Newsletter - February 2005

Published on Wed 2nd Feb 2005

Newsletter - February 2005

1 WHEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS NOT AFFORADBLE

The Mayor makes much of his target to require developers to include 50% "affordable housing" in all future developments, but work by Liberal Democrats on the GLA has uncovered evidence which shows that much new housing is far from affordable.

As a result, fewer and fewer doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and others involved in keeping our public services running can afford to live in the Capital.

London councils' waiting lists for housing total 242,000 households, with 67,000 families currently stuck in temporary accommodation. The demand for new affordable housing, which now tops 25,000 homes per year, has never been clearer. However, according to Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson, Dee Doocey AM, the Mayor's 50% target is a con.

"By the Mayor's definition, there are two types of affordable housing: 'social' and 'intermediate'," Dee explains. "The former is designed for those on incomes of £15,000 or less for whom, the Mayor says, housing costs should not eat up more than 30% of their total income. The latter is for those on incomes of £40,000 or less, with no more than 40% of income spent on housing costs.

"However, even with these definitions in place, much so-called affordable housing is far from it. For example, an independent survey by Roof magazine found 'affordable' properties in a development at Chelsea Bridge Wharf, which would cost nearly half the salary of a typical junior doctor to maintain. Meanwhile, at Gainsborough Studios, N1, one 'affordable housing' purchaser was on a salary of £55,000.

"Under the Mayor, public housing subsidy is being poured into schemes that are not targeting the most needy and developers are creatively interpreting 'affordability' in order to maximise their own profits," Dee concludes.

London Campaigners are encouraged to identify developments in their area which supposedly meet the Mayor's 50% affordability target, but which, in reality, are way beyond the means of those that most require housing assistance.

2 LIBERAL DEMOCRATS KEEP THE MAYOR IN CHECK - TOP COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP FOR DEE DOOCEY

Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, Dee Doocey, chairs the Economic Development & Planning Committee which oversees policies on housing, economic development, culture, sport and tourism.

Following her appointment, Dee said:

"I am thrilled to be given this opportunity to help develop new and exciting ways to revitalise, rejuvenate and reinvigorate this great capital city. I want to make sure that this committee looks at improving the quality of life for the whole of London and make sure that it places an equal focus on outer London issues as much as inner London."

Dee is calling on London campaigners to keep her informed about ways in which the Mayor's economic and planning policies are impacting across London.

For more information about the Committee and its activities please see link on left hand side.

3 CAMPAIGNS - YOUR IDEAS WANTED

Over the next few months, Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly will be running a series of campaigns on economic development and planning issues. These might include….

Football is the new opera - Tickets for many football matches now cost more than those for the Opera at Covent Garden, which start at around £25. Are Londoners in your area being priced out of supporting their local club? Find out how much tickets cost and start a petition. Conduct a survey of the views of local people and release to the local media.

London 2012 - The benefits of the Olympics bid to the area in the East end of London around the proposed stadium and village are well known, but 2012 would bring benefits across London. Are people in your area aware of how they might benefit from new transport infrastructure, training facilities or inward investment? Is the council doing enough to keep local people informed and to support the bid?

Please let Dee Doocey know which campaigns you are running in your local area and tell her how the Lib Dem GLA members could support your efforts.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

4 LONDONERS NEED MORE SAY ON LATE-NIGHT OPENING

Local Londoners should be the key voice in determining whether more businesses stay open around the clock in the Capital.

The Assembly's Economic Development and Planning Committee is investigating the impact of the growth of the capital's lucrative night-time economy on the quality of life of communities living nearby.

Dee Doocey AM, the Liberal Democrat Chair of the Committee, says:

"We must strike the right balance between the needs of local residents, businesses and the capital's economy. We can make better use of planning to relieve the impact of the 24-hour economy. Liberal Democrat campaigners across London can provide a voice for those with ideas and concerns about how we can protect local communities."

5 RECENT PRESS RELEASES

Full texts of Dee Doocey's recent press releases are available through the link on the left hand side.

· "Patients registering with NHS dentists plummet across London" (31st January 2005

· "Water pressure drop could cost homeowners thousands" (25th January 2005)

· "New economic strategy cannot mask failure to tackle London unemployment" (20th January 2005)

· "London Mayor failing to deliver childcare places" (6th January 2005)

6 QUESTIONS TO KEN

Dee Doocey regularly submits written questions to the Mayor. Her latest questions have covered skill levels, right to buy, unemployment and poverty.

7 EVENTS DIARY

Events, meetings and votes at the London Assembly can provide news pegs for local stories. Meetings of the Economic Development and Planning committee, along with all other GLA committees, are open to the public and the discussions at such meetings could provide you with a campaigning opportunity.

Please do feel free to attend.

Forthcoming Economic Development and Planning Committee meetings

1st February - Access to the Labour Market, particularly for the over 50s

1st March - Casinos

5th April - Scrutiny of the London Development Agency

24th May - Tourism

12th July - Apprenticeships

Forthcoming Health and Public Services Committee meetings

8th February - Sexual Health in Young People

17th March - Sexual Health in Young People

19th April - Health and Safety for Construction Workers

8 THE LOWDOWN ON THE GLA

What the GLA does

The GLA is a unique form of strategic citywide government for London. It is made up of a directly elected Mayor - the Mayor of London - and a separately elected Assembly - the London Assembly. There are around 600 staff to help the Mayor and Assembly in their duties.

The Assembly scrutinises the Mayor's activities, questioning the Mayor about his decisions. The Assembly is also able to investigate other issues of importance to Londoners, publish its findings and recommendations, and make proposals to the Mayor.

The Assembly's scrutiny activity has a number of further objectives including:

- to raise the profile of the Assembly

- to make transparent the operation of the Mayor's office

- to assess the performance of the functional bodies

- to produce a political audit for GLA expenditure

- to engage Londoners in policy debate.

The GLA's main areas of responsibility are:

· Transport

· Policing

· Fire and emergency planning

· Economic development

· Planning

· Culture

· Environment

· Health

9 DEE DOOCEY'S THREE KEY ROLES

Economic Development & Planning Committee

Dee Doocey chairs this important GLA committee. Its role is to scrutinise the work of the Mayor and London Development Agency. Current scrutinies include:

Ø London's Night Time Economy

Ø Access to the Labour Market for the over 50's

The committee has taken written evidence from a variety of organisations, held public meetings at which expert witnesses gave verbal evidence and conducted a number of site visits. In addition, the committee commissions independent focus groups as appropriate in order to engage local people in the debate. At the end of this process, a report will be published for each scrutiny with recommendations, which can inform and influence the decisions of the Mayor, the boroughs and other government agencies.

Future scrutinies planned include Casinos in London (March), a scrutiny on the London Development Agency (April), Tourism (May), and Apprenticeships (July).

Member of the Health and Public Service Committee

Dee Doocey is a member of this committee. Its role is to examine the promotion of health and provision of services to Londoners. Previously the committee has examined HIV Services in London and Water Pressure Reduction in London, amongst others. The committee is currently conducting a scrutiny on Sexual Health in Young People.

Party spokesperson

Dee Doocey's responsibilities on the GLA as Lib Dem spokesperson are: economic development/wealth creation; social development; culture; sport and tourism; health and public services; and spatial development/planning in London.