--- election_year: 2021 party_id: conservative party_name: Conservative Party party_leader: Shaun Bailey political_spectrum: centre-right victory: false government_outcome: opposition sections: - economy - taxation - health - education - housing - defence - foreign-policy - environment - transport - law-and-order - welfare - democracy-and-constitution - agriculture - energy - devolution - science-and-technology - local-government --- # Conservative Party London Mayoral Manifesto 2021 SHAUN BAILEY MY PLAN TO GIVE LONDON A FRESH START # Shaun Bailey's Manifesto ## MY PLAN TO GIVE LONDON A FRESH START # CONTENTS ## FOREWORD 4 ## SAFER STREETS AND A FRESH START 9 - Improving public safety for all Londoners - Tackling the root causes of crime - Stopping violence against women and girls ## A BIGGER AND BETTER TRANSPORT NETWORK 19 - Fixing and Funding TfL - Getting London Moving - Promoting Active Travel for Londoners ## AFFORDABLE HOMES AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES 27 - Building the homes Londoners need - Creating a more beautiful London - Supporting London’s renters - Helping to house and support London’s homeless population - Strengthening and empowering London’s communities ## LAUNCHING LONDON’S RECOVERY 35 - Cutting the cost of living for all Londoners - Creating good jobs to boost London’s recovery - Supporting London’s businesses on the road to recovery ## CLEANER AIR AND A GREENER CITY 43 - Reducing London’s poor air quality and moving towards a carbon-neutral city - Improving biodiversity throughout London - Improving the natural environment for all Londoners ## A LONDON THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE 51 ## FOREWORD **My grandfather was a Windrush immigrant who fought for Britain in the Second World War. His grandson is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.** **This story is only possible in London.** We live in the greatest city on earth. We lead the world in everything from fashion to finance. We are a multiracial melting pot that thrives because every community has a voice. We are a global city with the heart of a village. And I’m grateful for that every day. I was born in a council house and raised by a single mum. I was homeless for part of my twenties and struggled to make ends meet for a lot longer. But thanks to the opportunities this city provides, I managed to turn my life around. I was a youth worker for twenty years, helping young people get out of crime and fulfil their potential. I joined the Prime Minister’s team in Downing Street to deliver the National Citizen Service, the largest youth programme in British history. I worked as a government adviser, expanding access to the Army Cadets programme in schools across the country. I’ve spent a lifetime helping people get a fresh start. So I understand the support that Londoners need from City Hall — and I know that we’re not getting it right now. Look at the problems we face. Knife crime has reached historic highs. Good homes are unaffordable. Our transport network is struggling to cope. And the cost of living keeps rising. These are the same problems that Londoners faced when I was a youth worker. The same problems that Sadiq Khan promised to fix. But here we are, five years into his first term, with nothing but broken promises to show for it. Sadiq Khan promised his ‘first priority’ would be ‘tackling the housing crisis.’ But instead of delivering 80,000 new homes a year, he delivered just 16,700 affordable homes in five years. He broke 20 out of 30 housing manifesto promises — and now we’re in the middle of a housing crisis. Sadiq Khan promised to ‘make London safer and more secure.’ But instead of cutting crime, he cut police budgets by £38 million. He broke 15 out of 20 crime manifesto promises — and now knife crime has risen by 60% and robberies have risen by 86%. Sadiq Khan promised to keep transport ‘affordable.’ But instead of lowering costs, he increased the congestion charge and raised fares. He broke 30 of 44 transport manifesto promises — and now countless Londoners are struggling to make ends meet. Sadiq Khan promised to be ‘the greenest Mayor ever.’ But instead of planting two million trees, he planted just 286,000. He broke 18 of 35 environmental manifesto promises — and now too many children are growing up breathing dirty air. As we emerge from the pandemic, we can’t afford to go back to the old normal. We can’t afford more broken promises. We need a fresh start — and I’ve got a plan to deliver it. As Mayor, I’ll work with every resident in every community. And together, we’ll build the kind of city our children deserve to inherit. We’ll make our streets safer with 8,000 more police. We’ll get first-time buyers on the housing ladder with 100,000 homes that will be sold for £100,000 each. We’ll clean up London’s air with a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025. And we’ll fix and fund TfL, reversing the congestion charge hike while planning for TfL’s future. Safer streets. Affordable homes. A better transport network. And a lower cost of living. You can make it happen on 6 May — but you’ve got to vote for it. So let’s not go back to the broken promises of a Mayor who’s more interested in press officers than police officers. Let’s build a safer, fairer, more affordable city — and let’s give London the fresh start it needs. Shaun Bailey 1. **Making our streets safer** — by hiring 8,000 more police and reopening 38 police stations. * Funded by long-term savings at City Hall and money from the Mayor’s Community Infrastructure Levy. 2. **Helping young people get out of crime** — with 32 new youth centres and 4,000 new youth workers. * Funded by £450million from unclaimed Oyster Card balances. 3. **Getting young Londoners on the housing ladder** — by building 100,000 homes and selling them for £100,000 each. * Funded from the £4billion that the Government gave the Mayor to build affordable homes. 4. **Cleaning up London’s air** — with a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025 and interest-free loans for black cab drivers to go electric. * Funded by a ten-year sponsorship deal, like Santander’s sponsorship of our bike-hire scheme. 5. **Fixing TfL’s finances** — by introducing corporate sponsorship to the Tube network, so we protect under-18s’ and over-60s’ free travel. * Corporate sponsorship is set to raise £490 million. 6. **A bigger, better transport network** — with a London Infrastructure Bank to fund repairs and new investment. * By combining public and private funding to improve transport services. 7. **Reversing the Congestion Charge hike** — and scrapping plans to extend the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge to Outer London. * Funded by savings from Sadiq Khan’s £9.56billion of waste at TfL. 8. **Saving each London household £307** — by reversing Sadiq Khan’s 10% council tax hike. * Funded by cutting the Mayor’s office and PR budget. 9. **Standing up for Outer London boroughs** — with 30-minutes free parking for high streets and scrapping plans for an Outer London Tax. * Funded by reinvesting the receipts from Sadiq Khan’s Congestion Charge hike. 10. **Working constructively with government** — so we get a better deal for London. * By working with ministers, instead of attacking them from the sidelines. Shaun Bailey’s plan will create **924,000 jobs** over the next five years ## Section ## SAFER STREETS AND A FRESH START * Improving public safety for all Londoners * Tackling the root causes of crime * Stopping violence against women and girls ## SAFER STREETS AND A FRESH START > “I will make London safe. As Mayor I will stamp out crime and the root causes of crime in London.” London is the greatest city on earth. But right now, we’re not living up to our potential. Over the last five years, ordinary Londoners have started to feel like our city just isn’t working for them. Knife crime has hit record highs, the homicide rate is the worst it’s been in over a decade, and even more young people have been recruited into criminal gangs. So as Mayor, I will put public safety first, make our streets safer and give London the fresh start it needs. The first duty of London’s Mayor is to keep our streets safe. But by any measure, Sadiq Khan has failed. London in 2020 was less safe than London in 2016. * Homicides were at their highest in 11 years * Robbery was up 86 per cent * Knife crime was up 60 per cent As we recover from the pandemic, we can’t afford to go back to record levels of crime. We need a fresh start. And I’ve got a plan to deliver it. I was a youth worker for over twenty years. So, I know what it takes to cut crime. As Mayor, I will hire 8,000 more police officers and reopen the 38 police stations that Sadiq Khan closed. Helping to take criminals off our streets. But I will also tackle the causes of crime. I will give young people a way out by hiring 4,000 more youth workers and opening a youth centre in every borough. So, young Londoners can access the support they need, no matter where they live. ### Improving public safety for all Londoners At the start of his term, when crime was starting to rise, Sadiq Khan made the decision to close over half of London’s police stations to the public. There are now entire boroughs with only one police station. The savings Sadiq Khan made from closing 38 police front counters generated only a small amount of money compared to his own waste at City Hall. Indeed, Sadiq Khan’s staffing budget at the GLA has grown by over 80 per cent since 2016, which means that last year alone Londoners paid an extra and unnecessary £29.5m for Sadiq Khan’s mismanagement. And the problem doesn’t stop at police stations. Sadiq Khan broke his promise to maintain at least 32,000 police officers, and he watered down his commitment to restore neighbourhood policing. Unlike Sadiq Khan, I understand that safe streets aren’t a luxury - they’re a necessity. That’s why I will deliver record numbers of police. And I will make sure these officers have the resources, tools and support they need from City Hall to keep us all safe. With more officers on our streets, we will also be able to focus on tackling the causes of crime - giving young people a route out of gangs and into work. ## As Mayor of London I will: * **Reopen the 38 police stations closed by Sadiq Khan.** Police stations open to the public increase police visibility, make the reporting of crimes much easier and deter criminals. Having a more visible local police presence in the community is reassuring to local residents and will play an important role in making Londoners safe again. I will use mayoral community infrastructure funds to reopen these closed front counters. * **Ensure that there are 40,000 police on London’s streets by hiring 8,000 new officers.** This would place London ahead of Paris and New York in terms of police officers per capita, and it is critical that we expand the police service so that it is the criminals who feel under pressure, not our communities. Despite the lockdown, many forms of crime were up in 2020 compared to the same period the year before, so the visibility of police has never been more important. I will fund this through Home Office funding, and savings generated at City Hall. * **Reinstate genuine neighbourhood policing.** I will use the tried and tested Safer Neighbourhood Team structure of one Sergeant, two Constables and three PCSOs per London ward. This will be made possible through extra police hires and it will replace Sadiq Khan’s watered-down version of neighbourhood policing, which reduced community policing support. I will reinvest in the training of our police to help them become community problem-solvers, so that they can deliver safer neighbourhoods for Londoners. * **Create a Mayoral Sentencing Unit.** This new team will work on behalf of the public to challenge sentences which are too lenient. Nearly three quarters of the public still think that sentences are too lenient. The Mayor’s Sentencing Unit will assess every single sentence handed down for violent and sexual crime in London and ask that those that are too lenient be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentences Scheme. Londoners deserve to know they are protected from violent criminals. * **Implement Operation Blunt 3 to ensure wider use of stop and search powers.** This will be a refreshed approach to policing in London, and is required to improve public safety. Operation Blunt 3 will include increased frequency of police patrols, more officers on the streets, a focus on crime hotspots and more intelligence-led stop and search. As part of Operation Blunt 3, I will use the successful strategies that Boris Johnson implemented as Mayor of London that brought London’s crime rate down by 11 per cent, youth violence by 14 per cent, and murders by 26 per cent. I will work with individuals, communities and voluntary groups to develop holistic strategies to tackle violent crime in London’s crime hotspots. * **Back the police to increase the use of intelligence-led stop and search.** Stop and search is an important tool for the police to improve public safety. As a youth worker for over 20 years I have seen first-hand how this can keep communities safe. Because it is important that it is the criminals who feel under pressure, not our communities. As such, I will support the police’s efforts to crack down on knife-crime, including an increase in stop and search. * **Roll-out new Scan and Search technology.** If the police are to truly deter criminals and take back control of the streets, a renewed and innovative approach to stop and search must be instituted. I will introduce new infrared scanning technology, which is used in other countries like the U.S.A. and Israel, to detect concealed weapons in large crowds and busy transport hubs. Scan and Search technology is by default, non-invasive and it would ensure that more weapons are detected, arrests made and lives saved. * **Create a burglary ‘flying squad’.** This new team in Scotland Yard would address the steep rise in burglary rates – and sharp fall in prosecutions - across London. This will consist of 150 dedicated detectives working to track and provide intelligence on burglary gangs, in conjunction with local borough commands, to clear the backlog. The specialist squad would also reduce the number of break-ins by helping borough commands on burglary prevention, incident investigation and how to track gangs across the city. I will commit to making sure that a police officer will respond in-person to every single residential burglary call-out. I will also launch a pilot program to provide free burglar alarms for over-65s replicating the successful model in Hillingdon Council and done in consultation with local borough command units. * **Lobby Government to introduce mandatory sentences for knife and acid possession.