“Dear Petitioner
Thank you for the petition submitted on the change.org website. I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that I plan to continue working to make London the greatest city on earth right through my Mayoralty, which ends in May 2016.
It has been an enormous privilege to serve as Mayor of London since 2008. I am incredibly proud of the things that have been achieved in London over the last six years.
Back in 2008 there seemed a genuine risk that London would be badly damaged by the financial crisis, and would lose ground to capitals around the world - not just New York, but Shanghai, Dubai, Mumbai and others.
Since then the opposite has happened. I hope you agree with me when I say that confidence in London is at the highest level in recent memory - both here and around the world. There has never been a time in the last 50 years when London has seen so much regeneration. Never have we seen so many post-industrial wastelands transformed into thriving new districts.
Look at Stratford, and you can see the amazing benefits of staging what many observers agreed were the best ever Olympic and Paralympic Games. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will comprise one of the largest new green spaces in Europe, centred around one of the best transport hubs in Britain.
The first families have moved into the converted Athletes’ Village, where 50 per cent of the homes are affordable. The Westfield shopping centre - employing 8,000 people, many local residents - is now the busiest in the country.
But the transformation is not just in the east. Across the entire city you can now see the skyline once again dotted with the red and yellow cranes of recovery - from Battersea to Croydon to the Royal Docks.
Over the last six years crime rates are down a massive 17 per cent. We are investing in transport, with an upgraded Tube (and a 40 per cent reduction in delays), with Crossrail being delivered on time and budget, and a British-made New Bus for London on our streets. And we are creating the cleanest, greenest city for our children, with new parks, street trees and cleaner air.
Most importantly, in these tough economic times, we are helping hardworking Londoners to meet the cost of living challenge. I am proud to say I have frozen Council Tax year after year - this year even cutting it. Overall, that means I have been able to put £445 back in the pockets of hard-working Londoners.
There is more that I am determined to do to lengthen London’s lead as the greatest city on earth. We are expecting to have a million more people by 2020. To meet that challenge, we will need over 400,000 homes - that is more than 40,000 a year over the next ten years. We will need to build them faster than this city has ever done in modern times. But I have a plan to do it - on the 21 brownfield Opportunity Areas including Battersea, the Royal Docks, Greenwich, Tottenham, and Croydon. When you consider that 1 in 5 SMEs is in construction, you can see the potential of this programme to get the economy moving.
I am continuing to argue for not just Crossrail but for Crossrail 2, for new river crossings, for road improvements including possible tunnelisation schemes. There is colossal potential for a combined maritime and aviation logistics hub to the east of London in the Thames Estuary. And I have set out a vision for all the amenities and infrastructure that these new communities will need - from electricity substations to sewage management to new schools - perhaps the most crucial of all the investments we can make.
I hope that my response has assured you that I will continue to strengthen London’s lead as the greatest city on earth, right through to May 2016 when this Mayoralty ends.
Yours sincerely
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
”
