Following a debate on Mayor Boris Johnson’s Annual Report and first year in office, the London Assembly today agreed motion noting that his administration’s modest achievements have failed to realise the high hopes many Londoners had for the new Mayor.
During the debate Assembly Members highlighted key areas of concern including;
* cancelled infrastructure projects
* substantial fare rises for public transport
* the failure to agree targets for building affordable homes in London
* a lack of action to protect and improve London’s environment
The Assembly is concerned that a lack of real vision for London and a tendency to avoid tough decisions could put London’s status in a highly competitive world at risk.
London Assembly Chair Darren Johnson AM said:
"The Assembly recognises that the Mayor has made progress on one or two important issues facing London but with more than a quarter of his term in office already expired his record of achievement is far from substantial. For the good of the capital we hope the coming months will see a shift from delivering broad statements supporting motherhood and apple pie to the nitty gritty of how Boris’s administration will leave a lasting legacy of improvement for our great city."
Proposing a successful amendment to the motion Mike Tuffrey AM told the Assembly:
"The Mayor must be given credit for his undoubted presentation skills, and his ability to make us all laugh. But while a lot appears to be going on in his administration, very little is being achieved. It is time Boris realised that a diet of spin without substance will end in tears. Londoners expect and deserve a Mayor who delivers real change for the better."
Proposing a further successful amendment to the motion Len Duvall AM said:
"I would like to congratulate the Mayor for his fine words about delivering better housing standards, his establishment of the Outer London Commission, and his backing for an earned amnesty for long-term irregular migrants. Sadly, this list of achievements is outweighed by a sack full of missed opportunities and a failure to take tough decisions if they risk damaging his popularity. London needs less rhetoric and more action, more hard work from the Mayor if he is to deliver on the promises he made to Londoners in his quest for election."
The full text of the motion reads as follows:
"This Assembly notes the Mayor’s Annual Report and further notes that, despite some modest achievements, Londoners’ high hopes of the new Mayor have not been realised. Instead they have faced large fare rises, abandoned transport infrastructure projects, a failure to agree affordable housing targets and the suspension of the planned Low Emission Zone Phase 3 designed to tackle serious air pollution, among other disappointments.
We further note that in addition to serious questions about the Mayor’s actual record of delivery we, and many Londoners, are increasingly perplexed as to his real vision for London. His failure to develop a vision and show his ambition for London is combined with a weakness for avoiding tough issues by facing in two directions, such as on air quality, on housing, on airports and on London’s suburbs. There is a risk, in a highly competitive world, that his tenure will be seen as a period of drift and failure to promote our City. Londoners urgently need greater clarity and progress."
Notes for editors:
1. The motion was passed by a majority of Assembly Members at a meeting of the full Assembly today. View the webcast at:
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp