--- election_year: 2021 party_id: libdem party_name: Liberal Democrats party_leader: Luisa Porritt political_spectrum: centre victory: false government_outcome: opposition sections: - economy - taxation - health - education - housing - immigration - foreign-policy - environment - transport - law-and-order - welfare - democracy-and-constitution - energy - science-and-technology - local-government --- # Liberal Democrats London Mayoral Manifesto 2021 HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. **TAKE** **LONDON** **FORWARD** **Luisa Porritt** _for Mayor of London_ HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. Liberal Democrats CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. CLEAN AIR. JOBS. HOMES. C # CONTENTS ## Forewords 4 ## Our manifesto at a glance 8 ## Jobs 10 ### Reinvent our high streets 11 ### London Apprenticeships Hub 11 ### Fight for small businesses 12 ### Flexible travel cards 12 ### Superfast broadband 13 ### Creative arts and culture 13 ### Universal Basic Income 14 ## Homes 15 ### London Housing Company 16 ### Convert empty offices into homes 16 ### Stand up for renters 17 ### Action on the cladding scandal 17 ### End homelessness 18 ## Clean air 19 ### Scrap the polluting Silvertown Tunnel 20 ### Invest in clean, green public transport 20 ### Free bikes on Sundays 20 ### Support more cycling and walking 21 ### Green the bus fleet 21 ### Accessible transport for all 22 ### Fairer pay-as-you-go road charging 22 ### Rewild London 23 ## Safer streets 24 ### Community policing 25 ### London Youth Service 25 ### A police service not a police force 26 ### Legalise cannabis 26 ## London at the heart of Europe 28 ### A London Passport for EU citizens 29 ### Fight for a better trade deal 29 ### Stay close to Europe 29 ## Community 31 ### Champion London’s LGBTQ+ community 32 ### An anti-racist city 32 ### Ending violence against women and girls 33 ### Listen to Londoners 33 ### London Wellbeing Strategy 34 ## Acknowledgements 35 ## Dear Londoner For too many in our city, life can be difficult. Even before the pandemic, things weren’t right. **Jobs. Homes. Clean Air.** These are three basic needs - **and we’re being let down on all three.** London is at a crucial moment. With the impact of Covid-19, Brexit and the climate emergency we need big ideas and urgent action to rise to the challenges ahead of us. The Liberal Democrat plan to **Take London Forward** does just that. It’s an exciting vision of London that **embraces change**. There is no building ‘back’, only looking forward. From increased online shopping to more people working from home, these are trends that will change London forever. The Liberal Democrat plan sees these changes as an opportunity. From reinventing our local high streets, to converting offices in to affordable homes, to making it easy to choose a greener way to travel. Our plan sets out how London can have an exciting future with **decent local jobs, affordable homes and clean air to breathe.** The current Mayor, **Sadiq Khan, has let us down**. He has failed to deliver on so many of the promises he made five years ago. Instead of fighting this election on his track record, his only offer to voters is that he isn’t the Conservative candidate. But London is a liberal city - **the Conservatives can’t win here.** So if you think it’s time for new ideas for London, vote for a Mayor with a plan for the future and a strong team at City Hall. Vote Liberal Democrat on all three ballot papers this May and together let’s **Take London Forward**. Luisa Porritt Liberal Democrat for Mayor of London Dear Londoner AsIwritethisletter,thelatestfigurespublished showthat14,971Londonershavelosttheirlives toCovid-19. Forallthosefamiliesandfriendsgoingthrough suchterriblegrief,wemustlearnfromthe pandemic.Wemustbuildonthememoriesofthose Londonerstocreatesomethingbetterandbrighterfor allourfutures. IhavebeenaLondonAssemblyMemberfor13yearsandIknowthe differenceLondon’sgovernmentcanmake.IknowthattheseLondon electionsarethemostimportantwehaveeverhadbecausetheyare abouthowwerecoverfromCovid-19andshapethefutureofourcity. TheMayorhasrealpowers-whenitcomestotheeconomy,homesandthe environment.AndweneedastrongLondonAssemblyTeamatCityHall pushingforbigideasandurgentaction. IwantaLondonwhereeveryonegrowingupcanbreathecleanair,where theyhaveadecenthometoliveinwithspacetodotheirhomework,and wheretherearegreatapprenticeshipandjobopportunitiesforall. IfyouvoteLiberalDemocratonallthreeballotpapers,youwillhave LiberalDemocratsatCityHallmakingthathappen. Caroline Pidgeon AM MBE LiberalDemocratLondonAssemblyMember 5 ## Luisa Porritt and the Liberal Democrat team for the London Assembly From left to right: Gareth Roberts; Joyce Onstad; Hina Bokhari; Luisa Porritt; Caroline Pidgeon; Rob Blackie. # Our manifesto at a glance ## Jobs Reinvent the high street London Apprenticeships Hub Support for small businesses ## Clean air Green the bus fleet Free bikes every Sunday Rewild London ## Homes Establish the London Housing Company Convert empty offices to homes Stand up for renters ## Safer streets Community policing London Youth Service Restore trust Mayoral Candidate Luisa Porritt and London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon have a plan to reinvent the high street ## Jobs London’s economy has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve lost more jobs than anywhere