Ahead of Londoners going to the polls this Thursday, Green Party candidate for Mayor of London Sian Berry has put forward her priorities for putting her manifesto into action.
Today, Sian has outlined the first ten mayoral decisions which she will make, should she be elected. These will put plans into action on her key policy areas of housing, transport and the environment.
The ten mayoral decisions to give London a new start are as follows:
1. Begin drafting a Bill for Parliament to give more powers to London under section 77 of the GLA Act 1999, working with councils, the City of London and London MPs, and the newly elected Mayors of other city regions. This Bill will include the power to control rents in London
2. Create a team to develop a Bank for London.
3. Set up a GLA research project team to trial a basic income in London, and to bring in partnership funding to boost initial funding of £60 million.
4. Create and advertise the post of Elders Champion within City Hall.
5. Proceed with the immediate cancellation of the Silvertown Road Tunnel project.
6. Confirm the expansion of the ULEZ clean air zone to the north and south circular roads, and start consultation on expanding it to the whole of London in 2022.
7. Commission work to develop a new London-wide fair, smart, emissions-based, privacy-friendly road-charging scheme, for consultation before the end of 2021.
8. Set a new target for a zero carbon transport system in London by 2030 and commission work to plan for this.
9. Make 20 mph the default speed limit on all Transport for London roads (red routes) where there is a pavement.
10. Arrange a summit with the private Train Operating Companies that serve London on the national rail network to discuss flattening the fare zones and making joint approaches to Government about long-term resilience in funding.
Polling puts Greens on track for another record result this election, with projections suggesting that a third Green Assembly member could be elected to City Hall. In the last election, Sian came third place, with the most second preferences of any candidate.
During the final days of the campaign trail, Sian will be visiting campaigners on the ground, who are talking with Londoners about the plans that Greens are ready to put into action to transform our city.
Today, Sian will be campaigning in Highbury, where Greens have a history of effectively challenging Labour. Local constituency candidate for the London Assembly Caroline Russell was re-elected as a Councillor to Islington Council in 2018 with the most votes of any candidate in the ward.
Sian Berry says:
“Londoners are crying out for a new start, and I am ready to put the Green Party’s detailed manifesto and positive plans for recovery into action from day one if you vote for them on Thursday.
“We have got fresh thinking for housing, a clear plan to keep London moving, and a mission to transform our economy and create the greenest city in the world – but we can only get there with a real Green Mayor.
“After five years on the Assembly working hard to get some of the policies from my 2016 manifesto into the programme of the current Mayor, I am ready to start work on day one. My first ten mayoral decisions will give London a new start from the first day a new Green Mayor steps into City Hall.
“More and more Londoners know that the fair voting system – with two votes for Mayor and a proportional vote for the Assembly – means that Londoners can put me as their first preference for Mayor without risk and know that every vote on the Londonwide Assembly ballot will elect more Greens in City Hall.
“Green Mayors are being elected all across Europe, rolling up their sleeves, and getting on with the work of delivering a real green recovery. We can have that in London too, if Londoners vote Green on Thursday.”
