Bro-Ken promises loom on environmentally friendly jobs

Cllr. Darren Johnson AM, is arguing that the Mayor is failing to fully support the much-needed creation of jobs in areas such recycling, energy efficiency schemes, the incorporation of solar energy into buildings and organic food production and retail.

Ken Livingstone himself set a target of creating 10,000 new jobs in green business by 2005. However, in response to a question tabled by Darren Johnson, the Mayor could only say that 2,000 such jobs are in the pipeline by the end of his mayoral term.

Darren Johnson observed, “In his election manifesto Ken Livingstone promised to create 10,000 jobs in green industries. But all his energy seems to be going into creating ever more jobs in the financial services sector. He says he is on target to create 2,000 green jobs by 2004 but that is an awful long way off the 10,000 he promised Londoners.”

The Green Party is arguing that the Mayor’s London Plan is a tool that benefits big business at the expense of ordinary Londoners and is almost wholly dependent on the financial services sector. Out of 636,000 new jobs the Mayor is projecting for London, 454,000 are expected to be in financial and business services.Greens point out that by allowing the ‘the City’ to take priority, the Mayor will fail to provide the diverse range of jobs that Londoners need and will merely increase the gap between rich and poor.

Whilst planning for green industries is included in the Mayor’s Plan, it fails to take centre stage. In contrast, with a different emphasis, Greens estimate that 80,000 new jobs in London could be created in the environmental and transport sector.

Darren Johnson added, “As London’s traditional blue-collar sector has declined, an emerging ‘green collar’ sector could provide huge opportunities and skilled jobs for those currently denied them.”

ENDS

For further information contact
Keith Magnum, London Green Party Press Officer 07732 465571
keith_magnum2004@yahoo.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Darren’s question and the Mayor’s response were as follows:
796 / 2002 – LDA – Green Industries
Darren Johnson
Can you confirm how many jobs in green industries the LDA has helped to create since 3 July 2000?

The LDA is the major sponsor of London Remade, which is the LDA’s current main activity in supporting the environment sector. London Remade is on target to create 2,000 ‘green jobs’ by March 2004. The LDA is now working to accelerate and diversify the momentum for creating new enterprise and employment opportunities in the sector in London, in line with the publication of my Environmental Strategies. My expectation is that by the time my environmental strategies have been finalised, underpinned by the evidence base being developed by the LDA, we will be in a position to provide more detailed information about direct job creation through LDA sponsored interventions. In addition, the development of my environmental strategies will have a wider impact in facilitating a climate for greater enterprise development and employment generation in London’s green economy.

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