The government was today attacked for plans to cut victim support funding across London by up to 40%. The government are consulting on proposals to fund victim support based on population rather than the amount of crime and number of victims in a given area. London accounts for 20-25% of recorded crime nationally, but only has 15% of the nation’s population. The funding changes will mean the amount of money available for victim support across the capital will fall from £13.3million to £8.2million, a cut of over £5million. 

The plans have been criticised by the Mayor of London and his policing deputy in recent correspondence to the Ministry of Justice. London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi has backed calls for the Justice Secretary to properly fund victim support services in London.  

London-wide Labour London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said:

“The government must drop these reckless plans and properly fund victim support services in the capital. These changes will mean victims of crime in London will not receive the support they need. Policing in Westminster is under real strain with 393 police officers being cut since May 2010 and 2,500 police officers cut across the capital. In Westminster, 81% of crimes are not being solved. It’s more important than ever that victim support services are properly funded. 

“In London we have an emerging cross-party consensus that the government must not cut back on this vital service. The government still have time to listen and we will continue to highlight the impact of this disastrous plan until the government change tack. Even Mayor Boris Johnson who has provided cover for government cuts to policing has described these latest plans as “ludicrous”. We will end up with funding in quieter parts of the country of £22 per victim, but in London it will be £12 – does the government really think victims in London are worth less and deserve less support?” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi is a London-wide Assembly Member
   1. Letters sent from Boris Johnson and his deputy mayor for policing to the MoJ are attached.
   2. The proposed changes have not been published on the MoJ website and were sent out privately to Police and Crime Commissioners.
   3. In 2012/13 81% of crimes were unsolved in Westminster (50 198 crimes) and 79% in London (606,531 crimes).

A new study published by Shelter shows that in Westminster there are no homes on the market that are affordable to young families with children. The research reveals the full extent of England’s housing shortage. In over half the country, less than 10 per cent of the suitable homes for sale are affordable for a typical family hoping to get on the first rung of the property ladder. The charity looked at asking prices for all of the properties for sale in England on a single day, and compared them with the mortgage that families, couples and single people on average wages could afford as first time buyers.  

In over a third of local authority areas, more than 95% of homes on the market were unaffordable for families – even assuming that they were able to save a large 20% deposit. The research uncovered several affordability black-spots, where there were no affordable properties for sale at all. This includes Brent where 1,511 homes for sale but none were affordable. The picture is even bleaker for families looking to take part in the government’s mortgage guarantee scheme, Help to Buy, where a 95% mortgage would mean higher monthly mortgage costs, and put even more homes out of reach. 

Previous research commissioned by Shelter showed that on average young families face over a decade of saving before they can afford the deposit for a home of their own. This new study shows that, even with a large deposit, there simply aren’t enough properties on the market that first time buyers can afford. This means that the reality for many will be years spent in expensive and unstable private lets, often forced to jump from one short tenancy to the next and unable to put down roots.  

Shelter is warning that unless the government tackles the root cause of our housing crisis – the desperate shortage of affordable homes – things are only going to get worse. This will not only affect future generations hoping for a stable home, but also the thousands of families already facing an everyday struggle to pay their rent or mortgage. 

London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“Westminster ranks 1^st with 6 other London Boroughs as the least affordable areas in the UK. Of the 20 least affordable areas in the country, 13 are in London. We need real action to get developers building, there are 211,000 homes in London that have planning permission but are not being built. It is time the Mayor and government introduced a “use it or lose it” clause for developers who are sitting on these stalled schemes so we can deliver the housing Londoners so desperately need.” 

“London is facing a housing crisis for all types of tenure, there simply isn’t enough housing being built. This is putting intolerable strain on house prices and on rents. In one month alone house prices rose by £50,000 and private sector rents are seeing double-digit increases year on year. London is becoming more and more unaffordable, this is not healthy for London’s future. The dream of home ownership is becoming an ever more distant dream for young Londoners.” 

