As the Mayor marks the end of the first half of his term, Florence Eshalomi reflects on how the capital changed under his leadership.

At London’s City Hall, we find ourselves half way through the mayoral term and, as we reflect, it becomes clear that Sadiq Khan has brought many benefits to Londoners.

These come in many policy forms, including a fares freeze and exceeding the affordable homes targets – both of which will help ease the burden on hard-pressed Londoners. But they were also proved through his strong leadership during some of the toughest times our city has seen.

There will always be attempts to muddy the Mayor’s reputation. However, when stacked against the Mayor’s record to date, the arguments are futile and, sometimes, just embarrassing. Indeed, Sadiq Khan’s determination to improve housing, transport, safety, and overall living standards for Londoners speaks for itself.

Housing

Where his predecessor, Boris Johnson, disgracefully sat back and watched as London’s housing crisis escalated, Sadiq is doing everything in his power to deliver more homes for Londoners.

In addition to securing record government funding for 90,000 homes by 2021, he has triggered the much-needed return to social housing by working with boroughs to form plans for 10,000 new council homes across London.

Those hoping to find failure in the Mayor’s action on affordable housing will be deeply disappointed to learn that he has in fact exceeded his 12,500 target for affordable housing this year.

Tackling the housing crisis will continue to be a staggering challenge, but it’s one this mayoralty is willing to confront.

Transport

In spite of a punitive £700 million cut to Transport for London’s (TfL) grant from the Government, the Mayor has frozen TfL fares.

The measure will have put about £200 back into the pocket of the average Londoner by 2020.

And just four months into this mayoralty, Tube trains began to run throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays on selected lines. The Night Tube service, which now runs on five underground lines and London Overground, has given a boost to our capital’s night-time economy. It has also made travelling to work safer and more affordable for workers on late night and early morning shifts.

New initiatives like the Hopper Fare have also helped thousands of low paid Londoners by offering unlimited bus and tram travel in one hour for the price of one ticket.

Pollution

One of the biggest issues confronting Londoners today is air pollution. In 2017, Brixton Road broke the set yearly cap on high nitrogen dioxide concentration in just five days. Other busy London roads followed suit. And with air pollution attributable for over 9,000 premature deaths in London each year, Sadiq Khan is right to make tackling it a priority.

To cut traffic emissions, the Mayor is introducing the T-charge and will be launching the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Plus, fifty air quality audits have been conducted near schools in London with measures planned to protect children from air pollution.

Knife crime

I have seen in my own community the devastating impact of knife and gun violence. Social media, gangs and drug related crime, cuts to youth services and young people fearing their own safety are all factors in the rise of violent crime which we are seeing across the country.

However, it is also clear that government cuts to our police service have consequences which are being felt so many of our communities. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has said that it would be incredibly naive to ignore the impact of reductions in the police budget on crime.

This is why the Mayor has invested £110 million to plug some of the gaps left by government cuts.

Sadiq has also introduced a £45 million Young Londoners Fund with a focus on helping young people at risk of violence.

We need politicians from all parties to seriously examine the causes of the rise in serious violence and work with the Mayor, the police, communities, and young people to come up with solutions.

Leadership in difficult times

Last year was an incredibly difficult year for Londoners with the tragedy of the Grenfell Fire and three terrorist attacks taking place in the capital.

During these times of turmoil, the Mayor showed great leadership by reminding the world that London stands together in our most troubling moments, and by fighting for the resources needed to help those communities worst affected.

He has demonstrated the same leadership – often lacking from the Government – in the aftermath of Brexit, by fighting to keep London’s crown as the best global city, and seeking reassurances for EU citizens residing in our capital.

The next couple of years will bring further trials. Government cuts to transport, policing, and other vital public services, will increasingly take their toll. New challenges, such as growing violence and hatred, will add extra strain to some of those services. Brexit will likely put our economy through its paces, with any negative consequences for London expected to be felt across the country. It will not be easy.

But I am confident that, much like in happier moments, Sadiq Khan is the best person to steer London through these difficult times.

London has changed for the better in the last two years. I am proud to work for a Mayor in City Hall who delivers on his promises.

As a Labour Assembly Member, and, above all, as a Londoner, I am proud of Sadiq Khan.

Florence Eshalomi is a Labour London Assembly member. She tweets here.

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