else in the country and our youngest workers have seen the sharpest rise in unemployment. On top of this damage, big changes to the way our economy works have been sped up by the pandemic. Online shopping is more popular than ever and businesses are preparing for a future where people work from home two or three days a week. Our recovery won’t be a success unless it takes into consideration how these big changes will impact our city. From fewer retail shops and offices, to more people spending time in their local area and less time in central London. We have to adapt. The Liberal Democrats believe London is at its best when it embraces change and our plan for jobs does just that. ## Reinvent our high streets With people spending more time locally, we can breathe new life into London’s high streets. By no longer relying solely on retail, we can introduce new services that local people want from co-working hubs, to affordable childcare and more places to eat and drink after work. Liberal Democrat controlled Sutton Council is already leading the way on this. They have taken ownership of buildings, created new leisure spaces and introduced hybrid units where council services are combined in the same building as a cafe. We want the same for the rest of London, making our high streets thriving places at the heart of our communities again. A Liberal Democrat Mayor will establish a Reinvent The High Street Taskforce to: * Showcase best practice and case studies * Gather data about occupancy levels and demand * Support boroughs with fundraising bids from Central Government and to leverage private investment * Provide technical support to councils to develop and execute ambitious visions ## London Apprenticeships Hub The unemployment rate is rising fastest among 16- to 24-year-olds. And yet, just 8% of London businesses employ an apprentice. If we don’t act now, we risk a lost generation. Modern apprenticeships can offer skills training and a pathway into a wide range of professions, from chefs to bricklayers to financial analysts. But the Government’s schemes, from the Apprenticeship Levy to Kickstart, have been too difficult for smaller businesses to access. Our London Apprenticeships Hub will offer **technical support to businesses** to help unlock more apprenticeships and create a **platform for young Londoners** to find those opportunities for skills training and work. For instance, many larger businesses have unspent Apprenticeship Levy funds that can be made available to smaller businesses lower down the supply chain. City Hall can help raise awareness of this problem, identify the potential to create more opportunities and support more businesses to help young people into work. ## Fight for small businesses Liberal Democrats believe small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and the heart of our community. But the Government has failed to properly support London’s small businesses and self-employed workers throughout the pandemic. Debts have mounted up and thousands of pubs, restaurants and high street shops are at risk of going bust before the recovery begins. Liberal Democrats, across the country, are campaigning for a **rent relief fund to help small businesses** clear the debts they piled up during the pandemic through no fault of their own. We will fight for an extension to business rates relief as well as long term reform to the rates system. We will continue to stand up for the million excluded workers, who are still without any financial support at all from the Government during the pandemic. ## Flexible travel cards While it’s clear the past year has shown us that people want and need in-person interaction in the workplace, it has also proven that spending some time working from home is possible. For many Londoners, that means the daily commute is dead. With much of the modern workforce only heading into the office for part of the week, our travel card system needs updating so that a seven-day weekly pass isn’t the smallest travelcard on offer. The Liberal Democrats will introduce **flexible travel cards** so that part-time commuters can opt for a discounted four-day-a-week pass. This will save flexible workers up to £520 a year and encourage users back onto the public transport network. ## Superfast broadband London is at its best when it is cutting edge, leading the world on technology and innovation. That’s why a Liberal Democrat Mayor will be a champion for the rapid rollout of gigabit broadband and 5G. City Hall can play an important role in the rollout by hardwiring superfast broadband connectivity into the planning strategy of the capital and making better use of the underground and public buildings to create a fibre network. Liberal Democrats understand that the changing nature of work requires strong connectivity in new places, so we will work with providers to **enable the rollout of free access on the tube network and in London’s high streets.