21 April 2012

2 weeks & counting

May 3^rd is just around the corner and things are moving fast. Boris had another jam- packed week of activities whist he continues his tour of all 32 London boroughs. Help spread the word about Boris Johnson's 9 point plan for a Greater London - sign up as a volunteer today: www.backboris2012.com/volunteer

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Categories: Campaign Updates, Get Involved, London | Tags: 9 point plan, Council tax, Ken vs ken, Manifesto, Mumsnet

05 April 2012

Supporting older Londoners

By Boris Johnson

Today I launched my plans for supporting older Londoners.

I’m proud that London is a fantastically diverse city, boasting not just a great cultural and ethnic mix but also a great mix of ages.

London is neither a ‘young’ city nor a retirement town. It defies such descriptions, with a significant older population living alongside a younger one, contributing a huge amount from the capital’s culture and economy.

There are over 1.2 million people in London who are aged 60 and over, and this proportion is expected to grow fast over the next 20 years. The number of people over 65 is projected to increase by 34% (nearly 300,000) to reach 1.17 million by 2031.

The biggest concern for older Londoners is to ensuring their home and neighbourhood is safe and their environment a pleasant place to live. That is why I have worked hard to cut waste and make sure public funding is spent on Londoners priorities, including putting a 1,000 extra police officers on London’s streets since 2008 leading to a 10% cut in overall crime and 30% on the bus network; scrapping my predecessor’s propaganda newspaper ‘The Londoner’ and investing the savings on planting 10,000 street trees; and protecting and extending the Freedom Pass to 24 hours.

But there is more to do. I feel like a man who has built half a bridge. I can see the other side and what needs to be done.

I will:

• Reverse the decision by the previous Labour government to raise the age for which people were eligible for the Freedom Pass and ensure every Londoner aged 60 has one, from 1st September 2012.
• Lobby the suburban rail companies to allow its use before 9.30am.
• Protect the roll out of step free stations as part of the Tube upgrade from Ken Livingstone’s plans to take £1.14 billion out of the transport budget.
• Give older Londoners a greater voice in neighbourhood policing through new Safer Neighbourhood Boards with substantial increases to Safer Neighbourhood Teams in every ward in Greater London.

But above all, I will continue to keep the Mayor’s share of council tax low, which has put an average of £445 back in Londoner’s pockets since I was elected.

This shows we have made progress despite difficult times. At the Mayoral election on 3rd May this progress is at risk. The choice at this election is between taking London backwards and fresh-thinking and optimism for London’s future.

Categories: Campaign Updates, London, quality of life | Tags: Council tax, Freedom pass, Neighbourhood policing, Snt, Suburban rail

05 March 2012

9 point plan poster launch

Boris Johnson this weekend set out his nine point plan to secure a Greater London, in a speech on Saturday and then at the launch of the poster campaign on Sunday.

1,000 posters will go up across London - from Croydon to Enfield and Hillingdon to Havering. They detail Boris’s determination to end the waste and mismanagement of the previous Mayor to free up money to pay for a strong plan for London’s future.

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Categories: Campaign Updates, crime, economy, environment, Fighting London's corner, housing, jobs and skills, London, Olympics, quality of life, sport, transport, youth | Tags: 9 point plan, Council tax, Cutting waste, Jobs, London, Olympic legacy, Police on the streets, Poster campaign, Transport

06 February 2012

Help pass Boris's council tax cut

Families in London are feeling the financial pressure. That's why Boris Johnson is working hard to keep a lid on the prices he controls whenever he can. It's why he stopped Ken Livingstone's £25 tax on family cars and ended 8 years of council tax hikes which cost the average family almost £1,000.

Now, Boris is fighting to cut council tax in his proposed budget as part of his plan to invest in Greater London's future, and he needs your help to ensure that it gets passed.

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Categories: Campaign Updates, Fighting London's corner, Get Involved, London, quality of life | Tags: Boris budget, Campaign update, Council tax, Letter to editor

26 January 2012

Ken Livingstone's Assembly allies vote against Mayor's budget, council tax freeze

Yesterday, Ken Livingstone's allies on the London Assembly - led by his Deputy Mayoral running mate Val Shawcross - voted against Boris Johnson's budget, which delivers a fourth council tax freeze in a row and secures 1,000 extra police officers by May 2012.

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Categories: crime, economy | Tags: Budget, Council tax, Police on the streets, Value for money

25 January 2012

Mayor Boris Johnson's Draft Budget: Value for money and freezing the precept

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.

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Categories: crime, economy, Fighting London's corner, London, Olympics, quality of life, transport | Tags: Budget, City hall, Council tax, Cutting waste, London assembly

24 January 2012

£1 a day to keep Ken away

There are 100 days to go until Londoners head to the polls to vote for their Mayor.

We're in for a tough fight to stop London being taken backwards.

To compete with Ken Livingstone's union funded and controlled campaign, I need your help.

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Categories: Campaign Updates, crime, economy, Fighting London's corner, Get Involved, jobs and skills, London, Olympics, quality of life, sport, transport | Tags: £1 a day, Council tax, Crime, Investment, Jobs, Olympics, Record, Transport, Value for money

23 January 2012

Weekend campaigning in Beckenham

This weekend saw over 40 street stalls and action days right across the capital. Boris Backers were out on the streets telling Londoners about Mayor Johnson's commitment to keeping their council tax frozen for an unprecedented fourth year in a row.

At our street stall in Beckenham we had a great turnout of activists, councillors and our local MP and the people we encountered were really responsive.

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Categories: Campaign Updates, Get Involved | Tags: Action days, Beckenham, Council tax, Get involved, Street stall

14 November 2011

Boris delivers for Newham

As I go round Newham I can see exactly where Boris Johnson has made a big difference since he became Mayor just three and a half years ago.

Boris has delivered on his promises to tackle crime and keep taxes low. In Newham, crime is down. We now see more police patrolling the streets, and we feel safer as a result. Overall crime is down by more than 6% and robbery by almost 15%. Most importantly - considering the tragic spate of youth murders in 2007/08 -  youth violence is down by almost 17%.

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Categories: Campaign Updates, crime, environment, jobs and skills, London, Olympics, quality of life, sport, transport, youth | Tags: Council tax, District, Dlr, Enterprise zone, Hammersmith & city, Jubilee, Newham, Olympics, Tube upgrade

01 June 2011

Boris has news for you!

Millions of Londoners are today receiving their copies of the Boris Record detailing the Mayor's achievements in office.

The newspapers are tailored to each of the capital's boroughs and have been paid for by voluntary donations - not taxpayers' money.

They detail how Boris is leading the charge to improve local transport links, freezing his share of your council tax and how putting more police on the streets has led to fall in crime in your neighbourhoods.

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Categories: Campaign Updates | Tags: Achievements, Boris johnson, Council tax, Crime, London, Police, Record, Transport