Ends 

Notes 

1. Murad Qureshi AM is a London wide Assembly Member
2. Shelter’s press release can be found here: http://england.shelter.org.uk/news/october_2013/working_families_priced_out_in_over_half_of_the_country
3. In 31 out of 32 London boroughs, less than 10% of available properties are affordable to a couple with children on average wages. 
4. Analysis of the housing market was carried out by comparing asking prices for properties on sale with affordability thresholds for three different household types derived from average earnings figures. For more details and a full breakdown of data refer to the full research report ‘How much of the housing market is affordable?’ attached. 
5. Asking prices acquired from Zoopla, but this research is in no way endorsed or supported by Zoopla. 
6. Additional research into the time it takes to save for a deposit taken from Shelter’s A Home of Their Own report. 
7. Percentage change in home ownership taken from Shelter analysis of data from Census 2001 and Census 2011 (ONS)

Ofwat’s decision today to block Thames Water’s planned price rise of £29 next year has been welcomed. London Assembly Labour Environment spokesperson, Murad Qureshi, whose arguments to Ofwat against the price rise were cited in today’s decision notice has described the decision as “100% correct.” 

Thames Water had planned to increase water bills for millions of households in London by £29 in order to fund the new London “super sewer”. However, Ofwat’s decision today means that the water bill increases will no longer go ahead as they stated: “Our conclusion is that Thames Water’s application does not…exceed 10% of appointed business turnover. On this basis, our final determination is that the existing price limits for 2014-15 should not be adjusted.” 

In their decision notice Ofwat quoted Mr Qureshi’s argument that it is “grossly inappropriate for Thames Water, as a monopoly service provider, to use its position to add extra strain on family finances at the current time.” 

Speaking after the decision was published, London Assembly Labour Environment spokesperson, Murad Qureshi AM, said:

“I am delighted by today’s news that Ofwat have blocked Thames Water’s attempts to raise Londoners’ water bills by £29. At a time when people are struggling with a cost of living crisis we must do all that we can to help them. It was grossly inappropriate for Thames Water, as a monopoly service provider, to use its position to add extra strain on family finances at the current time. 

“It is now time for Thames Water to realise the financial pressure families are facing and accept Ofwat’s decision. There is a broad consensus that the super-sewer needs to go ahead, but it has been made clear that there are alternatives to funding than just constantly increasing all of our water bills.” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi is a London-wide London Assembly Member and London Assembly Labour Environment spokesperson.
2. The ‘Final determination of Thames Water’s IDoK application – executive summary’ by Ofwat can be found here: http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulating/det_idok20131108tms.pdf
3. Murad Qureshi AM’s submission on behalf of the Labour Group on the London Assembly is attached.

New research shows that police are solving less crime since Boris became Mayor and that Westminster is well below the UK average for solved crime. In Westminster 19 per cent were solved in 2012/13 compared to the UK average of 27 per cent. This amounts to 50198 unsolved crimes in Westminster last year. 

The police are also solving less crime compared to 2008/09 when Boris became Mayor. In Westminster 25 per cent were solved whereas this year it was only 19 per cent. 

These revelations come at a time when fewer crimes are being reported to the police and when Westminster has lost 393 police officers and 279 PCSOs since May 2010. 

Local Labour London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“It is shocking that overall reported crime is down yet the number of unsolved crimes in Westminster is up to 81 per cent.  Boris talks big about reported crime going down, but so far he has ignored that the number of crimes actually solved on his watch has plummeted. Compared to the average in England and Wales, London is trailing on the number of crimes solved where we should be setting the gold standard. 

“Since May 2010, in Westminster the number of PCs has been reduced by 24 per cent and PCSOs by 74 per cent. Boris talks about getting more bobbies on the beat but the figures clearly show this is not happening. 

“This proves Boris can’t have his cake and eat it. If you cut the police budget by as much as the Government has then there will be repercussions. Victim satisfaction in London is lower than elsewhere in the UK and this is not acceptable. The Mayor must act now.” 

Ends 

Notes

1. Murad Qureshi AM is a London wide Assembly Member.
2. The latest police numbers can be found here: http://data.london.gov.uk/
3. The figures for the unsolved crimes can be found here: http://maps.met.police.uk/tables.htm

The Mayor’s announcment that he is against freezing energy bills came as no surprise. At a time when Londoners are feeling the pinch you would have thought he would be supportive of measures to ease the cost of living crisis hitting our city. We need real action to help struggling families, under Boris we’ve had 5 years of inflation busting fare rises with another increase due to be announced soon. Recently he pushed through plans to increase rents for ‘affordable housing’ up to 80 per-cent of the market rate, this will increasingly push working Londoners out of their homes to make room for the better off. On top of squeezing people ever harder the Mayor is content to spend more on his advisors than the Prime Minister. Over £1.57 million a year of our money goes on his team at City Hall.

