Currently the Mayor spends twice as much on his propaganda newspaper, “The Londoner”, than he spends on London’s environment.
Darren visited the Sydenham Hill Nature Reserve in Southwark today to highlight the importance of London’s nature.
"When it comes to spin and propaganda, the Mayor throws money around like there’s no tomorrow. But when it comes to real initiatives to improve people’s quality of life, the money just isn’t there."
"In his Biodiversity Strategy the Mayor talks of the need to protect and conserve our natural open spaces but you can’t achieve that if you only pay peanuts. We can’t afford to spend millions on propaganda whilst essential nature conservation work is not being done,” commented Darren.
The Mayor is currently spending £2.8 million per year on the Londoner newspaper which he sends to every household. Meanwhile, he is spending only £1.3 million on protecting London’s environment, in spite of having legal responsibilities to implement strategies on air quality, waste, biodiversity and noise and to reduce London’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In the current GLA budget negotiations, Greens are demanding that the Mayor’s propaganda budget be slashed and more money spent on supporting practical nature conservation work, such as providing expert advice on managing nature reserves, implementing action plans to protect wildlife and linking up with local schools on environmental education projects.
Combined with the adjacent Dulwich Wood, Sydenham Hill Wood forms the largest remaining tract of the old Great North Wood which once stretched from Deptford to Selhurst.
The wood is home to over 200 species of trees and flowering plants including wild garlic, early dog violet and bugle. A multitude of fungi, rare insects, birds and elusive woodland mammals are also present.
“People are dying in London because of poor air quality but Ken Livingstone would prefer to spend the money on fireworks and free newspapers. It’s time to take London’s environment more seriously,” Darren concluded.
ENDS.