** ## Creative arts and culture London’s culture and arts scene is the envy of the world. But after the double-whammy impact of Brexit and the pandemic, we will need urgent action to keep it that way. From day one, the **Liberal Democrats** would seed fund the creation of **flexible, outdoor performance spaces across London** - from local high streets to central London locations - to maximise the potential for safe, socially distanced events. Brexit threatens not only the potential of London artists being able to kick start their careers on the continent, but is also set to cut back our usually diverse festival lineups. So Luisa Porritt will continue to **campaign to secure visa-free travel for touring artists** across Europe. The Liberal Democrats are committed to improving inclusion and diversity in the arts. To make sure our thriving arts scene is accessible to all, we will: * Support local artists in underrepresented communities with targeted grants * Create dedicated spaces for London’s LGBTQ+ community * Fund free ticket giveaways to West End shows for young people from low-income families ## Universal Basic Income We've seen during the pandemic how fragile many people's financial circumstances are, especially in London where, even before Covid-19 hit, close to a third of people lived in poverty. With many falling through the gaps during the pandemic, it's clearer than ever that our welfare system is not good enough. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a system that provides automatic income support to ensure people can afford basic necessities like food and household bills. It is a liberal scheme, enabling people to take control of their own lives and make career decisions without the risk of going without food or losing the roof over their head. The Liberal Democrats support London being first in the queue to trial **Universal Basic Income**, to see if our capital can repeat the success of trials that have happened in other places like Finland. Luisa will back small and local businesses Luisa has big ideas to fix the housing crisis ## Homes Everyone deserves a quality and affordable place to live, but for too long shoddy and expensive housing has become the norm. Council home waiting lists are full, young renters pay a fortune to share cramped accommodation, owning a home has become a pipe dream, and far too many Londoners find themselves sleeping on the street. Despite having five years and record-breaking grants from the Government, Sadiq Khan has only started to build just under half of the homes he promised. More of the same won’t fix our housing crisis. The Liberal Democrat plan promises big ideas and urgent action to finally get a grip on this crisis and deliver the homes Londoners so desperately need. ## London Housing Company The Liberal Democrats will set up a **London Housing Company** to take control of delivering the homes we need directly, and reinvest any profits back into genuinely affordable homes. The **City Hall backed developer** will be a new player in London’s housing market and will take an active role in shaping it by: * Bringing empty homes and offices back into use * Maximising use of public land * Driving forward the Affordable Homes Programme * Raising revenue to build out sites of its own To ensure the City Hall developer is a success, City Hall will work with leading development experts to recruit and run the organisation according to industry best standards. No more desperate deals with developers, it’s time to take control of delivering the homes we need. ## Convert empty offices into homes Employees want the flexibility of working some days a week from home and employers now see the benefits too. That’s the new reality businesses and individuals are planning for. In the coming years, we’ll have more empty office space come onto the market than ever before. This is a generational opportunity. We must seize the agenda and challenge ourselves to **convert this office space into quality, affordable, zero-carbon homes**. If they can do it in Rotterdam, we can do it here too. One of the first tasks of the London Housing Company will be to commission a study into the size of that opportunity. In Paris, a recent study revealed 40% of businesses moving to two days a week of homeworking would mean a 30% reduction in office space - that’s over three million square metres coming back onto the market. Just imagine what we could do with a fraction of that space here in London. The Mayor must lead the way, setting high standards on quality and strong demands on affordability. ## Stand up for renters Constantly having to move home, expensive rents, bad landlords that won’t fix the basic things going wrong and living spaces removed to make way for money-spinning bedrooms. This is the norm for renters in London. It shouldn’t be. There is no quick fix to our housing crisis. We simply have to build more homes. But in the meanwhile, **the Mayor must be a champion for renters** - fighting for their rights and taking action on rogue landlords. As Mayor, Luisa Porritt would introduce a London-wide licensing scheme to regulate private landlords in the capital. We will also encourage longer tenancies through model tenancy agreements, and support Liberal Democrats in Parliament fighting to change the law to end **Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.