technologies, and how now once again we are adapting to a low-carbon resource-efficient economy.

Nicky speaking at opening celebration of IFHP Centenary Congress

As London adapts and faces challenges like population growth and climate change, I argued it must remain committed to the compact city approach. Under the strategic planning direction initiated by Ken Livingstone and myself as his deputy Mayor, and retained by subsequent versions of the London Plan, London is committed to accommodating growth in population and jobs through new and expanded towns within its own boundaries, particularly on brownfield land and at transport nodes. This may have been challenging to members of the IFHP – founded upon and still very much influenced by the ideals of the garden city, many proponents of which now call for exporting London’s population to unsustainable new towns in other parts of the region and country – but the feedback I got indicated that it was well-received.

But despite our differences in how it’s done, one thing we all agreed on is that planners can make a positive contribution to the quality of life and the environment for the billions of people across the globe. With delegations from as far afield as Indonesia, the IFHP Centenary Congress is a great opportunity to hear what planners around the world are doing to make that contribution. That’s why I was so glad to salute planners and planning professionals, and to wish the IFHP good luck for another hundred years.

Housing Committee report: Rent Reform to tackle rogue landlords

The London Assembly Housing Committee, of which I am a member, today releases our new report on renting in the capital. Rent Reform outlines a package of measures that would allow London to get a grip on the private rented sector, much of which is tarnished with rogue landlords taking advantage of this out-of-control market. We call on the Mayor to take steps that would benefit the two million Londoners who live in rented homes, such as establishing a landlord registry and imposing higher penalties on landlords who are shirking their responsibilities.

The full report, Rent Reform: Making London’s Private Rented Sector Fit for Purpose, is available here.

Plenary: Raising the Capital under the spotlight

This morning, the full London Assembly will look at the London Finance Commission’s recent report Raising the Capital, which reviewed tax and public spending arrangements for London. Chaired by preeminent London professor Tony Travers, the Commission’s findings call for greater devolution of taxation and what the GLA does with its money.

You can watch the Assembly discuss the report live from 10am here.

Following the main part of the Plenary, the Assembly will consider motions on issue such as fire safety and saving our Post Offices. I will be speaking in favour of one calling on the Mayor to lobby Government to reverse the new office-to-residential change of use policy. As a fierce opponent of this reckless policy, I hope my colleagues will joining me in asking Boris to stand up for London.

The future of London’s town centres report

I’m proud to release the London Assembly Planning Comittee’s new report The future of London’s town centres.

Town centres remain an integral part of Londoners’ daily lives. For all the doomsday statistics on rising vacancy rates and slumping footfall, people continue to value their local centre. Most retail spending still happens on the high street instead of out-of-town shopping centres or the internet. In London, town centres give us a sense of local identity that we would otherwise not have in such an enormous metropolis.

Yet every week seems to offer a new story of decline. Just last Tuesday research suggested town centres will take the brunt of the retail slump, with around 41% set to lose 27,638 stores in the next five years. Statistics like these only confirm what we see anyway – empty or boarded up shops, a limited and imbalanced range of shops and facilities, and a lack of pride in the appearance of a local area.

Town centres are struggling.

That’s why, as chair of the Assembly Planning Committee, I launched an investigation late last year into the future of London’s town centres. We asked the best and brightest for bold and futuristic visions of what London’s town centres can and should become.

These visions have gone into our report, which was released today. We argue that centres must reinvent themselves into new forms and functions if they are going to remain relevant and thrive.

Public services – libraries, educational facilities, post offices, GP surgeries – must return to town centres, where they can be important anchors bringing people to the high street. We call for town centres to experiment with new built environments, including adaptable spaces that are programmable and responsive to changing needs. We also call for, where and when appropriate, local authorities to consider policies of managed contraction in favour of a smaller but more vibrant retail core.

These recommendations and more are all included in The future of London’s town centres, available here. You can also read the press release that accompanied its release here.

In addition to being a stand-alone document with recommendations to help town centres thrive, the report served as the Committee’s response to the consultation on the Mayor’s supplementary planning guidance on town centres.