Residents First

Boris says: "Thank you"

On Saturday  I signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office at City Hall which confirmed me as the Mayor of London for the next four years.

In my speech, I repeated my thanks to the people of London for giving me a second mandate and I promised everybody in this city that I and my team will work our socks off to deliver on our vision and our programme for the capital.

I especially want to thank those of you who have helped me over many months now. Without so many people from every corner of the world’s greatest city who knocked on doors, delivered leaflets, made the phone calls, forwarded the emails, tweeted in support and backed me throughout the campaign I would not have succeeded in this quest.

I am honoured and grateful. I feel like some overweight Alpinist carried on the shoulders of others to the summit of a great mountain.

Your efforts and support carried me to victory and I say “thank you” for everything that you have done.

I will deploy every sinew of my body in the task of driving London forward with the 9 point plan I took to the people of London - ensuring growth, jobs, investment and a better future.

Thank you. The work begins.

Best wishes,

Boris Johnson

Not Again Ken pop video

 

Livingstone proposes abolition of Hammersmith and Fulham

At a meeting of the West London Business Forum on 28 February 2012 the Labour candidate for Mayor of London Ken Livingstone proposed that the existing London boroughs should be abolished.

He said:

“I don’t think they are the right size for purpose now. I’d sweep the lot away and have five large sliced boroughs with real powers."

This follows on from the previous proposals of Ken Livingstone for the London Boroughs to be abolished and replaced with five sub-regions (Local Government Chronicle, 2 October 2003).

It would mean Hammersmith and Fulham would be abolished and replaced with a new huge council including Brent and Hounslow.

Do the Labour councillors on Hammersmith and Fulham agree with Livingstone's proposal to abolish the borough to be submerged into a bureaucratic monster? Sharing back office costs is one thing but to destroy the identity of the individual boroughs and erode democratic accountability is quite another.

Local Government Minister Bob Neil says:

As you may know, the 2004-06 Commission on London Governance (I should declare an interest as the Deputy Chairman) examined these proposals and rejected such plans, reflecting cross-party concerns that it would be expensive, time-consuming and a significant distraction.

One of the first acts of the Coalition Government was to introduce the Local Government Act 2010 which halted restructuring in Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk. Prior to Parliament’s intervention, such restructuring was proving divisive and wasteful – pitting council against council, councillor against councillor, diverting time and resources from improving frontline services.

Restructuring is counter-productive. Yet there is certainly great scope for more joint working, especially in back office services. Initiatives like the tri-borough arrangements with Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster are already delivering savings for the taxpayer.

Ken Livingstone’s proposals for the imposition of five sub-regional councils would mean that Ealing is merged with boroughs such as Brent, Harrow, Hounslow and Kensington & Chelsea.

Ken’s crocodile tears over paid for party political broadcast extras

Cllr Andrew Johnson writes:

Yet another example of Labour’s deep rooted cynicism has been exposed by the media with the revelation that the party political broadcast, which moved Ken Livingstone to tears, actually featured Londoners who were paid expenses to turn up and read from a script, including a former Labour Councillor from Hackney.

This follows the disclosure earlier in the week that Ken burst into tears as he viewed a screening of the YouTube broadcast, which showed clips from 28 people explaining why “London needs Ken”, and had to be comforted by Labour Leader Ed Miliband who patted his shoulder. Livingstone described the mini-movie was “a real tear-jerker”.

The revelation following a series of rumours from, of all people, a number of Labour bloggers that the Labour Party had brought people in to read from a script for the broadcast. When pressed a Labour spokesperson did say: “Yes that’s right”.

What Boris's nine point plan means for H&F

Boris Johnson has a nine point plan for his second term as Mayor of London to build on his achievements in the first term

How would it apply to Hammersmith and Fulham?

Freezing City Hall’s share of council tax for three successive years and cutting it this year, benefitting 82,330 Hammersmith households and putting an extra £445 back into pockets.

