Making London Fairer

Making London a fairer city has been at the heart of all I’ve tried to do as Mayor since 2016.

London gave me the most incredible opportunities – I’m the son of a bus driver and a seamstress who made it all the way to becoming Mayor of this great city. But of course I didn’t do it all on my own. From growing up on a council estate, to getting free school meals and the opportunity to be mentored, I got a helping hand so that I could take advantage of all that London has to offer.

These opportunities to succeed should be available to everyone, which is why I strive to make London a city that works for all, where everyone can share its prosperity – regardless of age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or background.

Tackling inequality and making London fairer is not only the right thing to do, it benefits us all. The wasted potential of so many lives only makes us all weaker economically and as a society. When people can’t contribute, we lose talents that go unnurtured, ideas that don’t get shared and human energy that remains untapped.

I strive to break down barriers and lay down a path to a city where everyone is equally respected, equally valued and has a stake in our society.

Key Pledges

Build 40,000 new council homes by the end of the decade
Unblock affordable housebuilding by creating new Land Assembly Zones and Mayoral Development Corporations
More support for renters – delivering new affordable ‘rent control homes’ and empowering Londoners to take on landlords through a New Deal for Renters
End rough sleeping for good by 2030 in partnership with a Labour government
Bring in a Holiday Hope initiative, providing activities during school holidays
Explore a new Erasmus-style scheme for young Londoners

Tackling the housing crisis

Every Londoner should be able to afford somewhere they can call home, but far too many people in our city are being priced out. The housing crisis is a huge challenge, decades in the making, and there’s no simple fix. But we have shown over recent years that, with the right approach and the right priorities, it’s possible to make progress.

Instead of the luxury penthouse apartments that were prioritised in the past, we have delivered homes that Londoners can actually afford. We smashed the government’s target of building 116,000 new genuinely affordable homes, trebling delivery from the level inherited from the previous Mayor, in contrast with Tory ministers who missed their national target. We have also ushered in a new golden era of council housebuilding, with more new council homes started last year than at any time since the 1970s, and double the number in the rest of England combined. There is clearly still much more to do, but we have laid the foundations for more progress over the years ahead.

I know from personal experience the vital role council housing plays by providing security for families, so I pledge to continue investing in new council housing and, working with a Labour government, commit to building at least 40,000 new council homes by 2030.

To unblock more new homes, I will take decisive action where needed to create new Land Assembly Zones and set up more Mayoral Development Corporations to boost overall housing supply and drive regeneration. These will deliver new sustainable communities with homes for first-time buyers as well as homes for social rent. I’ll work with a Labour government to strengthen planning so that the London Plan can go even further in supporting the delivery of the affordable housing our city needs, while unlocking economic growth and being the greenest ever plan for our city.

Building on the recommendations in the Kerslake Review on housing, I’ll deliver an expanded City Hall developer so that we can build more of the low-cost housing that’s desperately needed. We will also take steps to integrate the City Hall developer’s governance and functions with TfL’s property company, Places for London, using the strengths of both teams to expand and accelerate the delivery of new genuinely affordable homes.

By supporting councils in buying back former council homes, and with our programme to convert private housing to council housing, we have already helped to expand the supply of goodquality temporary accommodation and to help address the crisis of overcrowding. But there is more to do, so in my next term I will establish a taskforce on overcrowding which will report to my Homes for Londoners board.

I will continue to campaign for an end to the feudal leasehold system and its replacement with Commonhold.

I also want to do more to improve the condition of social housing, and I’ll work with boroughs to expand the use of technology to solve problems, like sensors to detect and take action on damp and mould in homes, and enforce against fly tipping and pollution.

Supporting renters

I’m determined to continue standing up for renters across London, who have seen their rents soar in recent years, including in the wake of the disastrous mini-Budget which crashed the economy when Liz Truss was prime minister. We have already ensured that residents get a say over estate regeneration, and are helping to crack down on the worst landlords with our Rogue Landlord Checker and Property License Checker. I have also stood up for renters by lobbying the government to ban tenant fees, scrap Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, freeze London rents during the cost-of-living crisis and devolve powers to me to control rent in the capital.

