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Capital Letters by JBP provides an insight into the world of London politics and development.

Will the ‘Corbyn effect’ spill over into the mayoral race?

‘Corbyn-mania’ is sweeping the Labour Party. If the polls are to be trusted, it looks like the MP for Islington will become leader of the opposition on 12 September. The London-based new £3 and affiliated voters who have joined the party to vote for Corbyn are likely to change the direction of the London mayoral race by voting for a left wing candidate – Sadiq Khan or Corbyn ally, Diane Abbott.

The surge in support means that Tessa Jowell – who has been the frontrunner for the majority of the race – may find her position jeopardised. It seems difficult to imagine a Dame Tessa, who is a close friend of Tony Blair, running London whilst Jeremy Corbyn is leader.

Sadiq Khan has the support from six big unions and can expect to secure the backing of most of the left-wing newcomers. Diane Abbott is also set to benefit from the voting preferences of the new voters and may be boosted into third place when the votes are counted. Between Khan and Jowell, the race now seems closer than ever.

The gentrification of central London

Figures recently released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggest that poorer families are being pushed out of inner London.  This is based on the fact that the number of children eligible to claim free school meals (an indication of deprivation) in the capital’s central boroughs has reduced by over a third in the past five years.

This announcement will presumably come as quite a shock to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. In 2010, Johnson proclaimed that Tory welfare reforms would not result in “Kosovo style cleansing” where “thousands of families are evicted from the place where they have been living.”

The sudden influx of poorer families from central London boroughs into outer London boroughs would seem to challenge Boris’s claim.  Schools in Merton, Bexley and Croydon have seen on average a 15% rise in the number of families claiming child food benefit.

Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn did not mince his words on the issue.  Corbyn claimed that “quite frankly we’re being socially cleansed.” The MP for Islington North went on to say that “the rent goes up, the benefit cap doesn’t meet the rent. That means [people are] either forced to go hungry or move away from their families and the lives they’ve built.”

Driving cars out of Soho

First it was Oxford Street. Now London’s mayoral hopefuls are adding Soho to their transport and planning policy ambitions. An idea first floated by former minister for transport and once-rumoured mayoral candidate Andrew Adonis - pedestrianising Oxford Street -  is an idea being extended by some to include the capital’s famous culture spot.

Christian Wolmar is one candidate calling for this, claiming that taking vehicles off the roads in Soho - famous for its small and winding streets - would make the area a more attractive place. Wolmar, adding to his own support for a traffic-free Oxford Street, said the proposal is “a different way of thinking of urban planning and thinking how do we design an attractive city for 20 years’ time, rather than thinking ‘how do we accommodate all this traffic.’”

Wolmar accepts that the plans would require considerable cooperation between the Mayor and Westminster Council, as the area’s smaller streets were not under the control of Transport for London. Notably, Westminster Council reversed partial pedestrianisation which happened in the 1990s. The ‘Save Soho’ campaign, launched earlier this year with backers including Stephen Fry, is calling on the Government to act for an area “in danger of losing its identity”.

Boris backs London cruise terminal

On 1st September Mayor of London Boris Johnson gave his backing to a mixed use redevelopment at Enderby Wharf which includes a commercial cruise ship terminal.

Plans for the 2,000sq m terminal, over 400 homes, restaurants, cafes and bars were given consent by the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s Planning Board last month despite concerns from local residents both sides of the Thames over air and noise pollution.

London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, currently the Liberal Democrat’s only candidate for the London Mayoral Election, wrote last month to Boris Johnson; “I remain concerned about the impact on short-term nitrogen dioxide (NO2) particularly in light of the growing residential population in and around the Greenwich Peninsula … I would ask you to re-assess the feasibility of using shore power to supply vessels with electrical power at Enderby Wharf to reduce emissions at source.”

The Mayor’s office conducted an independent air quality consultancy through Amec, which recognised there would be “some moderate adverse impact on occasion.” London’s deputy mayor for planning, Sir Edward Lister, said: “We have worked with the local authority and the developer to ensure the new terminal and surrounding infrastructure will meet the needs of thousands of tourists coming to the city each year.”

The terminal is expected to accommodate up to 55 cruise ships a year for vessels up to 230m and with a capacity of 1,600. The terminal is expected to be operational by 2017.

JBP's Mayoral Watch

  • The New Statesman has backed Tessa Jowell as its preferred Labour candidate;
  • David Lammy has warned that rising rent prices in London mean that the city is in danger of becoming like Paris. He has advocated rent controls as part of his campaign to become mayor.