Hello Barnet Council, anyone there? Can you hear us? Do you keep your promises? Yes, we're from Brent but we also matter...

Ex-Liberal Democrat councillor, Alison Hopkins, has written to Barnet CouncilChief Executive after officers and others have failed to keep their promises to makie contact:


Dear Mr Hooton

I am writing to you as a former Brent councillor and organiser of a major residents organisation in Dollis Hill in Brent. I am also Co-ordinator of the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood Regeneration. 

Over the past several years, I and many other residents have attended consultation and engagement meetings about the Brent Cross redevelopment, as many of us are seriously worried about its impact here. 

On each occasion, we have raised concerns and issues, and then followed those up in writing. Each time, we have been faithfully promised contact by officers from Barnet, and staff from Capita and G L Hearn. Most recently, we attended a session at Crest Academy, were we were told contact would be forthcoming within days. Despite numerous phone calls, emails and contacts with Barnet, Soundings, and G L Hearn, there has been NO engagement from yourselves. 

We simply want answers to the questions we have repeatedly raised and we want officers to meet with us and explain why certain decisions have been taken. Frankly, Barnet’s attitude comes across as dismissive of a neighbouring borough and its people at the very least. It is discourteous and shows no empathy with how deeply worried people here are for their future wellbeing and our environment. 

Can you please ask your officers to make contact, and keep their many promises over the past years? I do intend to raise formal complaints if needed, as well as utilising those contacts I have within the London Assembly, as well as local and national media. However, I would like to offer Barnet a chance to put matters right.

Alison Hopkins

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London launches National Park City Week July 21st-29th 2018

A child's view of Fryent Country Park

The London Assembly are to hold a London National Park City Week  from July 21st to 29th July to 'explore London's amazing outdoors and help make the city greener this summer.'

Details from the website below. It would be great if Brent could play their part in organising events (it might even help to tackle the child obesity problem by demonstrating that open air physical activity is fun).

What is London National Park City Week?

From 21-29 July, the city will host the first ever London National Park City Week. There’ll be loads of fantastic events and activities all week long as we celebrate London’s unique green spaces, waterways and natural environment.

We’re working with the National Park City Foundation and our partners across London on the events programme. We want to give Londoners the chance to discover the city with walks, talks, explorations, and family activities, and to help make the city greener.

National Park City Week is part of the Mayor’s plan to help make London the world's first National Park City in 2019. Our ambition is to make more than half of London's area green and blue by 2050. To make this happen, we need your help.

We’ll publish details of the full London National Park City Week programme later this spring. In the meantime, why not get planting or explore some of our wonderful green spaces. Share your experiences using #NationalParkCity.

Host an event for London National Park City Week

Do you want to help us celebrate  London’s unique green spaces and outdoor opportunities, and showcase your contribution? We want to work with partners across London – community groups, environmental organisations, boroughs, businesses – to host events that:

• help Londoners to explore London’s great outdoors, especially less well known green spaces, footpaths and waterways
• offer new and creative ways of exploring London’s green spaces and landscapes
• support Londoners who have limited access to green space, or visit the natural environment less often, to discover green spaces, trees and wildlife
• create new green space, or help people to green their local neighbourhoods or improve habitats for wildlife

Whether your events are free, paid, big or small, they should be as accessible to all Londoners. We’re particularly keen to host family-friendly events. We will include your event or activity in the online programme. You’ll also benefit from a high-profile marketing campaign.

If you’d like to submit an event, please complete the form by 20 April 2018. To talk to us about your idea, please email NPCweek@london.gov.uk.

London Assembly: Residents should have final say and ballot on estate regeneration

The London Assembly is asking the Mayor to hear Londoner’s voices and give them more power to decide where and when regeneration should take place in their areas.

A motion, agreed today, called on the Mayor to include this commitment in his final Good Practice Guide, urging him to make London a place where neighbourhoods are designed to answer communities’ needs.

Sian Berry AM, who proposed the motion, said:

The Assembly has called today for something all estate residents should have: a final say on what will happen to their homes and communities.

 Full consultation is vital and a ballot over any major plan to remodel their estates is the only way to make sure councils and housing associations don’t fudge these processes.

The Mayor’s commitment that ‘estate regeneration only takes place where there is resident support, based on full and transparent consultation’ was clear and we are calling now for him to keep his promise to Londoners.

 Tom Copley AM, who seconded the motion, said:

I’m pleased that the Mayor is insisting that there must be no net loss of social housing on estate regeneration schemes in his draft Good Practice Guide. However, I want him to go further by including ballots of residents whose homes face demolition. Balloting is a vital way of ensuring residents have a meaningful say over future plans for their homes and is the best way to ensure a regeneration scheme has legitimacy.

Wherever demolition is an option, there must be a commitment to balloting residents, particularly where a sizeable number of residents have made a request for a ballot.

Through his Good Practice Guide, we now want to see the Mayor working with community groups to develop detailed guidance about a host of issues, such as when ballots take place, who participates and how differences in opinions between residents may be resolved.

The full text of the Motion is:

This Assembly notes that the Mayor’s Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration is due to be published soon which will set out key principles to be followed in estate regeneration projects.

This Assembly also notes the Mayor’s manifesto commitment that estate regeneration only takes place where there is resident support, based on full and transparent consultation.