Investing in local high streets and supporting small businesses with £3 million of funding for Hammersmith & Fulham from the Mayor’s Regeneration Fund to help repair damage caused to high streets and town centres during last summer’s riots.

Investing in local transport by expanding four stations for London Overground in Hammersmith & Fulham and building a new station at Imperial Wharf, rolling out Oyster cards onto national rail and
funding £15 million to boost local transport.

Boris is also supporting local pensioners by reversing the previous Labour Government’s decision to stop those at 60 getting the Freedom pass until 65.

Boris Bikes have now arrived in Shepherd's Bush

Mayor cuts his share of Council Tax

The Mayor Boris Johnson has announced in final budget papers today, the first ever cut in the City Hall share of the council tax (GLA precept). This follows a three year freeze of the precept.

The Mayor has allocated funds in next year's budget to the issues that matter the most. He has secured an extra £90m from government to ensure that police on London streets can remain high for the foreseeable future, quadrupled the provision of rape crisis centres on the capital and is on course to deliver 55,000 affordable housing by the end of the year.

Having got to grips with the bureaucracy and spending at City Hall the Mayor is in a position to not only freeze his portion of the council tax but to offer a modest cut in the precept of  1 per cent, underlining the sensible savings he has achieved over the last three years.  Since 2008, with an unprecedented three year freeze and today’s reduction, Boris Johnson’s budgets have delivered Londoners a 16 per cent saving in real terms for his portion of the council tax. Under the eight years of the previous administration, the GLA precept rose by 152 per cent, which is equivalent to the impact of a cumulative increase of £963.58.

Go forward together to sunlit uplands and heartily endorse Boris

Cllr Nick Botterill's speech at the Council Meeting last night during the debate on the Mayor of London

I have known Boris for almost 30 years now and he is without doubt a class act. Ken Livingstone was not the first person to underestimate Boris; to label him as not serious and when that backfired to resort to cheap shots by saying he would make a mess of things; and then when duly defeated by Boris retreated into the gutter with smear and innuendo.

It’s ironic that as Boris’ stature has developed (reinforced by his record of success in London) and he grows taller, Ken Livingstone by contrast has plumbed the depths and has shrunk further. Putting it in a family context, Ken has metamorphosed from the happy uncle, cheeky chappy (who the kids want to play with) to the embarrassing cussed, sulky old granddad who everybody avoids.

It is a given in politics that you can never turn the clock back – but THAT is precisely what Livingstone wants to do. He thinks he can get away with presenting a range of inconsistencies and “impossible to deliver” policies to the voters and they will just meekly accept the bits they like and not worry too much about the obvious consequences which Livingstone fails to mention.

Boris's Budget Speech

Yesterday the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, presented his budget to the London Assembly.

His speech was as follows:

Good morning

This administration has been dedicated to delivering value for Londoners’ money, and to leading the city to a strong economic recovery.

You must remember that in the last four years we have not only been dealing with the deepest recession for 50 years.

We have had to overturn and reform a culture of waste in City Hall.

I might mention the £37,000 spent on first class tickets to Havana, the £10,000 spent on a subscription to the Morning Star.

Hurlingham and Chelsea School pleased as punch with Mayor’s sporting grant

A local secondary school, with a solid history of promoting boxing, is set to expand their sporting facilities following a cash injection from the Mayor’s Sports Legacy programme.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, recently announced £1m of funding to boost a host of sporting facilities at clubs, playing fields and recreation grounds across London, of which £90,000 has been allocated to Hurlingham and Chelsea School.

The money has been earmarked for 20 different projects and is the latest to be awarded from the Mayor’s £15.5m Sports Legacy Fund, which with match funding and private sector investment now stands at over £30m.

After working hard to build strong links to boxing within the school and local community, Hurlingham and Chelsea’s business manager Ian Illett, said the welcome funding boost will enable the school to further enhance their planned refurbishments.