Londonwide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi, has slammed the Mayor’s decision to all but halve his Environment team at City Hall – thus undermining the Authority’s strategic role in combating climate change.   

Murad said:  "Today’s announcement shows the level of contempt with which the Mayor treats environmental issues.  He had his henchmen freeze recruitment last May, but now they’re making those cuts permanent – and deeper.  The Mayor has a legal duty to co-ordinate Londonwide measures to improve life for Londoners – that’s what he was elected to do, but he seems to think he can do it on the cheap by getting rid of his experts and farming out the difficult bits to consultants.

“He’s due to produce no fewer than five environment strategies this year, but with half the staff gone and the other half demoralised I have serious doubts that he’ll be able to fulfil that requirement.  Ken spent years getting the best people around him – City Hall was highly regarded by national government and internationally, but Boris is chasing his best people away.

“This is on top of the £12.9 million under-spend on LDA carbon reduction budgets that he’s decided to un-prioritise.”

Murad added: “Climate change is a huge ticking time-bomb – it’s the biggest problem facing the human race and London should be taking a lead in finding ways to deal with this, but Boris knows full well he’ll have moved on before the tsunami hits London and he is showing his true blue environmental colours – by leaving a bigger mess for someone else to clean up.”