The bullet points below are a draft list of issues to be supplied to the London Policy Forum meeting set for December 5th in London.
Housing and Planning
- Cap private sector rents.
- Introduce a London living rent.
- Increase council tax bands on high value individual properties.
- Remove right to buy discount in all areas of housing.
- Bring in a business rate for buy to let landlords operating as a business.
- Allow local councils to use pension funds to invest in council house building.
- Stop overseas investors buying up properties.
- Increase powers on compulsory purchase orders on brownfield sites for council housing.
- Allow local councils more power in planning applications.
- Remove the Pay to Stay proposal.
- Invest in more council social housing.
- All new builds or redevelopments must have at least 50% social housing.
- Give local councils more powers in applications for free schools and academy’s.
- Provide more temporary accommodation units in London owned by local councils.
Transport and infrastructure
- Freeze fares in London.
- Build new runway at Heathrow.
- Develop more environmentally friendly aircraft.
- Consolidate all bus staff wages to the same rates per job.
- More investment for community transport.
- Remove franchise on bus companies.
- Develop a London wide bus company.
- Introduce more benefits for electric car owners.
- All taxi and private higher cabs to be registered and do the knowledge.
- Invest more in cycle safety.
- Ban lorry drivers in rush hour traffic.
- Introduce more bicycle hire schemes.
- Reduce business rates that provide cycle security.
Business Growth and Jobs
- £10 an hour London living wage.
- End zero hours contracts in London.
- Reward voluntary work in taxes.
- End term time only contracts for school support staff.
- Pay all local government workers in London the inner London weighting payment same as teachers.
- Reduce business rates for companies taking on real apprenticeships with employment at the end.
- Developing a London voluntary sector plan.
- No public contracts to any company or companies attached that are guilty of blacklisting.
- Trade Union recognition on all big London infrastructure contract works in London.
- Allow local councils to enforce the national minimum wage.
- Move to a London wide job centre plus owned and managed by local councils.
- Develop a council tax system that is transparent on what is actually paid for individual services.
Fairness and Equality
- Allow local councils to call educational establishments to scrutiny over performance.
- Charge student halls of residents council tax.
- Free school meals for all children under 11.
- Open London wide sure start centres.
- All employers to carry open and transparent equality audits, and publish results.
A Cleaner Greener London
- Introduce a London wide refuse and recycling service.
- Build greener social housing, subsidy from EU.
- Review congestion charge area.
- Invest in more local heat and power units.
- Local councils to install more photovoltaic solar panels on public buildings.
Safer Healthier Communities
- Reinstate community police officers in London.
- Increase to use of PCSOs.
- Implementing a London wide late night levy.
- Reduce alcohol sales from supermarkets and general stores.
- Increase licencing laws to allow local councils refuse more applications.
- Subsidised access to local gyms.
- Free swimming lessons for children.
- Link up social care, telecare, GP surgery’s, sheltered wardens schemes.
- Free health checks in schools.
Posted: 1st December 2015