GLA Elections May 2008

City Hall, pictured left, has been the hub of London decision-making and improvements for the past 8 years since the first Greater London Assembly elections in 2000. This May brings the third GLA elections, and all but one of the five parties represented in the GLA have now selected their candidates:

Labour Party - Ken Livingstone, selected on 3rd May 2007.

Conservative Party - Borris Johnson MP, selected on 27th September 2007.

Liberal Democrats - Brian Paddick selected on 10th November 2007.

The Green Party - Sian Berry, selected on 12th March 2007.

The One London Party, UK Independence Party, British National Party, English Democrats and the Respect Party have also put forward their candidates for the elections.

Ken Livingstone is standing for his third election and has the following objectives: Ken

1. Improving London's Transport System - Thanks to Ken's policies over the last two terms, London is the only major city in the world to achieve a shift away from private car use to public transport. This is thanks to major improvements in services and the introduction of Oyster cards:

World-class bus service: Buses are more reliable with greater frequency. The night bus network has almost doubled from 57 services in 2000 to 100 routes from 2006. There has been a ridership increase by 2 million passengers a day since the ridership statistics 2000. All buses are now fitted with CCTV for security of passengers.
Tube and Rail: More than 30 London Underground stations have been refurbished and renovated. The new 'London Overground' service brings metro-style services to Hackney for the first time, and south to West Croydon and Crystal Palace.
Low fares: Free travel on buses and trams for under-18s in full-time education is saving families around £350 per child per year. A quarter of a million Londoners on income support can now benefit from half-price bus and tram fares. The Freedom Pass has been defended and extended despite Tory attacks that it is a 'stealth tax on Londoners'.

2. Safer Neighbourhoods and Equality in the Police - Crime in London is falling. Over the past gfve yeras crimes in London fell by 159,00 to 922,000, that is an elimination of one in six crimes. In Ken's terms, there has been a 53% increase in Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority police officers, as well as a 34% increase in women police officers. For more statistics on crime, click here.

3. Housing for Londoners - this year 28,000 nerw homes have been built, up from the distasterous 17,000 in 1999. Plans for 50,000 new affordable homes over the next 3 years are currently in place, supported by £4bn from the Government.

4. A Clean, Green and Sustainable City - the congestion charge has transformed green transport policy, reducing the number of cars entering central London by 70,00 per day.

For more details of Ken's policies, please visit http://www.londonforken.co.uk/

Nicky Gavron, London Assembly Member

We are also supporting Nicky Gavron's re-election. Nicky has been in the GLA since May 2004, and is standing again for 2008.

Key issues and concerns

Integrated policy-making across the spectrum of GLA’s responsibilities
Strategic planning and integrated transport, including sustainable design and construction
Climate change, energy, water, waste and green industries
Children and young people
Housing, affordable homes
Community and cultural regeneration
Open space, especially play and recreation space
Sustainable suburbs

For more details, visit: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/gavronn.jsp