But we need to do more to support renters in London. So I commit to building new Rent Control Homes, which will see rents capped and linked to the incomes of key workers. The first phase of the Rent Control Homes initiative will see 6,000 being built across the city – in areas where they are needed most.

Working with a Labour government, I will also deliver a New Deal for Renters in London. Successive Tory housing ministers have blocked boroughs from using licensing powers that would allow them to take tougher action against dodgy landlords. I’ll work with a Labour government to ensure we can use those powers to take action against the poorest performing landlords, and I’ll make the case for exploring where further powers are best devolved to London. I’ll also support renters to take dodgy landlords to tribunals to get up to 24 months of rent refunded.

I will also back renters to defend their rights, with advice and guidance, including funding for groups such as renters’ unions. And I will act to hold all landlords to account on housing standards, including freezing any funding they receive from City Hall when necessary.

Tackling homelessness

I refuse to accept that homelessness and rough sleeping are inevitable and that it is somehow a feature of our society, particularly in big cities like London.

Since 2016, I’ve quadrupled funding and support to tackle rough sleeping in London, helping to get over 16,000 rough sleepers off the streets for good. But we’ve had to swim against the tide of a Tory government that’s made the situation so much worse, including the erosion of our social safety net, cuts to vital local services and the mismanagement of the economy that’s sent mortgages and rents through the roof. This has led to the shocking situation where, on average, one child in every classroom in London is homeless and living in temporary accommodation.

I pledge to go further and faster. If I’m re-elected Mayor, I will set London on a course to end rough sleeping by 2030. We will put a new rough sleeping action plan in place, which will include: increasing investment from City Hall; coordinating with partners across London who share the same goal; investing in new hubs across London that will allow us to help an extra 1,700 rough sleepers off the streets a year; and working closely with a new Labour government to tackle the root causes of homelessness and rough sleeping. The last Labour government all but eradicated rough sleeping in the capital – I am confident that together we can complete the process.

I pledge to go further and faster. If I’m re-elected Mayor, I will set London on a course to end rough sleeping by 2030.

Standing up for workers

As Mayor, I’ve stood up for workers’ rights and worked with Trade Unions to do all I can to ensure our economy works for all Londoners. If re-elected, I commit to continuing to make London a Living Wage city, and to proudly championing the London Living Wage, which has seen a sixfold increase in employers paying it and at a rate that’s increased by 40 per cent since I took office.

I will increase the number of companies signed up to our Good Work Standard, which promotes the best possible employment practice, and I’ll continue to work with London’s anchor institutions – the big public sector employers, including universities, the NHS and the Met Police – to invest billions in small and medium-sized businesses. I’ll continue to support the London Ownership Hub to realise the benefits of democratic and cooperative business, and demonstrate a sustained commitment to a London economy where prosperity is felt by all Londoners. I’ll also continue to stand up for migrant workers’ rights and protect them from exploitation.

Working with a Labour government, we will go even further, delivering a New Deal for Working People: our plan to make work pay. The biggest levelling up of workers’ rights in decades, this will bring the world of work into the 21st century, upgrading rights and regulations so they are fit for the modern economy. As the party of working people, Labour will ensure that employees have greater certainty and security and the ability to plan for the future. Labour’s New Deal will help to end the Conservative cycle of low pay, low investment and low productivity.

Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers are an essential part of our economy, keeping our city moving around the clock in all seasons. I’ll work with TfL and Trade Unions to support PHV drivers, including investing in CCTV to keep them and their customers safe, and support and encourage operators in their development of hubs for professional drivers, where they can rest and have access to toilet and kitchen facilities, helping them to stay safe and ensure their comfort. I’ll also create a new PHV taskforce to explore what else we can do to make life easier for these essential workers.

