Lambeth Conservatives

Cllr Shirley Houghton, Conservative London Assembly Candidate for Lambeth and Southwark has attacked the latest expansion of the congestion charge, as unveiled by Mayor Livingstone this week.

Shirley said: "This is nothing more than a stealth tax masquerading as something else. We now have a Mayor who is arrogant and out of touch, taking every opportunity to put his hand in our pockets. Frankly, London is tired of this brand of politics – we want policies that will improve the environment, not fund the advisors at City Hall."

The new emissions-based congestion charge will see some vehicles charged at a rate of up to £25 per day to enter the congestion charging zone. The TfL report into the change concludes that congestion in central London could be reduced by up to 0.5% or increased by up to 0.5% as a result.

Shirley added: "On his own figures the Mayor has revealed that this additional charge will produce no reduction in congestion and no change in air quality. So, what is the point of it? You cannot run a city transport system by trying to tax people off the roads. We need to get our public transport system in order first, because a clean, safe and efficient system will ensure more people use it."

Labels: Congestion charge, GLA, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, Shirley Houghton, TfL

Cllr Shirley Houghton, Conservative London Assembly Candidate for Lambeth and Southwark, has given her strong backing to the crime manifesto unveiled by Boris Johnson yesterday.

Shirley said: "Throughout Lambeth and Southwark, crime is the number one issue of concern – on the doorsteps, in the streets, and on public transport. We have had more than our fair share of news headlines in this area over the last year, and we need some radical ideas to tackle the problems. In the last 5 months I have been the victim of a street attack and robbery, and had my car vandalised."

The Boris Johnson plan to make London safer includes:

Chairing the MPA to provide leadership in standing up against unnecessary form filling and government targets, so that police can spend more time on the beat.
Making buses, trains and stations safer by investing in a greater police presence on the network and live CCTV on buses.
Combating knife and gun crime with a comprehensive strategy that deals with every aspect of the problem including: funding community groups; providing police with handheld weapon scanners; and designing out crime on new housing developments.
Helping the ignored victims of sexual violence by providing long-term funding for new Rape Crisis Centres in London.
Demanding a police service that is accountable to Londoners by providing neighbourhoods with New York-style crime maps that show the true levels of crime in each area, enabling them to hold local police to account.

Shirley added: "The credibility of this document is further enhanced by the presence of people like Ray Lewis from the Eastside Young Leaders Academy, who is working with young people on a daily basis to ensure the support structures are in place to stop serious crime before it happens. If crime is not tackled properly now, it will only get worse."

CLICK HERE to read Boris' crime manifesto in full.

Labels: Crime, GLA, Mayor of London, Safety, Shirley Houghton

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