** Prior to lockdown violent knife crime in London was up by 40 per cent. Currently only those convicted of a second possession offence are subject to statutory minimum terms. If someone is found with a knife or acid they should face consequences on the first occasion. I will lobby the Government to introduce mandatory custodial sentences with intent on the first offence, instead of on the second. It is vital that people who intend harm to others are taken off our streets. * **Ensure that every borough in London has a new knife surrender bin.** Knife surrender bins are public secure bins that allow for the safe disposal of knives. Knife surrender bins have removed over 50,000 knives from London streets over recent years. I will renew London’s approach to ending knife crime, by reinvesting in knife bins and recommitting to partnerships with community organisations and charities like Word 4 Weapons and Binning Knives Saves Lives. I will ensure that there is at least one knife bin in every borough, so that knife surrender is as easy as possible for those who are looking to do the right thing. * **Ensure LGBTQ+ Londoners are properly protected against hate crime.** There have been 2,832 incidences of homophobic hate crime over the last 12 months. That is an increase of 51 per cent under the current Mayor, and we know that 81 per cent of victims don’t even report these crimes, so the reality is even worse. Transphobic hate crime has increased by 44 per cent over the last two years. Homophobic and transphobic hate crime is currently only an aggravating factor to other crimes, it is not a crime in itself, like racial and religious hate crime. Creating an aggravated homophobic and transphobic hate crime offence would lead to tougher sentences. I will work with the Government so that not a single Londoner feels unsafe for being themselves. * **Create a new Mayoral Drug Testing Charter.** Every time someone purchases and consumes illegal drugs, they’re not just committing a crime, they’re funding crime. I will ask all businesses with over 250 employees to carry out regular anonymised drug tests on a voluntary basis. To hold companies accountable every year, City Hall will publish a league table showing which companies have the highest and lowest rates of drug use. I hope to eliminate middle class drug-use and reduce gang-related violence in London. * **Merge the British Transport Police with the Metropolitan Police.** The British Transport Police (BTP) is a national special police force that polices rail and light-rail systems. By harnessing their combined strength, it will be possible to tackle the alarming rise of violent crime and sexual assaults on the public transport network. This merger will aid police response to terrorist threats and attacks that occur on transport. As things stand, the British Transport Police in London is mostly funded by TfL, but is not answerable to the Mayor. Establishing a single, unified police force will better focus police activity on public transport, whilst eliminating duplication and promoting efficiency. ### Tackling the root causes of crime Serious youth violence has increased by 30 per cent since Sadiq Khan became Mayor. Nearly half of all knife crime offenders in London are teenagers. Young people, and young black men in particular, disproportionately bear the brunt of violent crime. This is not just a matter of national shame – it is also a tragic waste of young Londoners’ potential. That’s why I will take immediate and decisive action to end the devastation caused by youth violence and tackle the root causes of crime. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Establish an Office for Community Policing.** In order to tackle underlying social problems, improve public satisfaction, ensure community engagement and provide police intelligence from community members. The Office for Community Policing, which will be based upon the Office of Collaborative Policing in New York, will have regular meetings between police officers, local citizens, and community groups to ensure that community concerns are directly addressed and public confidence in the police improves. The rise in violent crime under Sadiq Khan has disproportionately affected the black community – urgent action is clearly needed to tackle both the rise in violent crime and increase public confidence in the police amongst minorities. The work of the new Office will build on the progress that the widescale roll-out of police body worn-cameras has had on increasing confidence in the police amongst minority communities. * **Develop a new £11.3m Second Chances Fund.** By giving offenders a credible opportunity to turn their lives around, my new Second Chances Fund will help end the cycle of violence by providing training to those on the path to violent crime, but who still have a chance to choose a different path. The Second Chances Fund will be a £11.3m fund, which will be drawn from the Mayor’s Adult Education Budget, which totals £306m annually. The fund will be used to support A-level equivalent qualifications for ex-prisoners aged nineteen and above. * **Create a Second Chance School in each of London’s Young Offending Institutes.** This will give young offenders new opportunities and lower reoffending rates. Secure schools are a new school model in Youth Offending Institutes that offer bespoke provision for individual children with education, health, care and physical activity at the heart of their training offer. I know from my 20 years’ of youth work that employment is the fastest way out of criminality. This will help young people turn their backs on a life of crime for good, by funding my own Second Chance Schools based upon the secure school model in YOIs. * **Organise gang call-ins.** These events are where gang members attend sessions between the police and youth workers to problem-solve community, criminal, and social justice issues by directing young offenders and gang members towards work and training opportunities – and away from crime. These initiatives will help to reduce crime and improve community relations between the police and the communities they serve, shown by the progress made in reducing gang violence in cities such as Los Angeles after the implementation of a gang call-in program. * **Fund a wave of 32 new Youth Zones.** I will fund the creation of a new Youth Zone in every borough. This will help to steer young people towards education and training opportunities. These will be modelled on the pioneering OnSide Youth Zones, which each attract upwards of 300 users a day and have typically led to a 50 per cent drop in crime and anti-social behaviour in the local area post-opening. Youth Zones offer a combination of sporting, educational, creative and enterprise activities designed to take the postcode lottery out of opportunity. My mayoral Youth Zones would be provided by organisations such as OnSide and similar youth charities. * **Fund 4,000 new youth workers across London.** Only 64 per cent of youth organisations in London have received emergency funding, and 31 per cent will struggle to operate within 6 months if they do not receive funding. I will establish a new Mayor’s Youth Service which will allocate funding to youth organisations and charities in each borough with the specific purpose of hiring new youth workers that address community needs. As I know, youth services are at their most effective when they promote opportunity and give paths away from violence. * **Create a new Mayoral County Lines Taskforce.** This will bring together the police, schools, youth services and local businesses to stop exploitative gangs from taking advantage of London’s children. County lines exploitation disproportionately affects children from London, and I will create a safeguarding taskforce, with a dedicated senior Metropolitan Police Commander at Scotland Yard, who will lead the multi-agency team to both stop the exploitation of our children. This in turn will be directed by a new mayoral strategy that will be targeted at tackling modern slavery and exploitation in all forms. ## Stopping violence against women and girls In March 2021, Sadiq Khan said that London isn’t safe for women and girls. And for once he was right. Since 2016, sexual assaults on the Tube have soared by 43 per cent. In 2020, there was a 53 per cent rise in referrals to domestic abuse refuges. This year we saw women and girls come forward to share deeply upsetting stories about how they protect themselves while walking our streets. This cannot continue. London will never be safe if half of all Londoners are at risk. So as Mayor, I will address this emergency by allocating 1,000 police officers to tackle violence against women and girls. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Establish a FGM Register.** Such a Register will help our public services and the justice system combat female genital mutilation by moving towards a more child-centric approach to ending this violent practice. London has the largest FGM-affected population in the UK, and despite a shocking increase in FGM cases, there has only been one successful conviction. The role of City Hall is to make it easier for the police and the CPS to catch and prosecute these criminals, and an FGM Register of recorded victims is key to achieving that goal. * **Support domestic violence refuges.** I will do this by ensuring every single borough in London can accommodate victims of domestic abuse. I will invest £16m to provide 130 refuge spaces, prioritising the boroughs where currently there are no refuge provisions. Investing in more support for victims will drive up conviction rates as more women will feel confident to come forward and report the crime. * **Extending the ‘Rail to Refuge’ scheme permanently across Transport for London.** Victims escaping domestic abuse need to travel to find a refuge service with availability. ‘Rail to refuge’ helps survivors of domestic abuse, and their children, by providing free train travel to their allocated domestic violence refuge. The scheme has already helped over 800 adults and children reach a place of safety nationally. The permanent extension of the scheme to the TfL network is critical for survivors and I will fund its roll-out. * **Fund 500 more police officers to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).** These extra frontline officers will be used to boost local Safeguarding Units. I will work with selected representatives to support the ongoing training provisions for Safeguarding detectives who deal with the most complex and sensitive cases, including domestic violence. I will guarantee each of the 12 Borough Command Units will have appropriate resources to tackle violence against women and girls. * **Fund 500 extra transport police officers to prevent sexual abuse on the Tube.** Sexual assaults reported on the Tube soared by 43 per cent in the first four years of Sadiq Khan’s term in 2016. YouGov research suggests that tens of thousands of incidents on buses and the Tube go unreported. This is unacceptable and it’s clear that Sadiq Khan isn’t doing enough to protect women and girls on the transport system. I will increase the number of officers on the transport beat, to combat violence against women and girls on London’s transport network. * **Ensure the rapid roll-out of CCTV across the Tube network.** It is vital that women who travel on the Tube and who work for TfL are safe. Almost one in four sexual assaults on the Tube network occur on the Central Line — 292 sexual assaults were reported in 2017-18 alone. It is also shocking that 72 per cent of frontline transport workers experienced violence in 2019. The Central, Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines still do not have CCTV. I will immediately roll-out CCTV across these lines. * **Install CCTV at every bus stop across London.** Research suggests that tens of thousands of incidents on London’s buses go unreported, and 90 per cent of unwanted sexual behaviour on the London transport network also goes unreported. I will install CCTV cameras on individual bus stops. Our city has 19,000 such stops, so it is crucial that Londoners feel safe while waiting for a bus. * **Allocate permanent ad space on Tube trains for TfL’s ‘Report it to stop it’ campaign.** Despite TfL’s “report it to stop it” campaign, over 90 per cent of unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network goes unreported. I will allocate permanent ad space to promote the campaign and make it easier to report unwanted sexual behaviour. I will also ensure Transport for London provides training to employees on how to deal with incidents - so the public feel more confident and more supported. * **Introduce 24/7 uniformed police foot patrols in areas where women feel unsafe.** With the extra police officers I will be funding, I will increase 24/7 foot patrols on the Tube network, once it has returned to regular pre-Covid service, including the Night Tube and the London Overground. I will ensure that there is a visible police presence in poorly lit, less busy areas, such as parks, residential streets, and night-time economy hubs. YouGov poll found one in three women say they are taking steps on a regular basis to protect themselves from sexual assault, including avoiding certain areas and avoiding being out at certain times. Through increasing foot patrols and a visible police presence I will ensure that women feel more safe and comfortable walking in our city. * **Lobby the Government for new cyber-flashing legislation.**’ Cyber flashing is the act by which people are sent unwanted sexual images, often this occurs on public transport through bluetooth enabled devices. Over 40 per cent of millennial women have been the recipient of unsolicited sexual images. I will crack down on cyber-flashing and image-based sexual abuse in London by working with the Government to ensure, whether through amending existing offences or creating new offences, that our laws are up-to-date to protect women and victims of sexual abuse. * **Fund a new multilingual domestic abuse help-line.