Public spaces are the beating heart of London – where Londoners are free to play, shop, exercise, perform, protest, socialise and live.
But there has been an increasing privatisation of our public spaces, which comes with new rules over which nobody was consulted.
Since 2016, Green candidate for Mayor, Sian Berry, has been campaigning to keep these spaces open and inclusive for Londoners.
As a London Assembly member, Sian led a successful motion asking the Mayor to establish democratic and accountable regulation and management of public places.
This has resulted in the drafting of a Public London Charter.
While there is much to support in the Charter, Sian has identified 6 key amendments that would help keep our public spaces open to all. These include a ban on CCTV in public spaces, the disclosure of details of planning applications to the public and democratic procedures for those intending to make any changes to the rules.
Sian says:- “Overall, this guidance represents a big step forward for protecting Londoners’ rights, freedoms and wellbeing when new public spaces are created in London.
“However, the Charter falls short when it comes to making any changes to rules. We know that private companies and landowners will take every chance they are given to sanitise real, untidy London life from their spaces and ban legitimate activities, and this must be fixed in the final draft.”
The Mayor is still welcoming the submission of consultation comments on the draft here (the deadline is 23.59 on Friday 15th January 2021).
Find Sian Berry’s full response to the Mayor’s draft Charter here.