As the cost of living continues to hit Londoners, we need to ensure that wages keep up. So I’ll carry out a review of recruitment and retention of public sector workers in London, including London weighting, to ensure that we can recruit and retain the people we need to make our city the best in the world, while always ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Giving young Londoners the opportunities to thrive

London gave me the opportunities I needed to go from a council estate to being elected the Mayor of the greatest city on earth. I believe that every young Londoner – regardless of their race, gender, religion, disability, class, sexual orientation or background – should have the same chances I was given, not just to survive, but to thrive.

That’s why my overarching mission for London is to ensure that all Londoners get the opportunities that our city gave to me and my family. There should always be a helping hand to lead you along the path to fulfilling your potential – something that is needed now more than ever.

I’m proud of the work we are already doing – from providing free school meals for children in state primary schools and pairing 100,000 young Londoners in need with a quality mentor, to offering free skills training to Londoners who are unemployed or in low-paid work.

I not only commit to continuing to deliver these truly transformational policies, but to going further. For example, our holiday hunger initiative has been helping to feed children out of term time, but I want to do more to support young Londoners and parents during the school holidays. So I plan to build on this offer by investing in a new Holiday Hope policy which will provide youth services and activities during the school holidays. We will also work with partners to provide free access to sports facilities for children outside of term time.

Brexit has had a profound impact on young people who didn’t get a say in determining the country’s future. One of the many casualties of Brexit has been the scrapping of the UK’s involvement in the Erasmus scheme, which allowed young people to take courses abroad. It’s not right that young Londoners are missing out on these opportunities. So I will work with international partners in the C40 cities network and businesses to explore the creation of a similar scheme, which would allow young people to study and undertake work experience overseas.

We know the vital importance of good childcare in the early years – both for parents and children – but the Tory government is failing to deliver. Labour is committed to reforming childcare and early years support so children have the best possible start in life. From City Hall, we will work to ensure no parent misses out on available support by making childcare entitlements an explicit part of our work with advice services in London. And we’ll work with London’s anchor institutions and our Good Work Standard employers to roll out policies that support workers with young children.

Labour is committed to reforming childcare and early years supportso children have the best possible start in life.

Helping Londoners to live in good health

Under the Tory government, our NHS in London is on its knees, with many Londoners struggling to access the care they need. As Mayor, I will continue to be a champion for our NHS and use the London Health Board to advocate for the rights of Londoners and, with a new Labour government committed to building an NHS fit for the future, I will use the board to drive through the improvements that our health and care system in London is crying out for.

Mental health is a public health emergency, particularly for young Londoners. We know that the impact of the pandemic, social media and the cost-of-living crisis are all contributing to greater levels of poor mental health amongst our young people, and I will take action to support them. This includes ensuring that trusted adults are equipped to help by providing mental health first aid training for mentors in London and piloting new mental health initiatives focused in and around secondary schools. With a Labour government, we will build on these pilots and deliver mental health hubs for young people across our city.

Londoners face vast inequalities when it comes to their health, with significantly different outcomes and experiences depending on their race, ethnicity and where they live. This is unacceptable, so I will continue to tackle these inequities through my Health Inequalities Strategy, and ensure that City Hall considers the health impacts of all our policies.

Heart disease remains the main cause of early death in Londoners. As Mayor, I have ensured that TfL has installed publicly accessible defibrillators (PAD) in every station across the network. I will build on this to ensure more Londoners have access to life-saving treatment when they need it.

I’m proud of our work in making London a healthier environment for our children, from supporting school streets and banning junk food advertising on the TfL estate to supporting the roll-out of ‘wateronly’ schools and school super zones that help make the area in and around a school healthier for children. I’ll look for more opportunities to improve the health of children in our city.

I will also take a public-health approach to tackling the harm drugs cause individuals, families and communities. This will include robust enforcement against drug dealers and working with partners to ensure treatment and recovery plans are available.