** This will ensure that all victims of domestic abuse can access support, regardless of their background. Roughly 770,000 people living in the UK speak little or no English, and 21 per cent of those living in London use a primary language other than English. Women’s Aid have made it clear that for women whose first language is not English, it is harder for them to access domestic violence support. The current model of multilingual support has to go through interpreters, which ultimately generates distance between the victim and the justice system. I will create a fund for domestic abuse help-lines to hire in-house multilingual or bilingual domestic abuse specialists that have been trained to the same degree as English speakers to ensure specialist support. Safer streets and a fresh start 17 18 Section ## A BIGGER AND BETTER TRANSPORT NETWORK * Fixing and Funding TfL * Getting London Moving * Promoting Active Travel for Londoners ## A BIGGER AND BETTER TRANSPORT NETWORK “ I will get London moving. As Mayor I will fix Transport for London’s finances, to protect services and deliver a bigger, better, greener network.” London’s transport network is the fuel for our city. It’s how we get to work. It’s how businesses get around. It’s how we visit friends and family. But over the last five years, our transport network has struggled to cope. And that’s because Sadiq Khan has mismanaged TfL’s finances, let roads and bridges fall into disrepair, and failed to deliver the green projects our city needs. So as Mayor, I will work with Londoners to build a transport network fit for a global city. TfL is one of our most important institutions. It runs our trains, tubes and buses. It looks after our roads and bridges. But right now, it’s bankrupt. Sadiq Khan promised to ‘cut the flab’ at TfL, but instead he increased waste. He lavished £151 million on exit payments for executives. He increased the number of TfL employees earning over £100,000 to 557, compared to 458 when Boris Johnson left office - a £58 million increase. He promised zero days of strikes, but there were 30 strikes on TfL, totalling 4,430 lost shifts. He assured Londoners that they ‘won’t pay a penny more in 2020’ for their travel, then proceeded to break that promise. And the burden of this mismanagement rests on Londoners, like the 4.5 million of us who have seen our fares increase. ### Fix and Fund TfL TfL staff are some of the best transport workers in the world. They are the ones who keep London moving. So they deserve a Mayor who supports them, provides a safe workplace, and delivers projects on time and on budget. But on all counts, Sadiq Khan has failed. As Mayor, I will fix and fund TfL by reducing TfL waste and establishing my new London Infrastructure Bank - securing more investment for our transport system to improve journey times and accelerate London’s economic recovery. ## As Mayor, I will: * **Fix TfL’s broken finances to safeguard transport services.** In March 2020, before Covid-19 had fully impacted its finances, TfL debt stood at a record £12 billion. Borrowing had increased by 30 per cent between March 2016 to March 2020. Sadiq Khan’s continual mismanagement of TfL’s finances has led to a decline in the quality of transport services and an increase in transport taxes. I will fix TfL’s finances by cutting waste, making tough decisions on executive pay and approving intelligent investments. * **Establish a new London Infrastructure Bank.** With a rapidly growing population, London needs to invest heavily into its infrastructure. Projects like the Hammersmith Bridge repair and Crossrail 2 need to be financed. A London Infrastructure Bank, owned by the taxpayer, would attract private sector finance into large scale, costly infrastructure projects. This is a tried and tested formula, proven successful by models like Germany’s KfW, and is a model that will be replicated nationally by the National Infrastructure Bank. * **Use greater levels of corporate sponsorship on TfL services to subsidise fares.** TfL has been repeatedly bailed out by the national Government. One of the reasons behind this is the drop in fares revenue brought about by the Covid pandemic, another cause is Sadiq Khan’s mismanagement of TfL and the £9.56bn worth of waste he has accrued over his term. Throughout this tough time for TfL, he has failed to come up with innovative and smart solutions to raise money. So I will work with corporate partners to increase TfL sponsorship income. Dubai Metro, which is one-fifth the size of London’s Tube, has sponsored its metro network and has generated £419m in corporate sponsorship. I estimate that £500m could be brought in as part of a long term sponsorship deal in London, which would protect free travel for those over 60 and under 18 years of age. * **Ensure the full and rapid opening of Crossrail.** As Chair of the transport body, it is Sadiq Khan’s responsibility to manage TfL effectively. When the current Mayor assumed office, Crossrail was on time and on budget. Now it is three years late and has cost Londoners an extra £5.2bn. Crossrail is currently scheduled to partially open this winter, but it will not be fully opened until summer 2022. As Mayor, I will immediately fix and fund TfL to make sure that the opening of this vital transport service is brought forward. * **Introduce a new Transport Workers Covenant to protect TfL Staff.** Shockingly, 72 per cent of frontline transport workers experienced violence while on duty, with 90 per cent of those workers reporting exposure to violence on multiple occasions. Furthermore, throughout the Covid pandemic, bus drivers have been almost twice as likely to die from the virus than NHS workers. As a result of this emotional toll, our heroic TfL staff have had to take 29 per cent more days off due to mental health problems since 2017. This is unacceptable. Our TfL staff deserve the very best. So as Mayor, I pledge to establish a new Transport Workers Covenant. Through this I will fast track access to mental healthcare support, develop relationships with health and wellbeing charities, and ensure that transport workers always receive the right amount of protective equipment. * **Restore much-needed bus routes in Outer London.** Sadiq Khan has not only increased motoring taxes on Londoners, he has also stripped back much-needed local bus routes in Outer London. In order to thrive, the neighbourhoods of our city need to be adequately interconnected. Many families in the Capital rely heavily on our local bus system to see friends or get to work, this is particularly true for disabled and older Londoners. I will ensure that by the end of my first term I will have reinstated all bus routes, such as the 384 bus, that have been cut or withdrawn by Sadiq Khan. - **Fully open the Tube and stand up for TfL staff.** Sadiq Khan has made the decision to close the Waterloo and City Line, which is vital for the City of London and our economy, for an indefinite period. Not only this, the current Mayor has made the decision to fully close Night Tube service, which is so key to the reopening of the night-time economy. As Mayor, I will prioritise the economic recovery from the pandemic and get London moving again by restoring a full service to the London Underground. - **Ensure that all parts of London benefit from new transport investment.** Sadiq Khan’s poor financial management of TfL has meant that important improvements to the transport network have been disrupted. In total, 21 out of 26 of TfL’s infrastructure projects have been delayed, paused, or cancelled under the current Mayor. I will fix TfL’s finances to make sure that transport network improvements are given the green light. I will also use the new London Infrastructure Bank to inject transport investment throughout London, including projects to extend the DLR from Canary Wharf to Euston, the Bakerloo Line extension to Lewisham, and the DLR to Thamesmead. I will also connect Sutton town centre with the Northern Line Tube at Colliers Wood by funding a new tram link. - **Lobby the Government to assume control of all suburban rail in London.** Our city’s population growth is expected to generate six million additional trips in the city every day by 2041. Because of this, London needs a reliable, efficient transport network to be able to support this growth. My City Hall will work with the Government to hand-over control of all suburban rail lines to Transport for London. This will integrate all rail lines across Greater London into a single, centralised network. Building on the success of TfL Rail and the London Overground, this will lead to more efficient rail services throughout the Capital. - **Reform TfL’s system of ‘gold-plated’ pensions.** Currently, over 26,000 TfL staff are on unreformed pensions, which means TfL contributes 31 per cent to pensions while the employee contributes 5 per cent. In comparison, the pension schemes for NHS workers, police officers and other key workers are significantly less generous. Sadiq Khan’s refusal to bring TfL’s pension system in line with the rest of the public sector has cost £828 million in overpayments over the last four years. In a time of tight budgets, this is an unsustainable model. Even an independent report commissioned by TfL described the pension scheme ‘expensive, unreformed and outdated’. As Mayor, I will reduce the TfL employer pension contributions by moving all new employees on to the Local Government Pension Scheme that local government officers in London enjoy. * **Rollout a new generation of driverless trains across the Tube network.** Purchasing new driverless trains would reduce costs for TfL and reduce overcrowding by adding to total Tube capacity. The International Association of Public Transport has stated that driverless trains are safer, faster and more efficient when compared to human-controlled transport. The benefits of fully-automation has enabled more trains per hour as well as reducing the time and money required to maintain the network. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has operated driverless trains well since its opening in 1987. I will ensure that the next round of rolling-stock purchases for the London Underground includes a requirement for driverless-capable Tube trains. ## Getting London Moving As we emerge from the pandemic, we have a chance to fundamentally rethink what we want our streets, environment, and economy to look like. As a global leader, London should be a model for what a green and efficient transport network can be. My plans will ensure we have world-class transport, clean streets, and clean air. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Protect free travel for those over-60s and under-18s.** As we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, it is more important than ever that we have a transport system that allows Londoners to move around freely. This is especially true for older and younger Londoners, who rely on the public transport network more than others. This is why I will fix TfL’s finances and explore new commercial opportunities to ensure that the 60+ travelcard, the Freedom Pass and all Zip-Cards continue to be offered as travel concessions. * **Increase residential electric vehicle charging points across London.** One-third of Britons intend to invest in an electric or hybrid car in the near future. Nevertheless, 40 per cent of Londoners say the lack of charging points for electric cars has, or will stop them from buying a new electric vehicle. If things don’t change, the lack of charging points will leave Londoners breathing poorer air. Over 80 per cent of London’s cars are parked on the streets, so owners of electric cars could quickly and easily charge their cars at any lamp post charging point - as is currently being done by many boroughs across the city. I will expand the residential charging network five-fold and ensure that 48,000 new chargers are delivered in partnership with the boroughs. * **Expand rapid charging points for black cabs and electric commercial vehicles.** While most electric charging stations take eight hours to charge a vehicle, rapid charging points can power up to 80 per cent of the car’s battery in just 30 minutes. TfL has only delivered 500 rapid charge points, which is not nearly enough. Already, 4,000 hybrid-electric black cabs are having to compete for the same 74 taxi-only rapid charging stations in the whole of London. In fact, there are so few rapid charging stations that hybrid-electric owners are having to fuel their cars with petrol. This is unacceptable. My City Hall will fund the delivery of TfL’s target of 4,000 rapid changing points by fixing TfL’s broken finances and rapidly increasing investment in EV infrastructure. * **Enable night-time deliveries of heavy good vehicles to reduce daytime congestion.** Lorries and heavy good vehicles (HGVs) are vital for our economy, adding £79bn to London’s economy. But because of a 1985 law, the movement of heavy goods vehicles in London is restricted after 9pm. With so many more HGVs on the road, freight vehicles now account for one-fifth of Greater London traffic and one-third of central London traffic. In 2019, London was ranked the eighth-most congested city in the world, with each driver losing 149 hours to traffic during peak hours. The traffic toll is especially heavy on mayoral-run TfL Red Routes, which hold one-third of all traffic. As Mayor, I will amend the rules of the road for TfL Red Routes to allow HGVs to operate at night and work with Government and local councils to incentivise them to lift these restrictions on all roads within London. Lifting the current curfew would reduce congestion, improve air quality and protect lives by limiting the chance of cyclist and pedestrian injury. * **Use the Thames more as a means to transport waste and reduce road congestion.** London produces about 22 million tonnes of waste per year, which is enough to fill the largest skyscraper at Canary Wharf every eight days. I will amend the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and work with the Port of London Authority to ensure that the transport of waste on the Thames is prioritised, taking pressure off London roads and cleaning up London’s air quality. As an example, 50 barges can transport 1 million tonnes of residual waste, which is the same as taking 100,000 truck movements off London’s congested streets every year. * **Reopen Hammersmith Bridge and provide a temporary road bridge.