** ## Action on the cladding scandal Liberal Democrats are clear: leaseholders should not pay to fix fire safety defects that aren’t their fault. While the fight continues against the Conservative Government in Parliament, there is more the Mayor of London can do to support cladding victims and prevent future scandals in the capital. As Mayor, Luisa Porritt will introduce three leaseholder lifelines: * Ban developers that have failed to take action on building safety defects from the Mayor’s housing contracts * Introduce a public fire safety risk register * Establish a fire safety victims’ support line ## End homelessness Having a decent roof over your head is a human right. Good quality housing should be as available as running water. No one should be rough sleeping on London’s streets. Luisa and the **Liberal Democrats** will introduce a **Housing First** approach to homelessness - where a roof over your head is a right, not subject to any other conditions. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we can get people off the streets with enough political will. Finland’s experience with the Housing First approach has shown that having a home is the starting point needed to resolve other complex needs. There is a growing crisis in youth homelessness and **young people** must have **24/7, all-year-round** access to shelter. London Assembly candidate Hina Bokhari and Luisa Porritt are standing up for victims of the cladding scandal Luisa has a plan for a cleaner transport system and greener buildings Clean air London must play its part in tackling the global climate emergency. Cities are uniquely well placed to rise to this challenge. Buildings and transport use are two of the biggest polluters, and we have plenty of both. As Londoners know too well, cities are especially badly impacted - with our polluted air causing more than 9,000 premature deaths per year, breathing problems and stunting children’s growth. The Liberal Democrat green recovery plan is all about cleaning up our air in a way that supports our economy and is fair to everyone. ## Scrap the polluting Silvertown Tunnel Sadiq Khan is pressing ahead with a £2 billion polluting road project, the Silvertown Tunnel, harming East and South East London. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s because it is the Mayor’s dirty little secret - not mentioned in his 2016 manifesto or his bid for re-election in 2021. No major road project has ever successfully reduced traffic. After a while, it just adds more cars to the roads and pollution problems get worse. The Liberal Democrats believe the Silvertown Tunnel is incompatible with the aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and won’t even achieve its stated aim of reducing congestion. **We commit to scrapping it and investing in clean, green public transport instead.** ## Invest in clean, green public transport The pandemic has cast into doubt a whole series of much-needed infrastructure projects by Transport for London (TfL). By scrapping the Silvertown Tunnel and raising revenue through a new smart road charging scheme, the Liberal Democrats have a plan to put TfL finances back on a stable footing. We will recommit to clean, green public transport projects. That includes pushing ahead with Crossrail Two, the extension of the Bakerloo Line and contributing more towards the repair of Hammersmith Bridge. ### Free bikes on Sundays The Liberal Democrats will make the Santander **cycle hire scheme free to use every Sunday** for a year. It will encourage Londoners to take up cycling and attract more visitors into central London at a time when international visitors are down. We will also commit to the **biggest extension of the cycle hire scheme** since it began, working with all neighbouring boroughs to expand the network and reach more potential commuters. ### Support more cycling and walking The Liberal Democrat plan to Take London Forward means it will be easier for Londoners to make greener travel choices. By backing the move towards flexible working and providing more of what people need on their doorstep, more journeys can be made by bike and on foot. We will **double expenditure on cycle infrastructure by 2024** and support people to take up the habit through encouraging take-up of the Cycle to Work scheme and more safe cycle parking. To make our city more walkable, Liberal Democrats have long supported the **pedestrianisation of Oxford Street** and the partial pedestrianisation of Parliament Square. We also want to connect more of the capital’s walking routes up, and will fund the **creation of a Green Walking Network**. This includes mapping all of London's existing walks as well as linking up walks with green spaces. ### Green the bus fleet London’s buses are world famous, but when it comes to converting them to environmentally friendly models we are lagging well behind. The current Mayor has failed hopelessly: only 4% of London’s buses are zero-carbon. Worse still, the Mayor’s target is to get to 100% by 2037 - a full 16 years away. The Liberal Democrats will **fast-track the greening of the fleet**, ensuring all London’s buses are electric or hydrogen by 2028. We will prioritise buses that predominantly serve Red Routes, where some of London’s poorest residents suffer from the highest rates of pollution. ## Accessible transport for all We need to make it easier for all Londoners to make greener travel choices, that means making it accessible for all Londoners. Under the current Mayor, progress on step-free access has been slow and Transport for London (TfL) currently have no plans for step-free schemes beyond next year. Liberal Democrats are committed to making at least another **15 stations step-free by 2024**. We will also ensure that all platforms have tactile paving installed. Liberal Democrats remain opposed to the Conservative Government’s plans to end free travel for young people. We are also committed to protecting the 60+ Oyster card and removing the current limits on its use. ## Fairer pay-as-you-go road charging London should be the first city in the country to pioneer a **smart, fair and privacy friendly pay-as-you-go road charging scheme.