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February 2012 - Le Nurb FEATURES
Boris - “I Love Brunel” The man, the plan, the saviour! Peter Smallwood As Mayor of London, Boris’ focus on improving people’s lives has brought about long overdue improvements to transport, increased police numbers, reduced crime and kept the cost of living down - while investing in new opportunities for London’s future. This has had benefits for Londoners from all walks of life with the creation of new opportunities through the apprenticeship program, freezing City Hall’s share of council tax for a fourth consecutive year, and growing local economies through the Mayor’s Outer London Fund. Boris has been committed to moving the capital forward, making it a better place to both work and live. But, it is important to appreciate the city Boris Johnson inherited in 2008. When Boris was elected, Londoners were tired of Ken Livingstone’s Mayoralty, which was riddled with divisiveness and cronyism. They were tired of his record of rising crime, record hikes in Mayoral council tax, a transport system that could not cope because of underinvestment, lack of housing, green spaces under threat - and they were worried about preparations for the 2012 Olympics. Boris promised to work day and night to turn things around, and in the last four years he has delivered on that promise. Understandably, transport is a central concern for thousands of Londoners who depend on public transport every day of the year. For years, Londoners suffered because of a lack of investment
by Ken Livingstone, preventing overdue upgrades to the transport network and restricting services across the capital. Since becoming Mayor, Boris has made investing in transport key to growing the economy and he has won significant investment to keep London moving in the right direction. Services that have made travel easier for passengers have been protected, and in places expanded with London’s first orbital rail, London Overground and the construction of Crossrail, and hundreds of bus routes expanded and/or improved. Safety on transport has also improved, with Tube crime down by 11%, bus crime reduced by 30% and violence on buses has fallen by 21%. Safety goes beyond London’s transport; during the 2008 election Boris promised to deliver a safer city by putting more police officers on local streets and combat youth violence, after Ken Livingstone allowed crime to steadily increase - with 27 youths murdered in May 2007. Boris has cut crime over 10% since May 2008, with robberies down 16.9%. 11,000 knives have been taken off the streets and murders are at their lowest level since 1978. Additionally, by May there will be 1,000 more police officers on the street and a more visible, more approachable police force, thanks to the introduction of single patrolling, which has created one million more patrols annually. These improvements have come while keeping Londoners’ costs in check. To keep the cost of living down, Boris has frozen City Hall’s share of council tax for three consecutive years, and is set to cut the tax in 2012. This has saved every London household over £445 when compared to Ken
Livingstone’s continuous rises – increasing 153% over eight years. And Boris is helping to stimulate local economies through his £50 million Outer London Fund to support the capital’s High Streets and small businesses. Opportunity has always been a key to London’s success, and while investing in transport and keeping the cost of living down, Boris has also prioritised the creation of new opportunities for Londoners. Boris partnered with local businesses to create more youth employment opportunities, with over 40,000 new apprenticeships already established and 100,000 apprenticeships to be reached by the end of 2012. Boris also started his Team London programme to mobilise an army of volunteers across the capital, improving life
through programmes aimed at reducing crime, increasing youth opportunities and improving quality of life by cleaning, greening and building stronger neighbourhoods. The programme has already generated 63,000 volunteers across the city and an additional 10,000 volunteers will be added by May. Boris is also on record for saying “I Love Brunel” and was very excited to meet over 30 Brunel students in October. Boris is a man who will stand up for Brunel and the local area. As Mayor he has made countless visits to the area, unlike Ken, who in eight years as Mayor spent more time in Havana, Cuba, than Hillingdon. This election offers a choice between Ken Livingstone’s underinvestment, waste and
inattention - and Boris Johnson’s focus on improving peoples’ lives. Working with all of London’s Boroughs and Londoners – whatever their background or politics – Boris has made the necessary investments in transport, cut crime by putting more police on the beat, frozen his share of the council tax every year while protecting key services, and created new opportunities for thousands of Londoners. With more work to do, Boris Johnson’s fresh thinking, energy and commitment will keep London moving in the right direction. Boris is the sort of guy who attracts people to politics from all backgrounds and walks of life! So come on, let’s join together and Back Boris.
Peter Smallwood Spot the Boris.
Can Ken win his title back? Politics student, thankfully not everything that implies. Jerome Neil A recent ComRes poll shows Labour’s Ken Livingstone is ahead of incumbent Tory mayor Boris Johnson for the first time since receiving his party’s nomination for the London mayoralty. Whilst Tory commentators have presumed that re-election for Johnson was a certainty, Ken has been putting together a radical set of policies. These policies plan to protect ordinary Londoners from the tough times we have received as a result of the Conservative-led government. This has certainly shifted the momentum firmly behind Ken. Under this Tory mayor, the average bus fare has gone up by 56% – for those of us who commute into university that can mean having to go without books and equipment that are essential to our education. That’s why Ken has pledged that when he comes
to office not only will he reverse Johnson’s most recent 5.5% increase in fares, but he will deliver a cut of 7% which will place an average of £800 into the pockets of Londoners over four years. Over the past two years, 1,700 police officers have been made unemployed by Johnson, at a time when violent crimes have been on the rise. Ken has been calling on the mayor to reverse this decision for months, leading the way with his Save Our Sergeants campaign. Under Ken, London would be a safer city because he would ensure more police officers were on our streets. If elected Ken has pledged to introduce a living rent that would ensure landlords could not charge more than a third of their tenant’s income. Students run the risk of being abused by exploitative landlords and unlike Boris, Ken is determined to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected. It’s little surprise that the Tory Party has lined Boris Johnson up for a safe seat in 2015 with a record as dire as his. For the past four years
Amplified Will Ken win? he has been squatting in City Hall, taking credit for initiatives that Ken introduced, while waiting for a crack at his party’s leadership – it’s as if his career means more to him Please recycle.
than our city. In contrast Ken has been an outspoken critic of his own party on issues such as housing and most famously the Iraq War. There is only one candidate in
this race who understands the concerns of the ordinary, hardworking Londoner and that man is Ken Livingstone. I urge you to vote for him on May 3rd.