Sadiq Khan joined activists in Harrow on Saturday (January 23) in an effort to campaign to be elected Mayor of London.
The Labour candidate was joined on the campaign trail by local MP Gareth Thomas, Navin Shah AM and a large number of local supporters.
Mr Khan used the campaign visit to highlight his plans for housing, and his policy to freeze transport fares.
Issues raised by local residents included transport costs, housing and access to healthcare.
According to the mayoral candidate, research by Labour has revealed that private renters in Harrow are now spending a much higher proportion of their earnings on rent since the Tories came to power.
A worker on an average wage in Harrow, paying an average rent, now spends 47% of their earnings on rent, compared to 40% in 2010-11.
Mr Khan told Harrow locals that he has pledged to introduce a London wide social letting agency to ensure renters don’t have to pay rip off fees, and to make three-year tenancies the norm.
He also said that he plans to freeze Transport for London fares for four years, and to introduce a new ‘Hopper’ ticket on the buses so you can change buses as many times as you like within an hour and only pay one fare.
Mr Khan said: “It’s always great to come to Harrow and hear first-hand the issues that concern residents of the Borough.
“It is shocking that almost half of average wages in Harrow gets spent on rental costs. I, like many Londoners, am lucky enough to be able to live in near where I grew up, and near the rest of my family who have also stayed nearby in Tooting.
“I really fear that increasing housing costs will mean our kids won’t have that opportunity and will have to move away, leaving a London that only the rich can afford to live in.
“I have a real plan to create more genuinely affordable housing to rent and buy. Without this plan, London’s communities will continue to be hollowed out.“
