---
election_year: 2012
party_id: benita
party_name: Independent
party_leader: Siobhan Benita
political_spectrum: other
victory: false
government_outcome: opposition
sections:
  - economy
  - education
  - immigration
  - law-and-order
  - welfare
  - science-and-technology
---

# Independent London Mayoral Manifesto 2012

Siobhan
for MAYOR
Making London even Better!

# London Manifesto
## An introduction

Elect Siobhan Benita for Mayor 2012

## Why am I standing?
Many people have asked me why I am standing to be Mayor of London. The odds are certainly high and it is difficult for a new voice to be heard amongst the big party-political media machines and outdated, restrictive broadcasting rules.

I am standing because, like so many Londoners, I am tired of the same lacklustre candidates fighting old party battles instead of tackling the real issues and fighting for Londoners. Enough with the Punch and Judy politics. As an independent mayor, I will put people before party politics. That’s what London needs and deserves.

I was born in London, grew up here and I’m raising my own family here. My connection with the city is strong and personal. My mum came to London from India when she was ten years old. The local residents in Merton and Kingston welcomed and supported her and her family when they arrived. That’s my individual story of immigration and integration but it is replicated in the hundreds of thousands across London. This is the most tolerant and cosmopolitan city on earth, with more languages spoken than anywhere else, more cultures to share and more tastes to enjoy. I’m tremendously proud of London’s diversity and will be an inclusive Mayor bringing people and groups together, not dividing them with gaffes or insults.

I am aware, however, that there is another, far less joyous side to London. It’s a side where people don’t have equality of opportunity, can’t find work, don’t have a place to call home and where they are trapped in poverty. It can also be a very violent side and there are too many people for whom day-to-day life in London is brutal, frightening and hopeless. We saw with last year’s riots just how much damage can be done when enough people with nothing to lose vent their frustration and fury.

As Mayor, I will address these issues head on. I will place much more emphasis on improving social mobility, creating opportunities, preventing crime and improving London’s education system. I have also placed young people at the heart of my campaign because it’s only by listening to them and working with them, that I will be able to build the progressive, cohesive and safe future that they will inherit.

London needs confident citizens but it
also requires buoyant businesses. My
policies for business will ensure that
the right decisions are taken on long-
term investment and in support of
economic growth. I am suggesting that
we establish an independent Office of
Budget Responsibility for London to put
an end, once and for all, to any Mayor
squandering the budget or playing short
term, party-politics with the public purse. I
don’t want to hang a banker. I do want to
ensure that London’s world-class banking
and financial services sector remains
world class. I want London to attract
new business from emerging markets and
maintain its status as the global destination
of choice for business and leisure. To do
that, it needs increased airport capacity
and it needs it fast.

All of these things require a Mayor who
can work productively with a range of
people on solutions that are best for
London. With fifteen years’ experience as a
Senior Civil Servant employed at the heart
of government, I know how decisions get
made and have worked with people from
all sectors and organisations to get things
done. As an independent Mayor, I will
be more open to ideas and innovation,
less distracted by the whims of party
politics and driven by a preference for
collaboration rather than confrontation.

## About my manifesto
In my professional life I have written
too many documents, full of too much
jargon, that too few people have read. I
don’t want this manifesto to be another
one of those! I have attempted to keep
it (relatively short), in plain English, and
have focussed on the new ideas that I am
proposing for the issues that Londoners
have told me they care about most.
Where other candidates have already put
forward sensible policies I am comfortable
supporting them and I recognise that
there are many projects and initiatives that
already underway or planned in London,
which the next Mayor – whoever they are
– will inherit and continue. For brevity’s
sake, I have not included all of those in this
document.

There are no vanity projects in my
manifesto. In these difficult economic
times, my focus is on using limited
resources where they will benefit people
who need help most, as well as being
more efficient with the assets that we
already have in London. I will be releasing
chapters of the manifesto over the
coming days. I hope you will agree with
me that it is a manifesto that makes a lot
of sense; a manifesto that quietly places
people – not political parties – where they
should be in this election. First.