** Under the current mayor, Hammersmith Bridge is not expected to be repaired for at least another six years. The Taskforce overseeing the project has announced that a temporary ferry service is to be operated along that stretch of the river, but the ferry will not open until the end of summer and commuters will be charged to travel. The communities who have been struggling for two years without a functional bridge deserve leadership from their leaders. My City Hall will immediately begin work on a temporary road bridge and ensure that the incoming ferry is free of charge for local residents. I will also use funding from the new London Infrastructure Bank to accelerate the refurbishment of Hammersmith Bridge. * **Suspend LTNs in places where they are opposed by the local community.** Since the first lockdown, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) have been installed across London. LTNs use planters, bollards or road signs to stop through-traffic on certain roads. One in 20 Londoners now live in a LTN, but most of these were rapidly implemented without much, if any, public consultation. While LTNs can promote active travel, which I wholeheartedly support, in the wrong places they can increase congestion, disrupt travel for vulnerable residents and impede local businesses. In my first 100 days as Mayor, I will hold public consultations with every community located near a TfL-funded LTN and remove the traffic measures if a majority of residents favour the removal. * **Exempt motorcycles from the Ultra Low Emission Zone.** Motorcycles and other powered two-wheelers represent only two per cent of total motorised traffic in London. Motorcyclists reduce congestion and the number of cars on the road. A study in Belgium found that if 10 per cent of drivers switched to motorbikes, time losses for all vehicles would fall by 40 per cent and emissions would be cut by six per cent. A 25 per cent shift would eliminate congestion completely. The problem under the current system is that motorcycles are treated equally to more polluting diesel and petrol cars. This is unfair and it undermines the model shift from more polluting to less polluting vehicles that we need. As a result, I will exempt powered two-wheelers from the ULEZ. * **Exempt disabled Blue Badge holders from ULEZ.** Blue Badge permits, which are awarded by local councils, allow disabled drivers to park for free in designated parking bays. This is important because over one in four disabled people live in poverty, and allowing disabled drivers to park in designated parking bays for free is positive for disabled access and because it helps to tackle inequality. Because of this, Blue Badge holders have always been exempt to the Congestion Charge. Unfortunately, Sadiq Khan has decided that disabled drivers with a Blue Badge should pay a daily £12.50 charge to enter London, which means over 100,000 disabled drivers in London are now paying higher road charges. This is unfair and I will exempt all Blue Badge holders from the central ULEZ. It is not right that disabled people, who need additional levels of access, have to pay a driving penalty on top of their high living costs. ## Promoting active travel for all Londoners The global pandemic has put health front and centre in people’s minds. And there is so much City Hall can do to support health as we emerge from the pandemic. Active travel, like cycling and walking, not only promotes good health - it also cleans up our air and cuts carbon emissions. Sadly, Sadiq Khan hasn’t done enough to encourage it. While cycling should be open to all, people from minority communities account for just 15 per cent of the city’s cycling trips. And less than 14 per cent of London’s cyclists are from low income households. So as Mayor, I will work to create a healthier city - investing in active travel measures, including cycleways, for every resident in every community. As Mayor, I will: * **Promote active travel with hire-scheme electric-bikes.** The previous Mayor, Boris Johnson, rolled out what is now called the Santander Cycle-Hire Scheme. This widened access to cycling all across London and is now used by 820,000 Londoners every year. But as it stands, many Outer London boroughs do not enjoy the same access to the cycle-hire scheme. Because of the significant distance to the centre of London from many of these locations, it is impractical to simply keep widening the existing scheme. But electric bikes (ebikes) can provide a solution to this. Commuting distance to the centre of London from these boroughs ranges from 9.5km to 11.8km, which is a more practical commute for someone on an electric bike, which travels at a speed of 20mph. In order to widen access to the cycle network, as the current cycle-hire scheme expands I will ensure that all the new bicycles in Outer London will be ebikes. * **Reduce bicycle thefts across London by funding a wave of new cycle hangers.** The number of bikes stolen in London has trebled since the start of the pandemic. A bicycle is stolen every six minutes across the UK, and even more frequently in London. Traditional bicycle racks with a personal lock are highly susceptible to theft and so a more secure alternative is required. Cycle hangers provide a secure form of bicycle storage that is key to increasing bicycle usage in London. I will work with local councils to ensure that there are more cycle hangars in all new developments. I will do this by mandating this requirement in the London Plan. By simply replacing one parking spot with one parking hangar, developments could cater for six times the number of residents per spot. * **Ensure that all children have access to cycle-safety training across London.** Over 60 per cent of adults considered it too dangerous to cycle on London’s roads. In 2019, 125 people were killed and 3,780 people were seriously injured on London’s roads. Cycle training can help improve safety by increasing rider road knowledge and cycling proficiency. As Mayor, I will commit to broadening the patchwork network of cycling centres to ensure that every borough has good access to bicycle training. These training centres will be hosted in public buildings such as schools, youth zones, or sports centres. * **Expand and invest in walking routes across London.** SmartCitiesWorld has suggested that London should be prepared for a five-fold increase in walkers as pandemic restrictions ease. It is therefore important that London widens the opportunities for enjoyable walks. I will do this by doubling the routes provided by the Walk London Network and ensure that these high quality walking routes are made more attractive. It is important to make London pathways enjoyable for individuals to use, and ensuring they are protected and not lost to unnecessary development. 26 Section ## AFFORDABLE HOMES AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES * Building the homes Londoners need * Creating a more beautiful London * Supporting London’s renters * Helping to house and support London’s homeless population * Strengthening and empowering London’s communities ## AFFORDABLES HOMES AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES “I will get London building. As Mayor I will build more affordable homes in our city.” London is in the middle of a housing crisis. While the rich buy luxury homes, ordinary Londoners are being priced out of the city. The people who keep London going – the teachers, the hospitality staff, the cleaners – can’t afford to live here. That’s why we need a fresh start. As Mayor, I’ll work with developers to build homes that Londoners can actually afford. Helping every resident in every community to get on the housing ladder. This issue is personal to me. I was born and raised in a council house. I was homeless for part of my twenties and struggled to buy a home for a lot longer. So I know how important affordable housing really is. And I know that Sadiq Khan is failing to build the homes that young Londoners need. Despite being given £4.82bn from the government, Sadiq Khan only started half of the homes he promised to deliver. And he completed just 16,700 – which is a fraction of the homes he started. Given the fact that he’s had five years to build homes, this is just not good enough. Londoners deserve a fresh start. ### Building the homes Londoners need House prices have grown 11 per cent faster than wages. Millennials can no longer afford to live in London. Talented young people are leaving our city. If the current housing crisis continues, we will lose an entire generation of talent – and all because affordability is at its lowest level since the great recession. So as Mayor, I will break ground on unused land across London to build homes that residents can actually afford. We don’t have a moment to lose. * **Build 100,000 homes for £100,000 each.** It is more important than ever to ensure that there are affordable housing options for first-time buyers. Under this scheme, for these 100,000 new shared ownership homes, prospective homeowners would pay a deposit of just £5,000. This is especially important in London, as the average first time buyer has to pay a deposit of £109,000. Based on the average London salary, this would take Londoners approximately 20 years to save. I will use the £4bn of affordable housing funding at my disposal to ensure we house our young Londoners. * **Create Housing for London (HfL) to take control of London’s building process.** Sadiq Khan has started less than half of the affordable houses he promised to build and has no new ideas on how to kickstart housebuilding in London. I will establish a new body, called Housing for London, which will be a City Hall-controlled developer. The new HfL will be a subsidiary body of the GLA that is directly answerable to the Mayor. By taking more control of the housebuilding process in London, and by using the full planning powers at my disposal in partnership with boroughs, I will ensure that the city gets the housing it needs. * **Instigate a building boom on brownfield sites.** We must preserve our green belt and maintain the character of Outer London. I will amend planning regulations in London to ensure that it is much easier to build on brownfield land. Analysis of the Brownfield Land Register has shown that there is over 2,600 hectares of brownfield land within London, enough to accommodate over 287,000 homes. My City Hall will maximise efficient brownfield land by amending the London Plan to ensure it is much easier and simpler to build on brownfield land. Moreover, my City Hall will work with developers to build desirable homes at all sizes, with an emphasis on affordable homes for first-time buyers. * **Reform the affordable housing target to provide homes for our Covid heroes.** I will maintain the accepted 35 per cent affordable housing target, reflecting what is permitted under the current regime following a viability assessment, to ensure that we build enough affordable housing. I will also ensure that half of the affordable homes provided through HfL and GLA funds will be designated for London’s key workers. This will guarantee that the teachers, nurses, police officers, NHS and care workers and other public sector heroes, who have been on the frontline against Covid, are prioritised for housing. ## Creating a more beautiful London One of the things that makes London the greatest city on earth is our green spaces. But research shows that only half of all Londoners feel that they have access to the most beautiful places and buildings in their communities. In fact, those who reported having access to beautiful scenery were primarily those who earn more than £45,000 a year – which is £13,000 more than the average household. London’s beauty should be open and accessible to all, no matter what people earn. So as Mayor, I will preserve our most beautiful buildings and natural environment – while widening access to beauty. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Amend the London Plan to ensure beauty is a central part of the planning process.** London’s planning laws should deliver high quality design, create beautiful places, and provide a high standard of amenity for all existing and future residents. So I will ensure that all new developments are visually attractive and enhance the beauty of the surrounding area. This will prevent the construction of inappropriate high rise buildings and buildings that do not fit in with the local character. This will build on the Government’s ‘Building Better, Building Beautiful’ planning reforms. If we are able to build beautiful homes that people want to live in and beautify the local area, then this will reduce opposition to new developments and new homes, allowing us to build the homes that Londoners need. * **Place a ban on inappropriate tower blocks in Outer London.** Growth in high-rise, tall buildings in Outer London is currently outpacing the growth of such buildings in Inner London. We must preserve our green belt and maintain the character of Outer London. As Mayor, I will stop inappropriate high-rise developments by creating a moratorium on new tower blocks. I will work with local planning authorities to make sure that new buildings are in keeping with the character of local neighbourhoods and incorporate good design practices. * **Commit to a Green Compact with housing developers.** London’s natural environment is perhaps our greatest resource and it must be adequately protected. As Mayor, I will back the ‘National Park City’ campaign and, under my new Green Compact, incorporate biodiversity measures into plans for major housing developments. Some of the improvements that will be rolled include: bird-friendly glazing that uses biomimicry; swift bricks in developments; and new estuarine habitats in the Thames that incorporate fish-friendly construction protocols. As we emerge from the pandemic, it is vital that we make London a more liveable city - greater biodiversity is key to that. * **Establish Areas of Outstanding Urban Beauty to protect London’s heritage.** I will work with the boroughs to identify buildings, areas, and spaces with local aesthetic importance that will be labelled as ‘Areas of Outstanding Urban Beauty’. I will strengthen planning protections for these areas in an amended London Plan. I will also release funds to improve land and buildings in these zones. Such measures will ensure that areas of urban beauty, like Warren Farm in Ealing, are protected from future development. * **Appoint a “Chief Placemaker” to create more vibrant and liveable communities.