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The capital is going through one other 4 years of ‘Khanage’ after Sadiq Khan romped to victory within the London mayoral elections over the weekend.
The 53-year-old Labour politician promised Londoners he’ll make town a ‘safer, fairer, greener’ place to stay, and creating 150,000 new jobs over the subsequent 4 years.
However at a better look his election manifesto vows to rent 500 PCSOs who haven’t any arrest powers to combat spiralling crime in lawless London.
He additionally vowed to put in hundreds of additional charging factors for electrical automobiles, regardless of solely a tiny fraction of individuals residing within the metropolis proudly owning e-cars.
Mr Khan, who received a historic third time period on Saturday, additionally touted a variety of vainness tasks to seemingly whet the appetites of voters on the eleventh hour.
Amongst them included bombastic claims of bringing the American Superbowl and extra WrestleMania occasions to town.
It is the primary week again in workplace for Sadiq Khan after he romped to victory within the London mayoral elections over the weekend
Conservative Occasion mayoral candidate Susan Corridor, left, shakes palms with Mr Khan on stage as he’s re-elected for a 3rd time as Mayor of London
Simply days earlier than residents went to the polls, Mr Khan posted to his 1.1million followers on X – previously Twitter: ‘London is already the sporting capital of the world. If I am re-elected subsequent Thursday – we’ll go even additional.
‘We’ll look to convey WrestleMania, Superbowl and the NBA to London, and put collectively one other bid for the 2040 Olympics.’
London has hosted NFL American soccer video games yearly since 2007 – however the Tremendous Bowl has by no means been staged outdoors the US, elevating query marks over whether or not or not it may ever occur.
NFL chief Roger Goodell stated in February that he hoped to make the famed American sporting league ‘world’ within the subsequent decade.
Nonetheless, it is unsure simply how London would ever play an element within the crown jewel of the American sporting calendar.
In one other bid to woo voters, Mr Khan pledged he would search to rent 1,300 extra neighbourhood law enforcement officials, particular constables and PCSOs.
Made as certainly one of his high 10 manifesto priorities, his promise comes after months of fierce criticism over his report of tackling knife crime within the capital.
Official figures printed every week from polling day revealed knife crime offences within the capital had surged 20 per cent within the final yr – whereas over the course of his eight years in cost, the rise was larger nonetheless.
Then 48 hours earlier than voters hit the polls, there was widespread shock and revulsion on the demise of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin – who was killed in a sword assault in Hainault.
Mr Khan says he would ‘work with a Labour Authorities’ on boosting policing numbers – as he dedicated to recruit 500 PCSOs.
In one other bid to woo voters, Mr Khan pledged to rent 1,300 extra neighbourhood cops, particular constables and PCSOs (pictured are two PCSOs on patrol with a Met Police officer)
Daniel Anjorin , 14, was allegedly murdered in a samurai sword assault in east London earlier this week, resulting in widespread shock and revolution inside the metropolis
Tributes have been piling up near the scene of the tragedy (pictured: Laing Shut in Hainault on Saturday). London Mayor Sadiq Khan stated he wished to make town a ‘safer’ place and can be investing in additional police to patrol its streets
However there’s concern in some quarters that hiring extra PCSOs, who’ve restricted powers and can’t arrest suspects, will not sort out the knife crime epidemic plaguing town.
In the meantime, justice campaigners have signalled fears over the massive quantity of armed police quitting from the Metropolitan Police since one firearms cop was charged with the homicide of Chris Kaba, who was fatally shot by police final yr.
Within the house of simply six months, the numbers carrying weapons dropped by greater than 250 between April and December 2023 amid widespread anger inside the pressure over resourcing and disciplinary procedures.
Solely 22 armed officers left within the 12-month interval main as much as March 2023.
In his manifesto, Mr Khan blamed cuts by the Tory authorities for creating the disaster, saying town had been ‘held again’ by the Conservatives in Westminster.
‘The nationwide cuts since 2010 have been a catastrophe for combatting crime throughout the nation, significantly youth violence,’ he stated.
‘The Tories have minimize £1bn from the Met police and £1bn a yr from youth providers nationally in actual phrases since 2010, which has had a devastating affect on the very important assist wanted to maintain communities protected.’
