Tomorrow is the mayoral elections here in London and if you’re anything like us you’ll probably still be unsure about who you should vote for.
As well as the smaller parties the main candidates battling it out tomorrow are current Mayor of London Boris Johnson who is representing the Conservatives, the former Mayor of London and Labour candidate Ken Livingstone and lastly the Lib Dem candidate and former Deputy Assistant Commission at the Metropolitan police, Brian Paddick.
If you’re still unsure about what they’re offering and how it’ll effect your day to day life then check out our guide below before heading to the polling stations tomorrow.
Boris Johnson
The economy and jobs: He’s going to create 200,000 more jobs over the next four years and also cut waste at City Hall in order to free up £3.5bn to put back into services. Johnson will carry on the council tax freeze and invest £221m into highstreets and smaller businesses.
Transport: Johnson will spend £6bn on upgrading the tube. He’ll also introduce driverless trains, cut tube delays by 30% by 2015 and continue to make bus stops more accessible while introducing his much hyped New Bus for London.
Crime: Johnson promises to put an extra 1000 police onto the streets. He’ll also tackle gangs by launching the first ever 1000 strong gang taskforce. He’ll put an extra 697 police officers on the tube and buses to tackle transport crime.
Housing: Johnson will secure a minimum of 40,000 new affordable homes by 2015 and will build 11,000 new homes in the Olympic Park.
Ken Livingstone
The economy and jobs: Increase investment in London and Londoners. Livingstone will also London Living Wage an essential condition at the Greater London Authority.
Transport: Livingstone promises to cut tube fares by 7% before October 2012 and if he doesn’t he promises to step down. He’ll also extend the Croydon Tramlink and protect the Freedom Pass that the over 60s receive.
Crime: Livingstone will offer all of London’s state schools a police officer who will be there to tackle knife crime. He’ll also put 33,260 police officers back on the streets of London.
Housing: Livingstone will campaign for a London Living Rent which will ensure that no Londoner has to spend more than a third of their income on rent. He’ll also put a stop to nasty letting agency fees by introducing a not-for-profit letting agency.
Brian Paddick
The economy and jobs: Paddick will promote investment in London from abroad by making sure the city has a safe image to those that come from abroad. Paddick also promises to lead the ‘digital revolution’ so that London has the technology at our finger tips to compete with the rest of the world.
Transport: Paddick will introduce a One Hour Bus ticket which will allow you to jump on and off as many buses as you like in a one hour period. He’ll also introduce Early Bird discounts for those that travel before 7.30am. He’ll also introduce a part-time travel card which will work the same way as an Oyster and will be targeted at those who use the tube just 3 days a week.
Crime: He’ll put more police into areas that are most at risk of gun or knife crime. Paddick will make criminals work within their community to repay their debt. Help Londoners look after their own areas by helping local communities to prevent crime.
Housing: Paddick will build 360,000 new homes in London over the next 10 years to up affordable housing. He’ll also crack down on what he describes as ‘rogue landlords’ and set up a Rent London website which will help young people and students searching for affordable housing.
Find out more about the news that affects you in London here.