** Neglected and less attractive areas have higher levels of anti-social behaviour, crime and more litter. I’ve seen this dynamic play out again and again during my time as a youth worker. Well-off communities are often surrounded by beauty, while London’s neediest neighborhoods have less access. This is unacceptable. As Mayor, I will appoint a Chief Placemaker to ensure that new major developments in London incorporate good design and significant amounts of natural beauty into every new neighbourhood - so that all communities can live in more liveable neighbourhoods. ## Supporting London’s renters All Londoners deserve the right to safe and affordable housing. But according to the Office for National Statistics, 27 per cent of all private rented homes are categorised as ‘non-decent.’ Shockingly, 40 per cent of UK students who rent privately live with damp and mould on their walls. The same survey found that over a third of students said poor living conditions made them feel anxious or depressed. Young people cannot afford to stay in London, and those that can live in subpar conditions. Sadiq Khan has promised to bring in rent controls if he secures a second term - even though he admitted that he doesn’t have the power to do so. Whether or not he has the power, rent controls would reduce the number of homes for rent and reduce the quality of rented flats. In fact, Sadiq Khan’s own advisers admitted they have no clue whether rent controls would be effective. So it will be just another broken promise to Londoners. We don’t need fresh problems caused by bad policy - we need a fresh start. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Establish a Rogue Landlords Unit to help boroughs police bad landlords.** For too long, too many tenants have been taken advantage of by a small minority of landlords. In 2019, 84 per cent of private tenants in the UK said they were satisfied with their accommodation. However, we need to protect those who are living in poor conditions due to neglectful landlords. The pandemic has made this situation worse as some landlords have taken advantage of the pandemic. There were more than 1,400 complaints between March and December last year to the GLA’s online tool to report a landlord or agent. Officers in this new unit will work closely with local councils to help gather evidence for prosecutions against rogue landlords, assist councils to identify the worst perpetrators who have breached standards and help to ensure that bad landlords are named and shamed. My new unit will provide additional resources to local councils to make sure those in the private rented sector are better protected. * **Crack down on empty ‘ghost homes’ that are left empty.** ‘Ghost homes’ are those properties that have been left vacant for a long period of time. It cannot be right, when there is such a shortage of good properties in London, that this is allowed to continue. There are currently over 22,000 such ‘ghost homes’ in London, with a combined value of £12.2bn. Councils can issue Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) to help fill these properties and I will work with councils to help issue more EDMOs. I will also ask for the devolution of the annual tax on enveloped dwellings, with the intention of using the tax to incentivise company landlords to bring as many homes to market as possible. * **Ensure access to tenancy deposit schemes are widespread throughout London.** More than a third of private renters polled said they thought the pandemic will have a ‘large impact’ on their personal finances. Analysis by the Bank of England found that 28 per cent of households have seen incomes fall during the pandemic, rising to 66 per cent among the self-employed. As we emerge from the pandemic, I will work with the private sector to make sure Londoners are able to move home and rent more easily. I will do this by working with London’s largest employers to ensure that tenancy deposit schemes, which are deposits given to employees for rental deposits which they can pay back over a designated period of time, become standard practice. I will use the convening power of City Hall to bring London’s largest companies to the table and work with them to ensure the widespread rollout of deposit loans. Too few companies currently offer such schemes. * **Renew the London Boiler Cashback Scheme to remove most the polluting boilers.** Gas boilers contribute approximately 12 per cent of London’s NOx (nitrous oxide) emissions. New A-rated boilers are over 90 per cent efficient and can save over 1.2kg NOx per year compared to older boilers, as well as making significant carbon dioxide savings. Moving to a more efficient boiler can also save households around £340 from their fuel bills per year. Whilst the current Mayor launched a new ‘Better Boilers’ scheme aimed at cutting fuel poverty during this term, this was not designed to tackle air pollution. This Boiler Cashback scheme will allow greater NO2 savings to be achieved and more households to benefit from lower bills. The scheme will target areas within pollution hotspots to help tackle high NO2 levels in London. ## Helping to house and support London’s homeless population Even before the pandemic, homelessness was increasing. There were 2,680 people sleeping rough in London for the first time during March 2020 – a 77 per cent increase in new rough sleepers compared to the same period last year. As Mayor, I will make sure City Hall uses its powers and resources to house our homeless and rough-sleeping population. I will also make sure that those with complex needs are given the care they need. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Mandate that a portion of GLA housing funds go towards homes for the homeless.** In 2016, the Centre for Social Justice found 46 per cent of homeless accommodation projects reported refusing a client access to services because their needs were too complex. Complex needs are when an individual suffers from two or more issues which intersect and affect their physical or mental health and wellbeing. To cater to this demand, under a ‘housing-first approach’ I will direct a portion of Housing for London funds towards supplying accommodation that is specifically designed for those homeless people with complex needs. This will help us to end homelessness and rough sleeping for good * **Implement Mobile Mental Health Intervention Teams.** Sadly, 560 rough sleepers died on London’s streets from 2016 to 2019, and 80 per cent of those who died in London had mental health needs. Mental illness can make moving off the streets and into accommodation more challenging for many rough sleepers. I will create Mobile Mental Health Intervention Teams to provide mental health support for rough sleepers in a more accessible way, rather than through a standard static clinic. Recent data shows that of the people seen sleeping rough, 42 per cent and 41 per cent had alcohol misuse and drug misuse support needs respectively. These new Intervention Teams will travel directly to the areas of London where homeless people reside to provide mental health services. This will ensure that rough sleepers with serious mental health issues do not slip through the net. * **Permanently establish an emergency housing safety net.** Emergency housing provides a safety net to Londoners, such as rough sleepers, victims of domestic violence, and victims of crime. Since last March, emergency hotel housing has supported almost 1,700 Londoners. My City Hall will bolster this valuable safety net. Even before Covid, London hotels had been steadily operating at around 83 per cent annual capacity going back to 2008. That surplus capacity is equivalent to over 15,000 unused hotel rooms every year. I will partner with hotels across London to maximise use of our hotel spaces by filling out empty beds with those who need them most. Any hotels wishing to participate in this scheme can pledge a set number of rooms for a certain duration with City Hall, and my office will then coordinate available housing with local boroughs and councils to immediately protect those in emergency situations. ### Strengthening and empowering London’s communities Despite the fact that many Londoners are forced to live in poor quality housing, new homes just aren’t being built fast enough. Since 1949, around 6,500 tower blocks have been built in the UK, many of them in the 1960s and 1970s, with around 2,700 in Greater London alone. Either now or very soon, these tower blocks will need refurbishment, but regeneration schemes often do not work as they should. We need new developments and new homes, but development happens best and at its fastest when local communities are involved in the decision-making process. So I will make sure that new homes are only permitted where local communities lend their support and neighbourhoods are empowered to direct local regeneration. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Empower communities with the new Right to Regenerate.** The latest figures show there were over 25,000 vacant council owned homes and over 100,000 empty council-owned garages, across the United Kingdom. Under plans announced by the national government, local communities will now be able to convert public vacant plots into new homes or community spaces. I will work with all the boroughs to audit all unused or underused buildings and spaces. All public land not in use or development, including GLA land, will be offered to communities by default, unless there is a compelling reason the owner should hold onto it. * **Entrench a full Right of Return for residents living in regeneration areas.** Some regeneration projects do not carry the full support of residents because they do not offer a full right of return, a right which allows residents to go back to their homes after a building after refurbishment. A good example of this was the Broadwater Farm regeneration scheme that was part of the Haringey Development Vehicle. The Right of Return for this project did not include housing association tenants and leaseholders, thereby causing considerable anxiety and stress for many residents. I will enact a right to return for tenants, including leaseholders, whose estates have been regenerated, so they will be able to return to their homes once a redevelopment project is complete. I will ensure that Right to Return will be mandatory for GLA funded developments and monies from City Hall to developers and housing associations will be contingent upon them ensuring that Right to Return is adhered to. * Devolve power to neighbourhoods by creating more **Community Land Trusts**. As we build back better and regenerate parts of London, my City Hall will make sure that every community is given a say over redevelopment. All developers in receipt of GLA housing funds will be given a choice either to establish a new community land trust on a part of the site in question, so that residents have greater levels of ownership once the site is complete, or to conduct a resident ballot on development plans. Either way, I will make sure that residents have a greater say over how regeneration occurs in their communities. 34 Section ## LAUNCHING LONDON’S RECOVERY * Cutting the cost of living for all Londoners * Creating good jobs to boost London’s recovery * Supporting London’s businesses on the road to recovery ## LAUNCHING LONDON’S RECOVERY **“I will get London back to work. As Mayor I will get Londoners back to work and cut the cost of living as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”** While we don’t yet know what the long-term effects of the pandemic will look like, we do know how deeply it has hurt our economy. Businesses have been forced to close. Workers have been laid off. And too many Londoners are struggling to make ends meet. As we emerge from the pandemic, we need an economic recovery - and we need it now. I know from experience that work is the best route out of poverty, it is also essential to have a strong economy so that we can afford public services like our NHS. So from day one as Mayor, I will start building an economy that provides opportunity to every resident in every community. Sadiq Khan promised to be ‘the most pro-business Mayor ever.’ But when he entered City Hall, he turned his back on our businesses and high streets. Instead of investing in London’s small businesses, Sadiq Khan ignored them. Now our city is in the bottom five UK cities for high street footfall and investment. If we don’t take action, we risk doing permanent damage to the small businesses that make London special. And while businesses struggle with the effects of the pandemic, families are struggling with the results of Sadiq Khan’s tax rises. Instead of lowering the cost of living, Sadiq Khan raised the Congestion Charge to £15 a day, seven days a week. He is extending ULEZ, which will cover almost half of London and hit the poorest families the hardest. He is introducing an Outer London Tax, a £5.50 charge for drivers coming into Greater London, which will damage small businesses even more. And he has increased his share of council tax by 31 per cent, costing the average household £87 extra every year. Families and businesses can’t afford another three years of higher taxes and more charges. We need a fresh start - and I’ve got a plan to deliver it. ## Cutting the cost of living for all Londoners I was born in a council house and raised by a single mum. I was homeless for part of my twenties and struggled to make ends meet for a lot longer. So I understand that just a hundred pounds in taxes and charges each year can set working families back. And we all know that extra charges and higher taxes will prevent an economic recovery and prolong the damage of coronavirus. So as Mayor, I will cut the cost of living on day one. £15 Sadiq Khan has hiked the Congestion Charge to £15 a day, seven days a week. £12.50 Sadiq Khan will expand his family car tax to the North and South Circular. Hitting even more commuters and businesses with higher costs for driving. ## As Mayor, I will * Save every London household £307 in Council Tax over my term. Over the course of his term, Sadiq Khan will have raised his share of Council Tax by over 31 per cent. That’s including a 10 per cent hike this year alone, which is the highest Council Tax hike in the country. This is not an abstract figure — that’s hundreds of pounds out of the pockets of working Londoners. I pledge to fix London’s finances, and deliver value for money, 10% Sadiq Khan is raising council tax by 10%. Leaving every single household in London with higher bills. £5.50 Sadiq Khan has plans to introduce an Outer London Tax — £5.50 charge for drivers entering Greater London. without putting the burden of bureaucracy and mismanagement onto London residents. I’ll start by reversing Sadiq Khan’s 10 per cent Council Tax hike, so that every household will save £307 across my term in office. I have forecast that Sadiq Khan will increase Council Tax by the same amount in his next term as he has over his current term, if he wins. Sadiq Khan has increased Council Tax by 31 per cent over his current term. If I win I will cut Council Tax by 9.5 per cent over my mayoralty. * **Scrap Sadiq Khan’s expanded ULEZ charge.