What kind of MP do you want?
I asked the question above in my getwestlondon column in February. Just a few days later, Sir Malcolm Rifkind faced shocking allegations about ‘cash for access’ in a TV documentary, lost the Conservative Whip, and was forced to resign.
After being so poorly represented by Sir Malcolm for so long, the residents of Kensington deserve a person who will listen to their concerns and be a strong advocate for them. Residents need an advocate not only locally, but also nationally in parliament making a strong case for government to understand and address the needs of all communities living in Kensington.
I have pledged to be a full-time MP, and will not take any other employment or non-executive directorships. I will take unpaid leave from my academic position at UCL so that I can devote my time fully to being Kensington’s representative in Parliament.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for my opponent, Lady Victoria, who has stated that if elected she will retain her full-time position as a GLA member. She has said nothing about her role as a councillor, though she could hardly continue with that as well. Just how long does she think she could juggle two full-time roles plus that of a part-time councillor? Months? Years?
In an article in the Gazette on March 20 she stated "if elected I will be giving Kensington my full-time attention". So which of her other roles will get no attention at all?
I was selected in October 2013 and have worked tirelessly since then, knocking on doors and listening to residents’ concerns. The greatest concern for the thousands of residents who I have met with my campaign team is housing, and that is my focus for the sixth and final column of my series of opinion pieces.
The housing situation in Kensington is frankly shocking, evidence of the extremes of wealth and poverty that in a civilised society today we should never tolerate.
Kensington is in danger of becoming an elephant’s grave-yard of overpriced, oversized, and overseas-owned properties that no one will wish to live in. 6,000 homes are owned by companies registered in tax havens. They do not contribute to our communities, use our shops and restaurants, or pay tax.
In my opinion paying tax owed is a social duty, a sign of decency and responsibility. We must tackle tax non-compliance in all its manifestations.
While there are empty homes all over Kensington that are simply property banks, in poorer areas there is up to 70% overcrowding. Overcrowding damages life chances by preventing children from studying. They have no privacy and family members can suffer from mental ill-health due to the stress of having nowhere to call their own space.
Growing families and those who cannot afford increased rents due to the rising cost of living and travel to work, pay freezes, benefit caps – and increasingly, the Bedroom Tax - are often moved out of their area; this breaks up family support and networks, interrupts schooling, and even loses people their jobs as they struggle to get to work after a two-hour journey.
There is a desperate need for additional family sized homes for social rent, but when private developers build, they rarely provide the 50% ‘affordable’ demanded by planning law. This must no longer be allowed.
This is what we mean when we talk about 'One Kensington'; rich and poor, young and old, able and disabled, wherever they come from and whatever language they speak, each and every person deserves to be treated equally, listened to with respect and have their views taken into account.
When you head off to the polling station on 7 May, your choice is simple. Will you vote for the self-interest of the few, or for the good of the many of One Kensington?
