The first 100 days: What the new mayor of London needs to do to hit the ground running
By the time today’s edition of CityAM hits the streets, Londoners will have voted for their new mayor. With no overnight count, we are in a tantalising no-man’s land between the polling stations closing and the results being announced.
By any measure the mayor’s in-tray is going to be full. From housing to transport, new infrastructure to air quality, he or she will have their work cut out. The new mayor will no doubt want to hit the ground running.
The first 100 days are crucial to gaining confidence and getting to grips with the challenges London faces. These include a population rising by more than 100,000 a year, providing for 40,000 jobs per annum, and delivering homes at twice the current rate.
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Business confidence needs to be maintained and house-building to continue apace. The mayor should set out a strategy for how London can best navigate any economic turbulence that may follow the vote on Europe. A high profile visit to Canada and Canary Wharf could calm nerves in the financial sector.
A summit with London’s boroughs to discuss how 50,000 homes a year can be delivered and to hear about their priorities and concerns would go down well too. And engaging with the development industry would provide reassurance that there will be no loss of momentum in delivering the floorspace and dwellings the city vitally needs.
London’s economic reach stretches far into neighbouring counties and beyond. So engaging with local authorities and major cities outside of London is also important. Meeting with them to understand their needs and interests would allow the mayor to build powerful coalitions in negotiations with central government.
A trip or two to Whitehall will also be in order. Discussions with the chancellor should be a priority. There should be no let-up in the quest to secure more powers for London over taxes and borrowing. These will be essential to securing proper public investment.
Reassurance from central government on vital schemes such as Crossrail 2 and the Bakerloo line would help to boost business confidence. These schemes are also key to helping meet London’s housing needs. And at some point a decision on runway capacity has to be made. The mayor should press for a speedy resolution so that the London Plan can be adapted to reflect the new runway’s destination – wherever that might be.
Up the road from Whitehall lies the West End. It remains one of the most economically productive areas anywhere in the world. With consensus on the need to transform Oxford Street, the mayor should act quickly to create a vision for the heart of London that key players can buy into. Enhancing the environment from Park Lane up to Marble Arch all the way east through to Farringdon should be a priority.
With the advent of the Elizabeth line, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform central London’s air quality, deal with bus and taxi challenges and enhance the public realm. To do so would stimulate private sector investment and business rate revenues for cash-strapped councils.
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And ensuring that the Night Tube finally opens would help boost London’s evening economy, even if that requires thorny discussions with the Tube unions.
The mayor of London enjoys one of the biggest popular mandates of any politician in Europe. Former mayor Ken Livingstone famously described it as the best job in the world. And his successor, Boris Johnson talked about being “trusted with the greatest, most cosmopolitan and generous-hearted city”. From the moment the returning officer stands up today, to the closing of the polls in 2020, the challenge of securing the future of a truly remarkable city once again commences. It should begin in earnest. As indeed, will the new mayor’s quest for re-election.