UK Elections: Sadiq Khan's manifesto – what the new London Mayor has promised for his city

Affordable housing and a freeze on transports costs in the capital are at the heart of Mr Khan's vision, but how easy will it be to fulfil?

Oliver Wright
Political Editor
Saturday 07 May 2016 10:51 BST
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Zac Goldsmith, behind, accused his Labour rival Sadiq Khan of 'playing the race card' in the run-up to the London Mayoral election
Zac Goldsmith, behind, accused his Labour rival Sadiq Khan of 'playing the race card' in the run-up to the London Mayoral election

Tackle the housing crisis

Sadiq Khan’s key policy is an ambitious target to make 50 per cent of all new homes affordable. He says he will use land owned by the Mayor and Transport for London to increase the supply of housing and tie house building to new transport infrastructure projects, including proposals such as Docklands Light Railway extensions, the Bakerloo Line extension, and Crossrail 2. He will also support councils to enforce new rules to maximise the affordable housing in new developments, with greater transparency around viability assessments, and the option to set local affordable housing targets.

Freeze transport fares

Khan says he will freeze London transport fares for four years and introduce a one-hour bus ‘Hopper’ ticket, paid for by making TfL more efficient and exploring new revenue-raising opportunities. He claims Londoners won’t pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today. He is also pledging to increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling, and continue the Cycle Superhighway Programme while prioritising Quietways – continuous cycling routes running through parks, alongside waterways and down quiet backstreets – to broaden London’s safe cycle network.

Who is Sadiq Khan?

Make London Safer

Khan claims he will resore neighbourhood policing, tackle gangs and knife crime, and unveil a new plan to tackle the spread of extremism. He says he knife crime stategy will crack down on shops illegally selling knives and working on tougher community payback for those caught with knives, in addition to jail time and traditional sentencing. He also promises to sell Boris Johnson’s water cannon and spend the receipts on youth projects aimed at decreasing gang crime.

Restore London's air quality

Khan says he will pedestrianise Oxford Street and prioritise measures to improve London’s air quality.

He will consult on bringing forward the Ultra-Low Emission Zone making it harder to bring polluting vehicles along major arterial routes or a wider section of central London. Transport for London will also set a target of only buying clean electric or hydrogen buses from 2020 to help manufacturers invest in clean bus technology. He opposes the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport and promises to embark on a major tree-planting programme across London, in partnership with businesses and the public sector.

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