** Sadiq Khan plans to extend the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to the North and South Circulars. This new expanded zone will cover almost half of London. Currently, certain vehicles that enter the centre of London are charged £12.50 every day to do so. The centre of London is the key pollution hotspot in the Capital so it is logical to have a ULEZ in Central London. However, expanding ULEZ would be a blunt instrument when there are far better ways of improving air quality. I will cancel the rollout of the ULEZ expansion on day one of my mayoralty, so that hard-working Londoners are not forced to pay higher charges to drive to work or visit their families, and instead pursue other means of improving air quality without making Londoners pay. * **Reverse Sadiq Khan’s Congestion Charge hike.** At a time when our economy is recovering from a recession, it is vital that City Hall does all it can to support our businesses and families. Instead, Sadiq Khan has made the choice to increase the Congestion Charge to £15 and extend the hours to weekends and evenings. This punitive tax is a result of Sadiq Khan’s mismanagement of Transport for London - as he has admitted. The current Mayor generated £9.56bn worth of waste going into the pandemic and TfL is now facing financial ruin. As the Chair of TfL, Sadiq Khan should be cutting waste. Instead he is hiking taxes for Londoners at a time when they need it least. On day one I will reverse this Congestion Charge hike. * **Stop the introduction of Sadiq Khan’s £5.50 Outer London Tax.** The current Mayor of London is planning to impose a boundary charge around the whole of Greater London. This will penalise drivers for travelling into London for work, tourism or business. The effect of this will be to cut off families from one another and reduce the amount of people who travel to town centres and high streets in London. This new tax will damage the economy of Outer London, so I will scrap all plans to introduce this punitive charge. * **Campaign to ensure 100 per cent devolution of Business Rates to London.** London’s unique position at the heart of the UK economy and the very different demand drivers for public services means there is a strong case for delivering 100 per cent business rates retention permanently in the Capital. The Government has recognised London’s unique situation by selecting London as a pilot area to trial the business rate retention and I will request that the Government makes this permanent. Nonetheless, I recognise that Business Rates are very burdensome for many businesses. This is especially pertinent, with the retail sector already reeling. The Government has shown they recognise the negative impact Business Rates can have and a fundamental review of Business Rates will be published in the Autumn. I will lobby the Government to reform Business Rates to ensure London’s highstreets can once again thrive. * **Ensure City Hall’s finances are better managed on behalf of the taxpayer.** The Mayor possesses significant financial resources and has a budget of over £19bn. But under Sadiq Khan, spending has spiralled out of control. I aim to introduce a package of measures, including a new independent Budget Office for London. This will be answerable to the London Assembly, which will ensure that the budgetary process is more accountable and that the Assembly is better resourced to carry out its scrutiny role. * **Restore the PHV exemption for the Congestion Charge.** In 2016 Sadiq Khan promised that he would be the most business friendly mayor ever, but instead he has removed the Congestion Charge exemption that PHV drivers have always enjoyed. This is not right as it increases the cost of business for PHV drivers and passes on additional costs on to consumers. Because the removal of the exemption has had a negligible effect on air quality, I will reinstate the Congestion Charge exemption for PHV drivers. ## Creating good jobs to boost London’s recovery London is known for its vibrant economy. But our economy doesn’t always work for every resident in every community. And over the past five years, Sadiq Khan has done nothing to fix it. That’s why London needs a fresh start. As Mayor, I will tackle London’s problems by generating 924,000 jobs over five years and investing in more affordable housing, better transport infrastructure and new training opportunities. This will help our city recover from the pandemic and create a fairer, more equal economy. ### As Mayor, I will * **Invest in housebuilding to help create 720,000 London jobs.** I will support a construction boom by ensuring that City Hall spends every single penny of its housing budget. It is an unfortunate fact that Sadiq Khan, despite being given almost £5bn, has failed to meet his affordable housing targets. The current Mayor’s mismanagement doesn’t just affect the number of new homes Londoners have to live in, but it also has implications for the construction industry. By funding 100,000 new homes, my housebuilding initiative will leverage private investment and contribute towards the creation of 720,000 jobs. This will help the construction sector to get back on its feet and it will help to reinvigorate London’s economy post-pandemic. * **Fund the creation of 11,000 green jobs to help London become a net-neutral city.** I pledge to commit at least 50 per cent of the economic development funding available to City Hall to create new ‘green’ jobs in London’s emerging economy, such as in green tech and local energy production. The path to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic presents us with the opportunity to build back better. So I will make sure that London creates the jobs London will need in the future. * **Create a London Infrastructure Bank to help sustain 160,000 jobs across London.** My new London Infrastructure Bank, which will be a mayoral body that leverages private sector investment in infrastructure, will aid our economic recovery from the Covid pandemic by supporting infrastructure jobs in London. By injecting up to £10.9bn of capital investment into transport and other infrastructure projects, the London Infrastructure Bank will help to fund 160,000 jobs across our city. ## Supporting London’s businesses on the road to recovery Sadiq Khan promised to be ‘the most pro-business Mayor ever.’ Instead, he let our high streets fall behind, raised our taxes and mismanaged TfL’s finances. And even though he couldn’t find the money to invest in small businesses, Sadiq Khan managed to increase his own public relations budget at City Hall by 33 per cent. As Mayor, I will reverse the damage of Sadiq Khan’s mayoralty. I will back our small businesses, from central London to outer London. I will help to create an environment in which start-ups can flourish. And I will give our economy the fresh start it needs. ## As Mayor, I will : * **Invest in London’s medical science sector by increasing funding for MedCity by five fold.** It became clear during the height of the pandemic just how much we as a city rely on cutting-edge industries like biotech and medtech. The Covid-19 vaccine is a good example of how investing in innovation can improve people’s lives for the better. I will build on investments into organisations like the Crick Institute by the national Government to make London the number one destination for medical science. I will do this through a five-fold increase in funding to MedCity, which is the cluster organisation for the health and life sciences sector in London. * **Save our high streets with a £9m High Street Recovery Fund.** Even before the most recent lockdown, London was in the bottom 10 cities for high street footfall and spending on the high street. Unlike the current Mayor, I know our high streets are essential to London’s recovery and central to community resilience. It is time to support our struggling town centres, and I will do this by creating a new fund to support new spaces for covered farmers markets, small business pop-ups, and local culture venues across the city. * **Fund 30-minutes of free parking in all Outer London boroughs that need it.** I will stand up for our Outer London boroughs by encouraging travel to our struggling high streets. Getting our retail and leisure sectors up and running is essential, so I will invest £37.2m for 30-minute free parking for the duration of my first term. Our high streets need a fresh start if we’re going to build a fair economy across London that works for everyone. * **Appoint a Deputy Mayor for International Trade.** My new deputy mayor will work alongside the Department of International Trade to ensure that London is at the forefront of the decision making process for future trade agreements. Across London, 26 per cent of businesses rely on exports to Europe and the rest of the world - it is important that London leads the conversation for greater levels of international trade. As the Government finalises new trade agreements, I will make sure that London is at the top-table and represented throughout the negotiations. * **Hire a new Hospitality Czar to champion our struggling hospitality industry.** My new Hospitality Czar will champion the 568,000 Londoners who work in the hospitality industry, which is 10 per cent of London’s total workforce. I will make sure that all of the tools at City Hall’s disposal are deployed to ensure that London’s hospitality industry recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and thrives once again. * **Immediately reopen Waterloo and City Line and Night Tube services.** As we recover from the pandemic, it is more important than ever that Londoners are able to move around the city. Sadiq Khan has indefinitely closed the Waterloo and City line and suspended crucial Night Tube services. As Mayor, I will stand up for working Londoners by fully reopening the Waterloo and City Line and the Night Tube services, to strengthen both the City of London and our struggling night time economy. * **Build more affordable work spaces.** After we emerge from the current Covid-19 crisis, London’s economy will need a boost. As Mayor I pledge to make it cheaper and easier to get back into working at an office. I will immediately address this need by prioritising the building of flexible workspaces of various sizes across London. My City Hall will lead by example and swiftly develop brownfield sites not suitable for housing. My City Hall will also work in partnership with developers to ensure that the largest commercial properties set aside space for affordable workspaces. * **Create a new West End Weekend Pass for one weekend in 2021.** The West End Weekend Pass will be a weekend-long travelcard that allows Londoners to use the transport network for free from all zones. It will operate similar to the 2012 Olympic Games Travelcards that increased the ease of travel throughout London. With a small investment upfront, we will incentivise visitors to spend on our high streets, enjoy the arts, and help our economy thrive out of lockdown. * **Host an annual Festival of London, beginning in Summer 2022.** Modelled on the Edinburgh Fringe, the Festival of London will be a month-long series of events to encourage tourists and Londoners alike to attend musical, theatrical, and other cultural performances. During the summer of 2022, when Britain is hosting events like the Commonwealth Games and the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, City Hall will provide grant funding, marketing resources and advertising to support the new festival. In addition to bolstering spending on our arts, restaurants, and high streets, the Festival will also generate revenue through ticket sales, registration fees, advertising, and sponsorship. I will ensure that these proceeds are reinjected into cultural activities. * **Establish a London Disability Taskforce.** Disabled people face significant social and health inequalities. Over one in four disabled people live in poverty. The living expenses for a disabled person are £570 more each month than a person without a disability. I will seek to bridge this gap by establishing a taskforce which will support employers to employ people with disabilities and health conditions. The taskforce will work closely with employers in London and provide guidance on a variety of disabilities, long-term health conditions, and support that can be provided to enable an inclusive and supportive work environment. Furthermore, I will establish a disability charter with minimum standards which employers can sign up to if they meet the minimum criteria. ## Section ## CLEANER AIR AND A GREENER CITY - Reducing London’s poor air quality and moving towards a carbon-neutral city - Improving biodiversity throughout London - Improving the natural environment for all Londoners ## CLEANER AIR AND A GREENER CITY “I will clean up London’s air. As Mayor I will invest in a greener transport network.” As the father of two children, I want Londoners to grow up breathing clean air and playing in green spaces. I believe that it’s our duty, as citizens, to pass on a healthy environment to the next generation. But too often, children in London grow up with breathing problems because of our dirty air. Too often, children don’t have access to the green spaces that make life in a big city liveable. That’s why we need a fresh start. The spaces around us and the air we breathe should be top priorities for the Mayor of London. But Sadiq Khan has broken too many of his promises for us to believe they are top priorities for him. Sadiq Khan promised to plant two million trees, but he planted just 15 per cent of that. He promised to restore London’s air to legal and safe levels, but too many children are still going to schools in polluted areas. He promised to protect and enhance London’s natural environment, but instead he removed planning protections for back gardens, jeopardising our precious green spaces. As an asthmatic, I care deeply about reducing harmful emissions and making London a zero-carbon city. It’s time for a fresh start. In the face of a climate and air quality emergency, we can’t afford three more years of Sadiq Khan. Making London the greenest city on earth is central to my plans. As Mayor, I will make London a leading world capital by turning grey spaces into green, capitalising on our renewable energy capabilities and putting London at the forefront of innovative green advancements. ### **Reducing London’s poor air quality and moving towards a carbon-neutral city** London can be the leading big city in the global battle against climate change. But we need to take our task seriously – and that’s something Sadiq Khan doesn’t do. Despite declaring a climate emergency, Sadiq Khan has racked up enough air miles to reach the moon. Together with his team, Sadiq Khan flew 280,000 miles around the world during his time as Mayor. On top of that, London Power, Sadiq Khan’s failed green energy company, has signed up fewer than 4,000 London households. Our city needs bold, innovative thinking if we are to become carbon-neutral by 2030. That’s why we need a fresh start in our battle against climate change. As Mayor, my first step will be to treat climate change like the emergency it is. To do this, I’ll boost spending to help create a green economy. Harnessing London’s innovative spirit, I will make sure our city achieves its zero-carbon target by 2030. **As Mayor, I will:** * **Help black cabs to transition from diesel to electric.