A view from City Hall by Joanne McCartney AM - Police funding

6th January 2018

E: joanne.mccartney@london.gov.uk www.joannemccartney.com Tel: 020 7983 5524

Unsurprisingly the issue of policing is a regular issue raised by constituents, and so I was very disappointed to see that there was no mention of extra funding for our police service in the Chancellor's autumn budget. Both the Mayor of London and the London Assembly have called on the government to give additional resources to the Metropolitan Police Service which has had to make £600 million of cuts since 2010, and must find a further £400 million of savings by 2021. Most of the Met police budget comes from central government. These government cuts have already led to the loss of 30 per cent of police staff and 65 per cent of police community support officers, plus most of the capital’s police station front counters since 2010. This is unsustainable and it will inevitably lead to fewer officers at a time when crime is rising across London and the rest of the UK. We will continue to make a strong case to government for proper funding. A Knife Crime Strategy for London For many young Londoners, knife crime and the threat of violence is a part of everyday life, ruining lives, blighting communities and wasting potential. The Mayor has launched a new Knife Crime Strategy which includes a new anti-crime campaign aimed at young people. The ‘London Needs You Alive - don’t carry a knife’ campaign works with some of London’s most influential young artists and campaigners to put forward a positive message and to influence young Londoners to make an active choice not to carry a knife. The message is clear - carrying a knife is more likely to ruin your life than save it. For more information on this work see: www.london.gov.uk/london-needsyou-alive The London Plan The new draft London Plan has been launched for public consultation. This Plan is the planning bible for London and sets out the Mayor’s ambitions for more genuinely affordable housing, transport, better design standards, green infrastructure, social infrastructure and business space. There is much more emphasis on the health and wellbeing of all Londoners and on the sustainable growth of our City than previous plans. The draft Plan can be found at www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/ planning/london-plan/new-londonplan and the closing date for comments is the 2nd March 2018. *Joanne is the London Assembly Member for Enfield & Haringey and is the statutory Deputy Mayor of London.