 We are currently facing a cost of living crisis where prices are soaring and everyday necessities like food and bills are becoming unaffordable. The Mayor should use his position to ease the burden on ordinary Londoners. I have launched a survey to find out how my constituents are coping with the cost of living crisis, you can complete this online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5DM8PHC.  I hope you will take a couple of minutes and fill out the questionnaire to let me know how they are coping.

 Finally, If you would like me to send you hard copies of the survey to distribute, please do not hesitate to contact me at murad.qureshi@london.gov.uk

On Sunday the 6th of October – around 100 people gathered outside the headquarters of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday to protest at the papers concerted hate campaign against huge sections of the UK population.

The demonstration, organised by the People’s Assembly, campaign groups and trade union, was called after revelations that the Mail on Sunday had covertly sent one of its reporters into a private memorial for a member of the Miliband family. The decision to send an undercover reporter into a private family occasion followed a scurrilous attack on Ralph Miliband, a highly respected academic, by the Mail on Sunday’s sister paper the Daily Mail.

Commenting from the protest in central London, Owen Jones, political commentator and journalist, said:  “The Miliband family are the latest in a long line of people that have been subjected to the Mail’s venomous attacks on Muslims, migrants, lesbians and gays and trade unionists have all felt the brutal force of the Daily Mail’s vicious and deceitful attacks over many decades .  The Daily Mail doesn’t reflect the Britain I see around me day to today, a Britain where people of different cultures, different faiths and different colours live side by side. The Daily mail can’t stomach the fact that Britain in 2013 goes against every hate fuelled value Paul Dacre and his paper holds. “  

Prior to addressing the rally Lindsey German, Convenor of the Stop the War coalition, said:   “I have experienced first hand the putrid lies and the character assassination of the Mail. The journalistic values of the Daily Mail can best be summed up as never letting the truth get in the way of a good smear.”  

London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi  speaking to the protest said:   “The Miliband affair highlights yet again why self regulation isn’t working. It is beyond comprehension   that the body tasked with upholding press standards , the PCC, can put Paul Dacre in charge of press ethics. The public are demanding a press that is responsible – right now the Mail is exhibiting all the worst excesses of an unregulated press and that urgently needs to be addressed.”

This week, Sir Howard Davies of the Aviation Commission made a speech ruling out catering for unconstrained demand because that would not be consistent with the Committee on Climate Change recommendations on CO2. Yet while this may be the principal environmental concern amongst policy wonks, for Londoners on the doorstep its quite clearly aircraft noise particularly for those in the West London suburbs. 

That’s not surprising given the numbers affected by aircraft noise on the flight approaches going into Heathrow airport where 28 per cent of all people in Europe affected by aircraft noise are living under the Heathrow flight paths. More importantly this week we heard about the ‘link’ between aircraft noise and stroke & heart disease deaths. In a report published in the British Medical Journal, a study of 3.6 million residents near Heathrow Airport suggested the risks were 10-20 per cent higher in areas with the highest levels of aircraft noise. 

Such results clearly imply the siting of airports and consequent exposure to aircraft noise may have direct effects on the health of the surrounding population. We all know only too well of the nuisance aircraft noise can cause but news that it can contribute to deaths as well is a significant development. On the basis of this latest study Sir Howard Davies would do well to concentrate on aircraft noise’s environmental & health impacts in London as much as  any other environmental concerns before making any final conclusions.

With the extension of the coalition government’s “help to buy” scheme beyond new builds to existing properties, it will be interesting to see what the impact of this policy will be in Hounslow. 

We’ve already had new build schemes like Thornbury Road in Isleworth, supported with the “help to buy”, helping to push the price of a property in Hounslow in June to £421,059with an annual price increase of 12.8 per cent.  But this new extension of the programme is unlikely to help the creation of more properties which is the real issue in London.   In fact, there are fears that the likely effect will be to stoke the already existing inflationary pressures in the housing market. 