** The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association reports that black cab licenses are down 3,500 in just four months in 2020. Sadiq Khan intends to harm the industry further by reducing the age limits of non-electric black cabs from 15 years to 12 years. I will always stand up for our black cab drivers by providing interest-free loans to every single driver who wants to transition from diesel to electric. These loans will cover up to 10 per cent of the cost of a new electric cab and incentivise rapid take up to create a zero-emission black cab fleet in three years. Loans will be given to every taxi driver, which will be funded through a new ten-year sponsorship deal that will be run along similar lines to the Santander cycle-hire scheme. * **Ensure a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025.** Of the 9,102 TfL buses on London’s streets today, only 400 are electric. Of the remainder, over half are dirty diesel and only one-third are hybrid, lower emission buses. Toxic air contributes to 6.6 per cent of all deaths in London. Sadiq Khan has said it will take until 2037 for a zero emission bus fleet, that is not good enough. I pledge that as mayor, I will put us on track to reach a fully clean, zero-emission bus fleet. My City Hall will set aside revenue from ULEZ specifically to convert our fleet to zero-emission buses. Moreover, I will mandate that all new bus contracts will come with the requirement that new buses must be zero-emission vehicles. I will work to ensure ⅔ of the bus fleet are electric and at least ⅓ are hydrogen. This project alone will be environmentally equivalent to taking one million cars off London’s roads. * **Help to fund the creation of 11,000 new green jobs in my first three years.** The fight against climate change isn’t just good for the environment, it’s good for our economy. As we work to transition London to a low-carbon economy, opportunities for good growth increase. I will accelerate this process on day one by committing 50 per cent of City Hall’s economic development funding to help create 11,000 new green jobs. Going green is good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for London. * **Fund and deliver the planting of 500,000 extra trees and living roofs.** Not only will trees tackle the air pollution on our roads and streets but they will be integral to ensuring that London can achieve net zero. These types of roofs are where plants and trees are planted as standard into the fabric of the structure. Green roofs have been shown to increase biodiversity by allowing more space for invertebrate life. By using the full planning powers at my disposal, I will require developers to fund the planting of trees for every new home constructed. Unlike the Mayor, I will ensure that my target to plant trees is achieved. By the end of my term, I hope to have presided over double the number of trees planted, than the current Mayor. These trees will be a combination of developer-funded trees – each developer will have to plant two trees for each house that they build – as well as trees that will be directly funded by City Hall through securing London’s portion of national government funds. * **Launch the Green Tech Challenge and Green Tech Hub.** My City Hall will provide development funding to innovative London-based tech companies that present new solutions to our unique environmental challenges. I will also lobby the national Government for support to establish a Green Tech Hub in West London, to rival Shoreditch’s Tech City. My City Hall will back the next big British Unicorns, like Arrival which are a zero-emission urban transport firm, which will bring investment to London. Our mission to tech firms is clear: if you invest in a Green London, we will invest in you. * **Convene a London ‘COP Summit’ to spearhead our response to climate change.** We will work with the Government to link London COP to the international COP26 summit, which will be hosted in November by the U.K. I will bring together stakeholders across every sector of the industry to set climate change targets and plan how to achieve specific industry and local-level green objectives. As Mayor I will convene a yearly summit, a ‘London COP’. * **Implement new green tech to reduce our carbon footprint.** I will introduce innovative technology to reduce London’s carbon footprint. Technology such as Pavegen’s kinetic tiles capture the energy produced by the weight of pedestrians’ footsteps. And Macrebur, which is a British company, uses plastic waste to pave the roads. Using capital from the Healthy Streets Fund in the TfL budget, I will install green tech throughout London. Technology such as this can provide off-grid green energy to power our streets and the TfL transport network. I’ll put City Hall behind green tech today, so that we all reap the benefits tomorrow. * **Expand the number of London homes powered with TfL waste heat.** Household heating comprises 40 per cent of the UK’s energy consumption. In fact, homes in the UK emit the same quantity of greenhouse gases as cars in the UK. As Mayor, I will considerably expand the use of local energy centres, which are energy production sites that capture the thermal energy generated by our underground tube network every day to produce heat. I will also launch a TfL Waste Heat Plan which will help save the environment, save money for homeowners, and save TfL’s finances by creating a new revenue stream. * **Spark a solar revolution in housing.** I will do everything in my power to increase the supply of renewable energy in London, ensuring London becomes a world leader in this area. I will work with local councils in London to ensure that they receive their fair share of the reallocated £270 million Green Homes Grant which the Government have now redirected into a programme administered by local authorities. I will work with councils to ensure funding from this pot will go towards 9,000 new solar panel-enabled homes. GLA will target lower income households across London, reducing our reliance on and use of fossil fuels. * **Ensure the entire GLA estate is carbon-neutral.** London’s public sector annual electricity demand, for local authorities’ offices, schools, and the GLA, totals 3TWh of electricity every year. This is equivalent to powering 820,000 homes. During my term, City Hall will lead the way on this by making the same commitments to green energy that we’re asking of every Londoner. By making the GLA group net-zero I will reduce the emissions that are attributable to the GLA group, which is the equivalent of taking 32,622 cars off the road each year. As Mayor, I will transition the entire GLA estate to renewable energy sources and strive toward a fully net-neutral GLA estate by 2030. * **Oppose the expansion of Heathrow Airport in all forms.** The threat of expansion of Heathrow Airport is a deep concern for many. An expansion would represent a risk to the wellbeing of those who live in South West and West London. It has been proven time and again that an expansion of Heathrow will lead to poorer air quality and much higher levels of noise pollution. As such, I will ensure that not a penny of TfL funds will go towards expanding the airport, so that expansion is less likely to ever happen. ## Improving biodiversity throughout London Londoners deserve a vibrant and green environment. That means helping everyone get access to green spaces. As Mayor, I will plant a new set of ‘green lungs’, clean up the River Thames, and expand wildlife corridors to make London more beautiful and liveable for future generations. ### As Mayor, I will: * Plant a new set of ‘green lungs’ by **widening our network of urban woodland.** Nine in ten Londoners say we need more trees, and for good reason. Londoners get over £133m in benefits from our trees every year as they help improve air quality by removing 2,241 tonnes of pollution annually. To expand our tree coverage, I will convert disused public land and brownfield sites that are not suitable for housing into lush, urban forests across our city to ensure Londoners have greater access to green spaces. Nearly 15,000 species in London, including eight species of bats, the largest population of stag beetles in England, and hundreds of bird species, depend on London’s woodland habitats. I will use the full powers at my disposal to make London the most bioverse major city in the world. * Create new wildlife corridors **throughout the whole of London.** London wildlife suffers when the green spaces they call home are not connected to other green spaces like gardens and parks which allow biodiversity to flourish. Research conducted by the London Wildlife Trust shows that London’s gardens are changing from green to grey, damaging the wildlife that need these green spaces. The UK has lost 90 per cent of our hedgehogs and 97 per cent of our wildflower fields which support bees and butterflies over the last half century. I will use City Hall powers and funds to roll-out initiatives that connect green spaces including planting new wildflower meadows in our pocket parks, hanging baskets on high streets, mixed hedgerow in and around our schools, and living roofs to act as new homes for our valuable urban pollinators. * Reclaim and revitalise the Thames. In 1957, the Natural History Museum declared the Thames to be biologically dead. Since then we’ve slowly improved the Thames but that progress has slowed over the past five years - a quarter of fish in the Thames Estuary have consumed and contained plastic. I will restore the Thames at the ambitious rate of 5km a year, guaranteeing 15km is restored by the end of my first term to increase marine wildlife. I will also champion anti-littering campaigns to protect the biodiversity of the Thames. This is a vital step towards ensuring that all Londoners can enjoy a clean Thames. * Pave the way for a pesticide-free London. Local authorities across the UK are prominent users of pesticides. Roughly 38 different toxic pesticides are used across the country, spraying them on public land, gardens and public housing. London must lead the way in responsible environmental practices. Other local government bodies have already begun to phase out its use of pesticides, as have Paris and other cities in Europe. I will work with local councils to phase out pesticide use in London over my first term. ## Improving the natural environment for all Londoners Protecting our environment is about preserving London’s beauty and cleaning up our toxic air. In some parts of our city, breathing the air for a year is worse than smoking 150 cigarettes. Over the last five years, Sadiq Khan has failed to prioritise the health of our children. As a result, many of our schools continue to be situated in places with dangerous or illegal levels of air pollution. It’s time for a fresh start. And that means cleaning up the air around our schools so that our kids can breathe easy. ### As Mayor, I will: * Plant living walls around the schools that **exceed legal limits for air pollution.