** London currently has a complex web of road charging schemes, from the Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to Sadiq Khan’s proposal for an outer London Boundary Charge. These flat-rate charges mean that a delivery driver making dozens of journeys a day pays the same as a resident making a single visit to a family member in one of the current Mayor’s zones. This is not fair and is not helping the battle to clean up our air. A smarter pay-as-you-go scheme will charge according to distance covered, number of journeys made, pollution levels and contribution to congestion. An inclusive and London-wide public consultation will help set a fair pricing scheme and decide on exemptions and discounts for things like special needs or volunteering. London needs a road charging scheme fit for the future. The Liberal Democrats will deliver it. ## Rewild London The Liberal Democrats have a plan to rewild thousands of spaces across London, from green roofs to more public parks. London is currently lagging behind major cities, like Copenhagen and Chicago, on the introduction of green roofs. Others cover more space with smaller populations. The Liberal Democrats will introduce a **Green Every Roof** policy. This will mean new requirements on all new commercial and large- scale residential buildings, with incentives provided through the business rates system for retrofitting projects. Green roofs will clean up our air, lower energy bills, create green jobs and introduce a beautiful new theme to London’s skyline. The Liberal Democrats are also committed to **creating 10 more parks in London**, cementing our status as the city of parks. Sadiq Khan promised to plant two million trees in London. But just 10% of those trees have been planted. The Liberal Democrats will take tree planting seriously and take action to protect mature trees too. London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon and Luisa Porritt will keep free travel for young people Luisa will bring back proper community policing and set up a London Youth Service ## Safer streets London should be safe for everyone who lives here. But far too many Londoners don’t feel safe to walk our streets. We need a return to proper community policing. For young people at risk of being lured into violent crime, we need better prevention and intervention. Without Londoner’s basic needs being addressed - decent jobs, affordable homes - the chances of people turning to crime goes up. While the decimation of our youth centres across the capital means that many chances for young people to be turned away from the wrong path has disappeared. For women harassed and attacked on the street, we need to root out misogyny from our society. The Liberal Democrat plan for safer streets understands the need for the Mayor to work with many stakeholders, from the police to central Government to schools, to make our vision a reality. ## Community policing In too many areas in our city, we lack a visible police presence and don’t expect the police to respond to incidents of crime quickly. While in other parts, communities feel over-policed and under-protected. Both erode confidence in the police, make it harder for officers to do their jobs properly and make many Londoners feel less safe. We must **bring back proper community policing**, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people. The current Mayor has closed half the police stations in London. We will call a **moratorium on police station closures** and look to reopen as many of the over 30 closed police stations as communities demand. We will also seek to **double the number of dedicated ward officers** across the capital, with an ambition for every neighbourhood to have at least four police officers by 2024. ## London Youth Service The Liberal Democrats will **establish** a **London Youth Service** to help coordinate and improve access to activities for young people after school. After the school bell goes and before parents are home from work is when so many young people tragically fall prey to serious violence – either as a victim or perpetrator. The UK needs a statutory youth service and the Liberal Democrats will fight for the government to provide it. In the meantime, City Hall can act as a coordinating body to bring the disjointed funds and pockets of valuable work together. The London Youth Service will work borough-by-borough to unite community halls, faith groups, sports clubs, night clubs, libraries, empty shops on high streets, theatres, businesses, as well as schools themselves, under one umbrella to provide a comprehensive programme of after-school activities. ### A police service not a police force Liberal Democrats understand that the police are held back from building trust with certain communities because of some of the culture and practices of the Metropolitan Police. A Black person is nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than a White person. Under Section 60, where officers can stop and search people without suspicion, a Black Londoner is almost 50 times more likely to be stopped than a White Londoner. Facial recognition technology also disproportionately and unfairly impacts people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. Liberal Democrats would **end the use of Section 60 suspicionless stop and search and block the rollout of facial recognition technology.