Priorities

As Lambeth and Southwark's AM, I would support London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to bring forward transformative policies and work with local councillors and activists to deliver them.
These are my priorities:

Priorities: Issues

Community Building

The real power of London is the communities that call the city home.

As Lambeth and Southwark AM, I would do everything in my power to support communities and free them to exercise control over their lives and living environments.

Residents associations, youth centres and community groups are every bit as important as business centres and enterprise hubs.

I would work with the councils, local councillors and activists to empower communities and give them a louder voice in their lives.

Picture: Residents of Silwood estate in Rotherhithe fighting to keep the Lewington Centre open in the evenings.

Housing

There are over 50,000 people on Lambeth and Southwark's housing waiting lists. Some have been on the list for decades. Lambeth has one of the country's highest levels of rough-sleeping, with Southwark not far behind. Spiralling house prices mean people can't afford to stay in their communities and the fragile networks of support we all need get stretched to breaking point.
South London needs a massive project of social housing development. I would work with both councils to make sure we build the council homes our residents need.
I would support the mayor in making sure every development that is allowed to go up in Lambeth and Southwark benefits the people who live here.
I am a proud council tenant and have lived in my home for 30 years. I haven't exercised my Right-to-Buy because I believe homes are for living in, not for profit, and principles only really matter when they cost you something.

Street Violence

Lambeth has the highest levels of youth violence in the capital, and Southwark has as many as 4,000 incidents every year. The violence, that spirals out of hopelessness and neglect, is taking way too many young lives from our streets. Young people are spending more time worrying about their safety than planning for their futures. We need to end the epidemic of violence. While more community policing would help, the probem will only really be tackled by investing in our marginalised communities and creating a narrative of hope for our young people. There are many amazing community groups and initiatives that are doing great work. I would seek to support them and share good practices around the constituency and beyond.

Climate emergency

The climate emergency is putting all of our futures in danger.
This is the last chance we will have to avert a catastrophe and we all have to play our part in protecting our planet.
Taking care of the environment, cleaning up our air and reducing our waste are not challenges for the future, they are vital issues for now.
In Lambeth and Southwark poor air quality is already impacting our poorest communities and incidents of asthma and other respiratory problems are at an all-time high.
I will work with the London Mayor to enact his London Environment Strategy and with local councillors to make good on the environmental strategies of the two boroughs. Both declared climate emergencies last year and have made impressive efforts in these areas but there is no time to pat ourselves on the back, we need to be relentless in the defence of our world.
The Mayor wants London to have the best air quality of any major world city by 2050 and I want to help him achieve this. I will support the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and his plans to ensure that all buses are zero pollution by 2037.
Housing is one of the biggest contributors to Lambeth and Southwark’s carbon footprint and I would ensure that all new developments are as sustainable as possible.
We also need to plant more trees as these soak up CO2 and help create a better environment for us all.
I will work holistically and collaboratively to create a cleaner greener Lambeth and Southwark.

Welcoming newcomers

Lambeth and Southwark have long histories of welcoming people from all over the world. The vibrancy of our communities is based on the mixing of cultures with people who have lived in the boroughs for generations living next door to newcomers.
I believe that Lambeth and Southwark should provide a welcoming safe haven for those who are fleeing persecution, looking for somewhere to stay or who simply want to come and be part of the most exciting part of the world's greatest city. I fully support Southwark's plans to be Borough of Sanctuary for refugees and migrants and will support Lambeth to do the same.
I also believe that Traveller and Gypsy communities have an enshrined right to their way of life and would encourage the boroughs to be as inclusive and collaborative as possible when dealing with this marginalised community.

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