Real CHANGE

All state primary school pupils in London are now receiving Free School Meals thanks to Sadiq. So far, more than 120 million meals have been funded by City Hall for young Londoners, with meals being delivered to up to 270,000 children in schools every day, saving families up to £1,500 over three years, per child. Free school meals is set to continue in London’s state primary schools from this September, with Sadiq vowing the programme will carry on for as long as he’s in office.

Under Sadiq, council homebuilding has hit its highest level than at any time since the 1970s. Between 2016 and 2023, London built 32,000 council homes and last year, Sadiq committed to building a further 40,000 council homes by 2030.

In the face of massive cuts to policing, Sadiq has taken action to protect the frontline – funding an additional 1,300 police officers from City Hall’s budget, taking police officer numbers to record highs and restoring neighbourhood policing in London’s communities.

Sadiq has invested record sums in youth services – not only to tackle the causes of crime, but to ensure that all young Londoners can fulfil their potential. The constructive activities he’s funding are helping to steer young people away from criminal gangs and violence and towards education and employment.

Sadiq has consistently fought the corner of London’s renters – calling for rent controls, better rights and protections, and stronger action against unscrupulous landlords who fail to ensure their properties meet basic safety standards. To help renters fight back against dodgy landlords, he has introduced his pioneering rogue landlord and property licence checkers, which have been used hundreds of thousands of times by Londoners, enabling them to claw back thousands of pounds.

Sadiq has introduced the world’s largest clean air zone – the ULEZ – which is helping millions of Londoners breathe cleaner air every day. Without the ULEZ, scientists estimated that it would take 193 years to bring London’s air quality within legal limits. However, with the implementation of ULEZ and other measures, London has achieved this in just nine years. Evidence shows London’s more deprived communities are seeing greater benefits from the ULEZ. For some of the most deprived communities living near London’s busiest roads, there’s been an estimated 80 per cent reduction in the number of residents exposed to illegal levels of pollution, while toxic air has cut by nearly half in central London and nearly a third across the entire capital.

Sadiq has prioritised protecting and expanding London’s green spaces, planting approximately 620,000 new trees and creating or restoring the equivalent of more than 300 football pitches of habitat for London’s wildlife. He’s also supported the delivery of more than 30 projects to clean up London’s rivers and restore or create habitats along 3.7km of waterways.

Sadiq has never stopped championing London as the best place in the world in which to invest, start and scale-up a business. He has worked flat out to attract jobs, talent and tourism to our city, backing firms large and small to kick-start London’s recovery after the pandemic. Last year, he launched the London Growth Plan, with a focus on key sectors like AI, life sciences, cleantech and the creative industries, to boost growth, opportunities and prosperity for London’s communities.

To help young people get the guidance and support they need to make the right choices in life, Sadiq is funding a flagship mentorship programme across the city. This is giving young Londoners in need extra support so they can make the most of their talents. More than 100,000 young Londoners have received mentoring through this scheme so far.

After a series of scandals, Sadiq took decisive action to put the Metropolitan Police on a path of far-reaching systemic and cultural reform starting with the appointment of a new Commissioner and an independent review to shine a light on the institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia that still exist. He will not rest until Londoners have a police service that is representative, trusted and truly fit for purpose.