** The police service also needs to be far better at recruitment of Black and Asian police officers. Sadiq Khan promised that 40% of new recruits would be Black or Asian but in the latest round of recruitment just 3% of new recruits were Black. The police must represent all Londoners. Restorative justice, where criminals and victims come together, should be the norm. Liberal Democrats will ensure victims can really be heard, and work towards a restorative city. ### Legalise cannabis Liberal Democrats have long campaigned to take cannabis out of the hands of criminal gangs and protect people by introducing a legal, regulated market for cannabis. The UK’s outdated cannabis laws are causing harm. Cannabis is freely available and widely used, while criminal drugs gangs are doing enormous damage to our communities and the lives of young people. Without any controls on quality or strength, the product they sell is becoming ever more potent and harmful to both physical and mental health. Liberal Democrats will encourage the Metropolitan Police to use the discretion it has available to effectively **decriminalise** the **possession of cannabis** and campaign for a legal, regulated market for cannabis. Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey and Luisa Porritt are fighting to reopen neighbourhood police stations closed by the Mayor Luisa was a Member of the European Parliament and will continue to stand up for London’s place at the heart of Europe ## London at the heart of Europe Luisa Porritt will use her experience as a former Member of the European Parliament to protect and celebrate our EU citizens and make sure London has the closest possible relationship with our European partners. ## A London Passport for EU citizens Over one million EU citizens are Londoners and this great city belongs to all of us. We will stand up for EU citizens’ rights by continuing to lobby the Government at all levels for an automatic right to remain. In the absence of that protection from national Government, Liberal Democrats at City Hall will step in and offer EU citizens the opportunity to convert their digital status into a physical card. This ‘London Passport’ will help EU citizens provide the proof they need to assure employers and landlords across the capital of their right to remain. ## Fight for a better trade deal Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case to the Government to join the Single Market and Customs Union. That includes restoring freedom of movement with EU countries - London’s industries rely on it. The Government’s botched Brexit deal has cut off access to European markets for many of London’s businesses. While our services sector, which makes up more than 90% of London’s economy, is still without the clarity and agreement it needs. Luisa Porritt will use her knowledge of European Union institutions and the relationships she built as a Member of the European Parliament to **champion a better trade deal with the EU for Londoners**. ## Stay close to Europe The UK may have left the European Union, but we are still a European country and London is still very much a European city. The Liberal Democrats fought passionately to remain in the EU and will do everything we can to keep London close to Europe. To celebrate and enhance our cultural and economic ties with our closest neighbours, Liberal Democrats will work with each London borough to twin it with at least one European region. We will also apply for **London to join The Assembly of European Regions (AER)** - the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Much of this manifesto has been built on the experience of other major cities around the world and the Liberal Democrats will continue to draw on inspiration from the global community. The AER will provide a formal forum for London to continue to exchange experiences and share best practices with its European neighbours. Luisa and London Assembly candidate Rob Blackie will give EU citizens a ‘London Passport’ as physical proof of their right to remain London is a liberal city and Luisa will stand up for London’s values ## Community London is a liberal city. We pride ourselves on being an open and welcoming place to all. The Mayor of London has an important role to play in ensuring that those liberal values are always upheld and that our capital remains a diverse and inclusive city. The Liberal Democrats will always stand up for London’s communities. ## Champion London’s LGBTQ+ community As Mayor, Luisa Porritt will continue to be a proud ally to the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate London as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities on the planet. That means: * Delivering Pride events such as UK Black Pride and Pride in London * Ensuring the police are responsive to LGBTQ+ needs, including action on reported hate crimes * Defend and extend trans rights by pushing the Government to reform the Gender Recognition Act * Back London’s fabulous LGBTQ+ nightlife scene, with support