Mr Khan (pictured on election night time when he received a 3rd time period in workplace) blamed the Tory Authorities for the capital’s knife crime epidemic
Amongst different flagship pledges Mr Khan hopes to supply over the subsequent 4 years features a recent dedication to construct 40,000 new council houses by the top of the last decade – observe, not the top of the subsequent four-year mayoral time period.
An analogous pledge he made in 2016, to construct 116,000 new houses by 2022, has but to be met, with simply 61,755 properties below this scheme having been accomplished by the top of final yr.
The remaining 60,000 houses below the mayor’s Inexpensive Houses Programme, are anticipated to be accomplished by 2029 – casting recent doubts over when the properties in his 2024 election pledge will probably be accomplished.
Mr Khan has additionally dropped his dedication to guard the inexperienced belt from his manifesto, regardless of promising to create a ‘greener London for everybody’.
It’s the first time the mayor didn’t embrace a dedication to oppose constructing on inexperienced belt land in his election promise doc.
And in a daring declare as a part of his housing ambitions, Mr Khan vowed to finish tough sleeping within the capital by 2030.
Anti-Ulez activists went on a purge round London slicing down cameras following Sadiq Khan’s re-election of Mayor of London (Pictured: A digicam minimize down in Hillingdon)
Map exhibits which of Mr Khan’s hated enforcement cameras have been broken by ‘ULEZ Blade Runners’
Beneath his watch, the issue has ballooned to staggering new highs, with 4,389 folks sleeping on the streets on the finish of 2023.
In the meantime, recent figures launched final week by homelessness charity St Mungo’s, confirmed that between 4,118 folks had been recorded as tough sleeping between January to March 2024, a rise of 33 per cent on the identical interval final yr.
Mr Khan blamed the Tories in Westminster for the scenario, accusing ministers of ‘turning a blind eye to the dimensions of this nationwide disaster’ and claiming the ‘hostile strategy to refugees has meant that tons of of persons are changing into homeless or sleeping tough on our streets’.
Elsewhere, he stated he would work to make common free college meals ‘everlasting’ for all state college kids.
The Authorities already funds free college lunches for almost all of pupils in major faculties however Mr Khan’s extension of this to seven-to-11-year-olds not presently entitled for the subsequent 4 years is anticipated to price properly over £1billion.
Mr Khan desires to make common free college meals everlasting for major pupils (the mayor is pictured visiting his old style Fircroft Main in Tooting in Februay)
The mayor additionally goals to ship the brand new £40million dwelling for The London Museum, earmarked to open at its Smithfield website, close to town centre, in 2026.
Nonetheless, it is unlikely there will probably be additional developments to the ULEZ, following widespread protest in streets over the enlargement of the eco-levy zone, which has even seen campaigners vandalising scores of cameras used to police the scheme.
And any plans for a ‘pay-per-mile’ hit on motorists as a part of a revamped system to focus on highway customers and slash emissions, additionally seem to have gone up in smoke.
Following fierce criticism from his Tory rivals, who claimed he had been secretly drawing up proposals for such a scheme, Mr Khan was compelled into motion and informed Transport for London (TfL) to cease all work on it – as he went to explicitly rule it out of his manifesto.
However that hasn’t prevented the Labour mayor from seeker to spice up London’s inexperienced credentials, by overhauling town’s e-charging services for electrical automobiles.
He has vowed to double the variety of e-vehicle charging factors to 40,000 – regardless of Division for Transport figures exhibiting that solely 91,572 metropolis residents had battery or hybrid-powered motors in 2023.
In his goals to overtake the capital’s transport choices, the Labour politician has additionally pledged to freeze TFL fares and a bus fleet containing solely zero-emission automobiles.
Mr Khan desires to construct extra homes in London and make town a ‘safer’ place to stay (he’s pictured on Could 1, 2024)
And in a lift for safety, Mr Khan may even proceed along with his rollout of CCTV throughout town, putting in extra recording gadgets on the Bakerloo Line, in bus shelters and in black cabs and taxis.
At present town has about 77,000 cameras overlaying its transport community.
Elsewhere, Mr Khan stays dedicated to lastly fixing the Hammersmith bridge fiasco.
The route has been shut to motorists and buses for 5 years whereas restoration work is carried out.
However the challenge has been a catastrophe, with prices skyrocketing to £300million, the Customary reviews.
Mr Khan insists he’s dedicated to lastly getting the bridge re-opened and has argued the Authorities must stump up the money to remaining end the upgrades.
Metropolis Corridor has been contacted for remark.