Whether it’s advocating for the rights of EU citizens, being an ally to LGBTQI+ Londoners, or celebrating the contribution of all our faith communities, I will never shy away from upholding London’s values and standing up for openness, equality and inclusion.

London for everyone

London is inclusive, generous and outward-looking – a place that is open to all. I’ll always defend our compassionate, progressive, internationalist and anti-racist values. They not only make London special, but the greatest city in the world.

We all make London what it is, and as Mayor I want to ensure we all get a chance to experience every aspect of what makes our city so extraordinary and exciting. As part of this, I’ll create new forums for disabled Londoners to engage with TfL, the London Fire Brigade and the Met Police to ensure their voices are heard in shaping the future of our city.

Since 2016, when only a quarter of Tube stations had step-free access, an additional 24 Tube stations have been made step-free or opened as new step-free stations, bringing the total to 92 – a third of the Underground network. We’ll build on that success so that half the Tube is step-free by 2030. I stood up to the Tory government when they wanted to take away child and over 60 concessions on the transport network and I’ll go further to make our city accessible by developing a plan to help neurodiverse passengers and Londoners living with dementia better navigate the TfL network. I’ve committed to invest at least £3m a year from City Hall to provide more toilets on the TfL estate – the first time City Hall has made a significant and recurring investment in public toilets. I’ll also explore what more TfL and online mapping providers can do to signpost people to public toilets and water fountains.

I’ll keep championing the contribution and rights of migrants and campaign for swifter justice for the Windrush generation, who have suffered a terrible injustice under the Tory government’s hostile environment policy. The Post Office scandal demonstrates how ministers can move more quickly when under pressure, and I’ll campaign for the Windrush Compensation Scheme to speed up properly, and be taken away from the Home Office if it continues to fail.

As a Mayor for all Londoners,
I remain committed to celebrating the enormous contribution all our vibrant communities make. Our
diversity is not a weakness, but our greatest strength.

I’ll continue to work with partners to implement my age-friendly action plan. I’ll also maintain my support for schemes such as the dementia-friendly city initiative and the pension credit uptake drive that’s seen more than £8m go into the pockets of older Londoners who were missing out on benefits they were entitled to.

I’m proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and to have appointed an Armed Forces Champion at City Hall. I’ll continue to support Londoners who serve in the military throughout and after their careers.

I’ll ensure we complete the work to make London’s public realm reflect our true diversity, with support for new statues to commemorate the victims of the Transatlantic slave trade and the members of our Sikh community who gave their lives in defence of our country, and a new permanent memorial to victims of HIV/AIDS. And I’ll maintain my full support for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee and its important work to ensure there is a fitting memorial to Her late Majesty.

While others try to divide, I’ll continue to work tirelessly to unite people. Every Londoner has a right to feel valued, welcomed and loved. LGBTQI+ Londoners give so much to our city. I’ll never stop being an ally, and I’ll continue doing all I can to show the LGBTQI+ community how valued they are, from working with the Met to ensure they can keep LGBTQI+ Londoners safe to campaigning for London to show its pride on a global stage by bidding to host WorldPride for the first time since 2012.

As a Mayor for all Londoners, I remain committed to celebrating the enormous contribution all our vibrant communities make. Our diversity is not a weakness, but our greatest strength – I am proud to have delivered a full programme of community events on Trafalgar Square, from St George’s Day, to St Patrick’s Day, to Chanukah, Eid, Vaisakhi and the incredibly successful inaugural Black on the Square. I’ll do even more to make the Greater London Authority a truly anti-racist organisation, ensuring the City Hall workforce is representative of Londoners, and continue making progress at TfL, the London Fire Brigade and the Met Police. I’ll also support the roll-out of lessons from the Workforce Integration Network to provide more opportunities for Londoners from Black and other minority ethnic backgrounds.

Next: Making London safer

A FAIRER, SAFER, GREENER LONDON