for community listing of key venues * Support for LGBTQ+ focused businesses and voluntary organisations ## An anti-racist city London’s diversity is its greatest strength. Liberal Democrats are determined to tackle racism in all its forms - from prejudice against Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities, to Islamophobia and antisemitism, to the worrying rise in hate crimes against European citizens and London’s Chinese community. The Black Lives Matter protests made clear structural racism still exists in British society. In the *Safer Streets* section, we outlined the ways in which police culture and practices need to change. This includes **ending the use of Section 60 suspicionless stop and search** and **blocking the rollout of facial recognition technology**. Our city’s history must be inclusive. So we will build on the work of Lambeth Liberal Democrats, who proposed scrapping wards named after slave traders and introducing a new Brixton Windrush ward, by reviewing place and street names across the capital. Liberal Democrats will work with businesses, voluntary and community organisations as well as borough councils to do all we can to ensure London is a proudly anti-racist city. ## Ending violence against women and girls The tragic death of Sarah Everard sparked another national conversation about how to end violence against women and girls. But all too quickly, politicians turned to talk of tougher policing, suggesting plain clothes officers in nightclubs were the answer. Women don’t need their lives policed, they need men to change their attitudes and behaviour so that they are treated as equals. As Mayor of London, Luisa Porritt will use her unique voice as our capital’s first female Mayor to lead the fight to end misogyny. Using the Mayor’s influence over central and local government as well as the direct powers of City Hall. We will: * Appoint a **Women’s Board**, made up of survivors and key women’s stakeholder groups, to hold the Mayor to account on its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and develop new policies to be implemented by City Hall * Improve **training and accountability for police** handling of reports made by women * Work with borough councils to improve **sex education** in schools, including educating boys about respect, consent and healthy relationships * Continue the Liberal Democrat campaign to ensure **free travel** for women fleeing domestic abuse on Transport for London and London Rail services * Press the Government to pass the **Domestic Abuse Bill**, including amendments to support all women regardless of their immigration status and introduce a Domestic Abuses Register * Continue the campaign to make **misogyny a hate crime** in the courts ## Listen to Londoners London is a city of 600 neighbourhoods, each with its own local community and unique identity. Liberal Democrats understand that change shouldn’t happen to local communities - but with them. That’s why a Liberal Democrat Mayor would be the first to **publish a Statement of Community Involvement.** A promise to Londoners that there will be proper community engagement and participation in all planning decisions in the capital. Any consultation needs to happen early, be sustained throughout the process, reach all Londoners and understand the specific context of the local community. It must also be a transparent and well-funded process, so Londoners are clear on how they can have their say and know that their voice will be listened to. As well as the new Statement of Community Involvement, **we will establish a “Good Developer” accreditation scheme** - awarded to developers that engage properly with local communities and deliver good quality projects in line with the community's expectations. ## London Wellbeing Strategy If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need to do more to support peoples’ wellbeing. The Liberal Democrats will introduce the Mayor’s first ever **London Wellbeing Strategy** that will seek to: * Widen access to high-quality mental health and other health services * Support community services that tackle loneliness and prevent isolation * Work with borough councils to introduce counsellors in every school * Develop new tracking metrics to enable Wellbeing Budgets at City Hall From left to right: Gareth Roberts; Hina Bokhari; Rob Blackie; Luisa Porritt; Kate Pothalingham; Joyce Onstad; Caroline Pidgeon; Irina Von Wiese; Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett ## Acknowledgements The London Liberal Democrats are proud to have signed up to support the manifestos of Age UK, Choked Up UK, Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Small Businesses, Friends of the Earth, London Chamber of Commerce, London Cycling Campaign, Living Streets, Mums for Lungs, and many other excellent London organisations. We will work with charities, businesses, councils, and communities to take London forward with big ideas and urgent action. With real leadership and Londoners working together, anything is possible. Help us to Take London Forward at www.luisa4london.co.uk by joining the Liberal Democrat campaign for jobs, homes and clean air. Published and promoted by A Cunliffe on behalf of the Liberal Democrats of 6 Melbourne Close, Ickenham, UB10 8SL. Printed by The Color Company, 1 Curzon Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5HD.