Serious solutions for London
A vote for Brian Paddick and for the Liberal Democrat Assembly Team on May 1st will deliver serious solutions for London in a new type of administration where Londoners, not the politicians, are put first.
Former senior police officer Brian Paddick is the best choice for Mayor. He has already spent thirty years fighting crime and working with local communities right across London.
Every Londoner will be safer
Brian Paddick has promised to deliver a 5% cut in crime every year. Where Mayor Livingstone has failed to come anywhere near his aim to cut crime by 50% over the last four years, Brian will be held accountable - if he doesn’t reach his target to cut crime after four years, he won’t stand again for Mayor.
Brian Paddick will personally chair the Police Authority to lead the drive to get knives and guns off the streets in London. We will act to stop the closure of small police stations in the capital - we need a strong police presence in our communities. We will lead a major drive to rebuild community spirit across the capital - bringing Londoners and the police together to make our streets safer.
Every Londoner will have a cleaner environment
Brian Paddick and the Liberal Democrats will make London the greenest capital in Europe. We will protect London’s green and open spaces from greedy developers. We will launch a new scheme with London Councils to plant thousands of new trees in a drive to develop and restore the character of high streets, markets, squares and open spaces across the capital. We will work with councils across London so that every London resident has access to the best recycling services. By cutting congestion on our roads, we will cut carbon emissions and improve air quality for all.
The worst emissions in crowded city centres are caused by stationary or slow-moving traffic. We will review the number of traffic lights in the Central Zone, and use the new powers to act firmly against utilities with better coordination of road works.
We oppose the current Mayor’s plan to allow DVLA Band B vehicles into the congestion charge zone for free as it will increase congestion – and therefore pollution.
We oppose the current Mayor’s LEZ scheme which Transport for London admits will only deliver an 0.3% improvement in air quality across Greater London and has cost £57 million to set up and will cost £10.7 million a year to operate. We will consider adapting the technology already installed to facilitate a perimeter congestion charge to reduce polluting congestion on Red Routes during the morning peak period.
Every Londoner will have better transport
We will improve London’s overcrowded public transport and increase the reliability of Tube and bus services and bring forward a comprehensive plan to get London moving within three months.
A top priority will be to improve bus services across the capital especially in those areas outside the tube network to ease congestion and overcrowding. We will allow unlimited changes of bus within an hour for the price of one journey on an Oyster card.
We will also introduce new measures to make transport safer for all. A new cross-river tram project linking south and north London will transform central London’s transport, and will be supplemented by an ultra-light rail tramway from Oxford Street to Stratford and one from Waterloo to Deptford.
New bike and car hire schemes will be introduced in every locality. Students of all ages will get free travel on public transport.
London Underground Limited is part of the problem with our transport system with its record of fifty years of failure: endless delays, cancellations, signal failures and strikes.
Therefore Liberal Democrats want to run the tube like every other form of public transport run by the Mayor and Transport for London (buses, DLR, North London Line): through the “concession model” where Transport for London sets the fares and service standards and takes the fare box, and a contractor is paid a fee to deliver the service.
For more information on aspects of transport, you can read Brian’s full transport manifesto and black cab manifesto.
Every Londoner will benefit from better housing
The lack of affordable housing near where Londoners work keeps people off the housing ladder and contributes to congestion on the roads and overcrowding on public transport.
We will take urgent action to turn London’s 83,580 empty properties into sustainable homes at affordable rents. We will negotiate the release of surplus public sector land to form new community land trusts, providing long-term low-rent housing without the need to build on London’s precious green spaces.
We will conduct a war on the problem of homelessness - this has no place in a modern London.
We will make sure that communities across London have a real say on housing developments in their area.
Every Londoner will get value for money
Brian Paddick will keep the Mayor’s contribution to our council tax bills down by cutting waste at City Hall to get better value for taxpayers’ money. Ken Livingstone has increased his precept by over 150% since he became Mayor, while spending more on press officers than the Prime Minister.
Every Londoner will see a new London Government
Brian Paddick will be the listening Mayor of London and will hold regular public meetings where people can come and ask Brian questions. As Mayor, Brian Paddick will end the cronyism under the current Mayor by making the Mayor’s cabinet directly elected by London Assembly members. Brian Paddick will work closely with councils, community leaders and ordinary Londoners to deliver the changes our city needs.
Like to find out more?
You can download our full ‘Contract for London’ manifesto here.
