Residents demand green jobs and end to fuel poverty ahead of Mayoral election

By Will Brook

Hundreds of citizens from a wide range of community groups across the capital have come together to set out their priorities for the city ahead of the upcoming mayoral election.

Community organising group Citizens UK brought together a diverse group of 706 Londoners from 20 boroughs, including Lambeth and Southwark, to debate their concerns for the city and set out their priorities ahead of the mayoral election in May, 2021.

Takeaways from the project were summarised in a report called ‘London: A Just Transition City’, prepared by think tank The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

The report highlighted that the areas citizens are most concerned with are health, green jobs, and climate action and social justice.

In terms of health, Londoners said they want to see the impacts of damp, mould, crowded housing and pollution tackled to reduce respiratory problems in adults and children.

Londoners also want to see 60,000 good green jobs and apprenticeships become available over the next mayoral term targeted at underprivileged and diverse communities.

They are also calling for 100,000 fuel poor homes to be upgraded by retrofitting housing stock to reduce emissions.

Participants included schools, colleges, churches, charities and businesses, with King’s College London, The Advocacy Academy, St Gabriel’s College and Church Waterloo all situated in Lambeth taking part, as well as Parents and Communities Together based in Southwark.

Danna Quinones Rodriuquez, from Parents and Communities Together, Southwark, said: “I live near Tower Bridge Road, it’s polluted, busy and it’s dangerous long-term for my health.

“I like living in this area but the next mayor of London needs to do more.

“I am lucky that I have a roof over my head, but the difference between the state of the houses in Southwark, between the privileged and under-privileged, is so stark.”

This follows current Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s pledge to make London a net zero emissions by 2030.

Luke Murphy, Head of IPPR’s Environmental Justice Commission, said: “Covid-19 has shone a light on and worsened inequalities across our capital city.

“Yet this report shows that action to tackle the climate crisis can help us build back better after the pandemic.

“To succeed, Londoners are clear that they want to see the benefits, and the risks of the net zero transition to be fairly shared.”

Matthew Bolton, Executive Director of Citizens UK, said: “Lower energy bills, better paid green jobs and streets free from choking pollution should be a top priority for Mayoral candidates.

“In 2021 we need the next Mayor to move from crisis management of a pandemic to deliver the vital steps needed to prevent a climate crisis that would be a disaster for every person in London.”