WHILE I realise that government cuts have meant that budgets are very tight, I really do feel that Boris Johnson's spending plans are failing Londoners.
We have seen huge fare increases well above the rate of inflation. We are not seeing the investment we need to tackle air pollution or make our homes greener. Neighbourhood policing, too, is facing reductions in the number of sergeants.
Green London Assembly members put forward a clear alternative. We would have brought down fares and raised the congestion charge and helped address London's big environmental problems by funding a Very Low Emission Zone in central London, as well as providing extra investment for insulating homes.
It is clear from the people I have spoken to that Londoners want the police to focus on delivering safe communities, not on excessive surveillance aimed at deterring legitimate dissent. Greens, therefore, argue that the mayor's policing priorities also need to change. We need to free up more money for neighbourhood policing and spend less on surveillance, PR and expensive flights.
DARREN JOHNSON Green Party member
London Assembly