** Living walls are walls which include vertical planted gardens that can reduce pollution by up to 30 per cent and help our children breathe more easily. I will utilise money from the TfL Healthy Streets Fund to ensure students are given the space to breathe cleaner air in London, protecting the environment and our lungs. * Launch “**rural education partnerships**’’ between primary schools and **rural farms**. This new program is a vital step to connect our London schoolchildren with nature and farming by funding school trips to rural farms. I will also establish a Rural Education in Schools Fund, which will provide micro grants of up to £5,000 of funding towards schools to implement green projects. Schools can create edible school playgrounds where children grow their own food, build coops to raise chickens at schools, add plants and trees to playgrounds, and dive into educational programs focused on nature and the outdoors. * Establish a new **Children’s Tree Fund**. Through this new programme every reception-age child will be given a new tree to plant in London. City Hall will work with schools to fund and roll out this programme, providing families with the option to plant trees at a ceremony hosted by the school or as a family activity with resources provided by the school. Children can plant their trees in designated spaces within local boroughs, private gardens, school yards, or rewilding projects. * Improve the air quality in all of **London’s Tube stations**. I will do this by installing electrostatic filters that capture dust and metal particulates by up to 95 per cent at every platform. Over 4.8m journeys are made on the underground every day. In some parts of the Tube, the levels of pollution are ten times higher than the levels set out by the World Health Organisation guidelines. During each journey, Londoners are breathing in toxic air which potentially leads to poor health outcomes. This is simply not good enough. * Create an active **Thames for all Londoners**. I will convene a multi-agency approach with organisations such as Sports England, Thames Water, Royal Docks, Thames Baths, and environmental charities to open up our great river to all Londoners. City Hall will work to increase access to rowing, canoeing, and kayaking by developing small public sports facilities with rental equipment. As Mayor, I will enable more people to use and enjoy the River Thames. * Incentivise the use of fully-electric **refuse collection in London**. Very few refuse vehicles are electric, and dirty diesel trucks are continuing to pollute our streets, despite there being zero emissions alternatives on the market. I will work with local boroughs to ensure that all new contracts include provisions for fully-electric refuse collection. Trials of electric collection lorries have been successful across three London boroughs and have lower running costs than standard diesel powered alternatives. Electric rubbish trucks should be expanded as rapidly as possible, within the constraints of existing contracts, to all of London. * Turn London’s grey spaces into green by creating **300 new pocket parks**. Nationally, eight of the ten top councils for green space deprivation are in London. Almost 40 per cent of people of black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds live in areas that lack adequate green space. I believe that everyone has a right to beauty and greenspace, no matter their background. So I will revitalise our green spaces with the funding available from the Streetspace Fund Liveable Neighbourhood fund to create 300 new pockets parks. * Connect more Londoners to nature through more **city farms and allotments**. Having public access to green spaces connects Londoners and visitors to nature and provides and improves physical and mental wellbeing. Research from Oxford University showed that just 30 minutes of gardening a week has a beneficial effect on health. I will use the Healthy Streets Budget to invest £5m in the city’s farms and to create 1,000 farm allotments in London. I will use brownfield land that has not received planning permission and cannot be used for housing to create a greener London. I will also promote a ‘London Grown’ brand of the capital’s sustainable food production to raise awareness of the benefits of urban farming and its positive impact on the environment. * **Use the planning powers already available to protect and enhance our greenbelt.** London is losing the equivalent of two Hyde Parks a year in green spaces. We need to protect our green spaces across London so we don’t lose our natural environment forever. I will put the strongest protections in place to protect our valued and precious greenbelt and metropolitan open land. ## Section ## A LONDON THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE ## A LONDON THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE “Sadiq Khan has been a Mayor for Zone One. I’ll be a Mayor for every resident in every community. Because only by working together can we give London a fresh start.” London is more than just the skyscrapers in Canary Wharf or the businesses in Mayfair. London is the greatest city on earth because of our values. We are a multiracial, multicultural city that thrives because every community has a say. But as a black man from Ladbroke Grove, I know we’ve still got work to do in order to build a more equal city. I want to live in a city where every Londoner feels like they have a voice. Where we stand up for the values we believe in. Where fewer and fewer people suffer from hunger, mental illness and period poverty. And where minority communities see themselves represented in our leaders and our public statues. I know we can make this city a reality - if we work together. So as Mayor, I will stand up for London’s values on the world stage. I will work with every resident in every community to build a more equal city. And together, we’ll give London a fresh start. ### As Mayor, I will: * **Impose City Hall sanctions on China until it stops committing human rights abuses.** China is undermining human rights in Hong Kong through it’s oppressive national security law and committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. I have repeatedly called for the Mayor of London to use City Hall’s influence to stand up to China. City Hall’s extensive links to Beijing means that this is an action well within the Mayor’s remit. I will implement City Hall sanctions on China. I will end the twinning arrangement between London and Beijing, halt all Mayoral delegations to China, close the three offices in China which belong to the Mayors promotional company (London and Partners), refuse to accept hospitality from Chinese Government and introduce an obligation for TfL pension fund trustees to consider issues of human rights when investing in companies. * **Use the power of City Hall to ensure that BN(O)s from Hong Kong have access to the resources they need.** I will introduce a free information service for Hong Kongers in London, which would include Cantonese-speaking services, advice on the job market, places to rent, and more for new residents, just like our city rightly did for EU citizens after Brexit. London is a global city with global responsibilities, and as Mayor I will ensure we make London a city open to Hong Kongers. I look forward to Hong Kongers contributing to and enhancing this global city’s vibrant and multicultural environment. * **End all HIV transmission in London by 2028.** There are at least 105,200 people living with HIV in the UK. Roughly 36 per cent of new HIV diagnoses and 38 per cent of people seen for HIV care were living in London. In recent years, there has been enormous progress in diagnosing, treating, and preventing transmission of HIV in the UK. I will work with the Government and the NHS to ensure that public resources are targeted towards at-risk groups and beyond, as the number of new transmissions falls. From the LGBT community to affected ethnic minority communities, I will campaign to make sure that every Londoner has access to a test, treatment, and PrEP. I want London to be a world leader in tackling HIV and to ensure that within the decade, by 2028, there are no new transmissions of HIV in London, which I will help to do by increasing the funding for MedCIty and similar science initiatives by five-fold. * **Increase support for organisations combating child food poverty.** As we recover from the Covid-19 crisis, many families are struggling financially. One in six parents in the Capital have children who experience food insecurity, along with 36 per cent of single parents and 32 per cent of black Londoners. Food insecurity carries a huge cost for the rest of children’s lives, affecting their relationships, school attainment, mental wellbeing and physical health. The food industry generates almost 2 million tonnes of good, edible surplus food each year, and currently less than 1 per cent is recycled for human consumption. Organisations such as the Felix Project rescues almost 10 tonnes of perfectly good and healthy surplus food daily. I will establish a fund to ensure every borough in London has the infrastructure and support it needs to save food waste and combat food poverty. I will make it my mission to make sure no child goes hungry in our city. * **Help to end period poverty for the most vulnerable.** Research carried out by City Hall reveals that 17 per cent of women aged 16-24 say that they have experienced period poverty, and this has only worsened since the start of the pandemic. Homeless women have some of the highest rates of period poverty, and homelessness in London has increased by 23 per cent over the last quarter. Currently, homeless shelters do not get funding for sanitary products. I will provide funding to allow shelters and period product distribution organisations to purchase period products for homeless women and combat period poverty. Through these partnerships, and through the Government’s scheme for schools, I will ensure that no woman is left in period poverty in London. * **Implement the Amsterdam Model for tackling obesity in London.** The Covid-19 pandemic has emphasised the importance of improving public health and ending obesity. Nearly 40 per cent of London’s children are overweight or obese, with the highest rates occurring in the areas of greatest deprivation. In the Netherlands, the Amsterdam Healthy Weight programme was established to combat this and give every child a healthy childhood, regardless of their start in life. Under the Amsterdam Model, local government works with schools and community activists to promote physical activity for all children. It teaches young people and parents about the importance of nutrition and how to cook healthy foods from early childhood. I would increase the GLA public health budget for tackling childhood obesity and introduce this model across London in partnership with boroughs, schools and charities. * **Scrap Sadiq Khan’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.** City Hall bureaucrats should not decide which statues get to stay and which statues are removed. Sadiq Khan’s Commission will cost Londoners over £1m. On day one of my mayoralty, I will scrap the current Mayor’s pointless statues commission. I am committed to bringing people together, not tearing down statues and rewriting our history. * **Install Peoples’ Plinths to celebrate London’s minority and female heroes.** Some estimates suggest that only 2.7 per cent of non-royal statues are of women. And even though Nelson Mandela and Mary Seacole have statues dedicated to them, minorities are under-represented in our public realm. To address this, I will launch a new Peoples’ Plinths programme that would fund the placing of 20 new statues across London that will celebrate the contribution minorities and other under-represented groups have made to our country. * **Support ethnic minority excellence in London.** I will fix the unequal pay gap that shockingly still exists at City Hall, where white British staff are paid 11 per cent more than staff from minority backgrounds and champion equal pay throughout London’s business community. It is a shocking fact that there are more FTSE 100 CEOs named Steve than CEOs who are black. The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) found south Asian workers were paid less than their white counterparts, Bangladeshi workers and Pakistani workers earned 20 per cent and 17 per cent less per hour. I will make it a priority to promote ethnic minority excellence on our streets and in our businesses. * **Support the right to worship with a presumption in favour of places of worship.** London is the most religious part of the UK. People in the Capital pray more and attend more religious services than those in the rest of the country. With growing numbers of worshippers, many faith communities are forced to worship in warehouses and in their homes. This is clearly unacceptable. I will modify the London Plan to include a presumption in favour of places of worship, so that community groups looking to establish a church, mosque, temple, synagogue, gurdwara or other place of worship can do so more easily. * **Appoint a Deputy Mayor for Women and Equalities.** Sexual assaults reported on the Tube soared by 43 per cent in the first four years of Sadiq Khan’s term since 2016. The number of women sleeping rough in London has increased by almost 50 per cent since Sadiq Khan’s election in 2016. London has the highest gender pay gap of all the regions of the UK, and over Sadiq Khan’s mayoralty progress has stalled on the path towards equal pay. This is not good enough for the women in London. My new Deputy Mayor for Women and Equalities will work across different City Hall departments addressing the cross cutting issues that affect women in London to help create a more equal society. * **Appoint a new Deputy Mayor for Young People.** Almost a quarter of all Londoners are under 25 and London has a reputation for being a thriving city for young people. We risk losing that as London becomes less affordable every year. A 23 year old would have to earn two and a half times more than their minimum wage to live in Central London. I will introduce a new position for the Deputy Mayor for Young People to ensure that the issues which most directly affect young people are represented at the highest levels of London’s government. # WHY WE’RE BACKING SHAUN BAILEY ## FROM THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW HIM BEST “When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Shaun was with us to ensure vulnerable members of our society received emergency shopping and prescription deliveries. Whilst working with us, he has assisted homeless people in supplying tents, sleeping bags and food. **I’m honoured that Shaun volunteers with us and with his empathy and honesty.**” — Paula Mulvihill Trustee – Take a Knife, Save a Life “Seeing Shaun where he is today and when you think back to how he was, you realise this is what he was destined for. **I am proud to see that someone from our community is where they are today.** That should be uplifting for all young people and inspiring all people like myself and youngsters to say that’s Shaun Bailey, he was from round here, he used to walk up and down these streets, now look at him.” — Mutaz Mentored by Shaun “Shaun Bailey’s Fresh Start Plan means safer streets, more affordable homes, and a transport network fit for a global city. I’m delighted to back Shaun Bailey for Mayor of London - and I look forward to working with him this May.” — Rishi Sunak Chancellor of the Exchequer “Shaun is different to any politician I’ve seen. He doesn’t read from a script. He doesn’t play political games. He’s stared down discrimination. He’s not afraid to speak out about the challenges we face.” — Rakhia Ismail Former Labour Mayor of Islington “Throughout his life, Shaun Bailey has shown his commitment to London. Helping young people get out of crime. **Helping to improve relations between police and under-represented communities.** Helping to make this a better city for our children. He’ll show that same commitment as Mayor. That’s why I’m backing Shaun Bailey for Mayor of London.” — Boris Johnson Prime Minister Conservatives Promoted by Julian Walden on behalf of Shaun Bailey and the London Conservative Candidates, all at 4 Matthew Parker Street, SW1H 9HQ. Printed by Paragon, 16-18 Finsbury Circus, London EC2M 7EB