That’s why Ed Miliband’s proposal of a “use it or lose it” policy is a fair and forceful way to shift 210,000 homes in London which have planning permission but have not yet been built on by developers who for whatever reason choose to land bank instead.  We only have to see the empty sites in Brentford off the Great West Road, to appreciate the extent of the problem in Hounslow alone.  The proposal would allow councils to impose escalating fees on developers who refuse to build, backed up by the threat of compulsory purchase orders for the very worst offenders, giving councils the tools they need to effectively tackle land banking, where developers seek to maximise value and returns by sitting on land instead of building on it. 

Unlike the coalition’s policy, this is much more likely to produce new housing and unlikely to create further inflationary pressure in the housing market as most experts suggest will be the result.  The job of opponents to the government’s proposals is to ensure that the message about the likely cause and effects of such a policy are understood by the public.  This latest extension of “help to buy” is not helpful.  Instead what London needs is “help to build”!.

London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM calls for an end to land banking in London and supports proposals whereby developers will have to use or lose their planning permission. The proposals would help tackle land banking in London by unlocking the 210,000 homes with planning permission but which aren’t being built and would also create the new supply the capital desperately needs. 

The proposals would allow councils to impose escalating fees on developers who refuse to build, backed up by the threat of compulsory purchase orders for the very worst offenders. This would give councils the tools they need to effectively tackle land banking, where developers maximise value by sitting on land instead of building on it. 

The average price for a property in Westminster in June this year was £1,383,459. The annual change in house prices has increased by 19.4 per cent. 

London wide Labour Assembly Member Murad Qureshi AM said:

“I welcome these proposals, which outlined some ground-breaking proposals to tackle London’s housing crisis and build the homes that London needs. 

“Use it or lose it planning permission is a fair yet forceful way to shift the 210,000 homes in London which have planning permission but are not being built. Under the current system, developers find it more profitable to sit on land than to build on it. This is an innovative response to the land banking that is much to blame for our housing crisis. 

“The national house building programme is also great news for the capital. London must already accommodate a rapidly rising population, but if the rest of the southeast fails to meet its own needs, particularly for affordable housing, then the pressure on London could be even greater.” 

Notes 

1. Murad Qureshi AM is a London wide Assembly Member.
2. Labour leader Ed Miliband gave his speech at Labour party conference on 24 September 2013.
3. The figures for the average house prices can be found here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/uk_house_prices/counties/html/county39.stm
4. The Greater London Authority’s report Barriers to Housing Delivery identified 210,000 potential homes in London which have planning permission but aren’t being built (GLA, http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/planning/publications/barriers-to-housing-delivery)
5. The Department for Communities and Local Government says only 18,000 homes were completed in London last year (DCLG, Table 253, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building)

Campaigning against PO closures in Pimlico

In the Postal Services Act 2011, the Coalition government split Royal Mail from the network of Post Offices branches, which traders as Post Office Ltd.

Post Office Ltd is to remain in the public sector, because it is dependent upon a subsidy from the government – £103 million in the last year.

Separation makes the Post Office network very vulnerable. A privatised Royal Mail will not wish to prioritise the use of loss-making public company,

A ten-year commercial agreement was struck between the two companies on January 2012. But the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has accepted that the contract allows for changes in commercial circumstances, and it contains a review clause after five years.

This is surely an invitation for a privately owned Royal Mail to look at other private retailers instead of Post Office Ltd.

Already Royal Mail will be ending the provision of IT and finance services to the Post Office by the end September 2014.

No where else in the world has this separation beem made.

Make no mistake – what ever assurances the Coalition government is now offering, Post Office branches are under serious threat.

A third of Post Office revenues – around £350 million a year – come from Royal Mail.

In London, the proposed reforms have the potentially disproportionate impact on Londoners, as six Post Offices have been identified for outright closure, as part of a plan to close or franchise 76 crown Post Offices.

Rural Post Offices are particularly at risk.  Only 23% of these offices generate more than £40,000 pounds revenue a year.

Equally, in many poorer wards in urban centres, the local post office plays a crucial role in sustaining small businesses in their vicinity.

The Coalition government could have introduced a statutory obligation for Royal mail, as the universal service provider, to use local Post Office branches

But it didn’t. Now we must campaign to ensure a future for the Post Office network. This can only be achieved if we defeat privatisation.

In 2015 our Labour government will have to reintegrate the Post Office network into a publicly owned Royal Mail. Otherwise there is no guarantee for the future of your local Post Office.

This is an ideologically driven privatisation that not event Margaret Thatcher would consider. That is what we are deal with this coalition government.