Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I will not be seeking re-election in 2020 to the London Assembly. It has been an honour to represent London and Londoners for what will have been 20 years.
I want to take the opportunity to thank all the well-wishers, colleagues and friends. I am not stepping back from public life or campaigning, though. I will continue my contribution in planning, cities and in working to tackle environmental issues.
More in my statement:
At City Hall, we have been remembering the Londoners killed during the First World War and in conflicts since. The photograph on the poster I am shown holding (below) is of Lottie Meade, born in Marylebone in 1889 and whom lived in Paddington. With her husband fighting on the Western Front, she was left to care for their five children alone, whilst also working in a munitions factory where exposure to toxic chemicals led to her death on 17th October 1916. She was just 27.
#WeWillRememberThem #Remembrance2018
Dear Editor,
I welcome plans for a new Violence Reduction Unit at City Hall, particularly as we’ve seen something of this kind have real results in Glasgow.
This is a positive step forward which builds upon the stringent action the Mayor of London has already taken to clamp down on violent crime and increase the help available to the most vulnerable young Londoners.
We need to tackle the many complex causes of violent crime, such as poverty and social alienation. A public health approach, in which we bring together specialists in health, the police, and local government, will, gradually, help us to do just that.
There is no escaping the fact that the Government’s ruthless and sustained austerity measures have contributed to a rise in crime, whether through their closure of vital youth services across London or their deep cuts to the Met Police Budget.
With the rising levels of inequality that blight and fragment our communities, the Mayor is right to concede that this fresh approach will see positive results over time, but it will not change things overnight.
It is clear that the Government now need to put ideology aside and productively work with Mayor Khan to prevent more tragedies from taking place on our streets.
Yours sincerely,
Nicky Gavron AM
Londonwide Assembly Member
On 6 September 2018 a motion about discrimination against Londoners who use guide dogs passed unanimously. I was moved to speak on the issue.
Access for Assistance Dogs for the Blind Motion – 6 September 2018:
This letter mentions a copy of ‘the Assistant Director’s Decision approving the project funding’. This can be viewed here.
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Nicky Gavron AM, Chair of the London Assembly Planning Committee visits Pitfield Street development site for her rapporteurship on off-site manufactured homes in London. The report ‘Designed, sealed, delivered: The contribution of offsite manufactured homes to solving London’s housing crisis’ is available at www.london.gov.uk/assembly.
At the 22 March 2018 questions to the Mayor of London, I asked Sadiq Khan about Government proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and their impact on delivering the homes that London needs.
Here is the response from the Mayor:
It has been a long-held concern of mine that building regulations are not up to the standards required to provide us with safe and sustainable buildings. The spotlight is rightly shining on the standard of new housing, particularly when it comes to tower blocks.
What is even more alarming is the very patchy system of inspection. Privatisation of monitoring and inspection has opened a very wide door, allowing bad practice to seep into the sector. Pat Hayes, Managing Director at Be First, whilst answering a question on this issue, replied: “major house builders have a single contractor, often with a single approved inspector, for the whole country and they do it all from their desk in Cardiff in the main. That is a concern”. It seems to me as though this opens up the possibility of a spectrum of behaviour “from seduction to corruption”.
Watch the below video where I question Pat Hayes, an experienced practitioner in delivering new-build homes.
This video is a short section taken from the Assembly Housing Committee’s investigation into strategic issues for social housing post-Grenfell. The full webcast of the committee can be viewed here.
As part of our role as Assembly Members we hold the Mayor and representatives of other bodies to account. One of the ways we achieve this is at Mayor’s Question Time (MQT).
At the 18 January 2018 MQT, we discussed topics ranging from knife crime, hate crime, and clean air. My questions to the Mayor were on ‘community involvement’ as described in the Mayor’s new draft London Plan.
Here is a behind the scenes look at this first MQT of 2018.
At Mayor’s Question Time on 14th September, I raised the issue of off site manufacturing with the Mayor, who said he was very keen to encourage offsite manufacturing in London and sees London as a future leader in the sector.
My report on offsite manufacturing potential to contribute to solving London’s housing crisis can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/london_assembly_osm_report_0817.pdf
My 13th July 2017 question urged the Mayor to ask the Government to revisit their rule change that could see London lose vast swathes of light industrial workspace
At the London Assembly’s 13th July Mayor’s Question Time I urged the Mayor of London to ask the Government to revisit their rule change that could see London lose vast swathes of light industrial workspace.
On 30th September 2017 the Government is introducing an extension to permitted development rights to include light industry. We have already seen the damage permitted development rights have had on office to residential conversions. This extension will threaten the existence of up to 36 per cent of these light industrial premises scattered all over London, which could see them turned into substandard homes.
These premises are mainly located behind high streets – these smaller firms are integral to London; keeping London’s economy going, our supply chains going, and providing local jobs.
The Mayor of London said: ‘Just like we need more homes in London, we need more workplaces too. So, let me think about what we’ve said and think about renewing my efforts to try and persuade the government to change their mind’.
Nicky said: ‘I am pleased the Mayor is reviewing the Government’s decision to extend permitted development rights to light industry. This is such an important issue to Londoners and I will continue to monitor this closely’.
Nicky Gavron AM 