This Assembly believes that a final say for residents is an important way to ensure that resident involvement in plans for their homes is done in a meaningful way throughout the process.

This Assembly therefore urges the Mayor to recommend in his final Good Practice Guide that ballots are used on all schemes where demolition is an option or to include clear guidance that ballots will be guaranteed where a proportion of residents ask for it. Ballots should extend to private renters from non-resident leaseholders and freeholders on estates.

See this photographic essay for an example of an estate that is due to be regenerated LINK

Natalie Bennett puts the Green Mayoral and Assembly Campaign in Context

Weathering the Storm: GLA report calls for promotion of low carbon economy and climate change adaption strategy

From the London Assembly Economy Committee 

London’s status as a global city makes its economy increasingly vulnerable to climate change.
Not only do we face higher risk of flooding, drought and heatwaves at home, but we also ‘import’ risk through the insurance sector, overseas investments and our supply chains.

However we have found that the adaptation economy is strong and growing. And London is well placed to take advantage of further opportunities for growth in a sector in which it has internationally recognised strengths. The time is right for responsible investment in, and promotion of, the green economy as an alternative to coal and other fossil fuels.
The London Assembly Economy Committee has investigated the impact of climate change on London’s economy in terms of risks and opportunities.

During the investigation, the Committee held two public meetings with representatives for a number of organisations, including Lloyd’s of London, PwC, LSE and Siemens. Written submissions were also received from the Mayor of London, the Federation of Small Businesses and the City of London Corporation amongst others.

Recommendations

The report makes a number of recommendations, including:

• The London Climate Change Partnership should map the major supply chain vulnerabilities of London’s economy.
• The Mayor should commit to the principle of a transition away from investment in certain fossil fuels, namely coal and towards reinvestment in responsible funds.
• The Mayor should launch an award for climate change adaptation to reward innovative initiatives by London businesses. 
• The Mayor should drive forward a resilient low carbon economy for London by promoting skills in this area and encourage innovation in the green economy.
• Climate change adaptation should be integrated into the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy, as currently it doesn’t feature.

Related documents	Size
Weathering the Storm: The Impact of Climate Change on London's Economy	1.42 MB
Written submissions	3.69 MB
Submissions to initial call for evidence	3.12 MB
Transcript of 24 June meeting	218.26 KB
Transcript of 23 October meeting	206.53 KB
Impact of Climate Change on London's Economy - Summary of Views and Information (interim report)	887.63 KB

Hear the Green GLA List candidates on Sunday

Come and hear from the candidates who want to represent London Green Party on the London Assembly list in next year's London wide elections. 

Next year is not just the London Mayoral race - Londoners also vote for the London Assembly. The Green Party currently has two Assembly Members (AMs), elected by a proportional system. Our current AMs Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones are both standing down and we are aiming for more than two AMs next year! So our candidates need to be ready to step in to this important role if elected, but equally as important the list candidates must also help us run an exciting and inspiring campaign.

This event is a great opportunity to ask questions of the candidates and hear what they have to say. We are expecting a lot of interest so you must sign up for a ticket- these are free but limited. The hustings will start promptly at 2pm, please arrive in plenty of time.

If you would like to submit a question to be considered (some questions will also be taken from the floor, but there is very likely to be many more questions than time) please email your question to caroline.allen@greenparty.org.uk. Please make the title of the email 'Assembly Hustings Question'. The deadline for questions is noon on Wednesday the 16th July.

Please note this event is for LONDON GREEN PARTY MEMBERS ONLY.

Do you have questions about Assembly List Hustings- London Green Party? 

 Contact Caroline Allen

REGISTER FOR A TICKET TO THE EVENT

London-wide Assembly List (of whom 11 will be selected to an ordered list)

 

Andrea Carey Fuller, Barry Cooper, Benali Hamdache, Caroline Russell, Dee Searle, Jonathan Bartley, Michael Gold, Noel Lynch, Peter Underwood, Rashid Nix, RoseMary Warrington, Shahrar Ali, Sian Berry, and Tom Chance.

 

GLA Labour backs Green call for public debate on Proportional Representation

Green Party selection process for London Mayor and GLA list opens on June 1st

The London Green Party's selection process for the 2016 London Mayoral and London Assembly elections opens on Monday June 1st.

All members of the London Green Party are entitled to take part as both candidates and voters. Candidates will need nominations from at least 10 national members of the London Green Party.

Each person nominated will be asked to provide relevant biographical details and a statement making the case for their own selection in their own words.

The name order on the ballot paper will be by lot and candidate statements will be published in the same order.

The ballot will require voters to cast preferences for the candidates and their will be provision for negative voting through the choice of 'Re-open Nominations' (RON).

The London Federation of  the Green Party will hold one hustings for the Assembly List and one for the Mayoral selection.

In addition the Federation will hold an online internal hustings to increase the participation of the wider membership.

Local parties are encouraged to hold hustings, perhaps in conjunction with neighbouring local parties, as long as they make a reasonable effort to invite all nominees.

The London Green Party has agreed the need for gender balance in the London Assembly list so that at least one of the top three should be a woman, at least two of the top five men and at least two women, at least four of the whole list should be men and four women.

Nominations will be kept open for a week longer if there are fewer than this at close of nominations to enable additional candidates to come forward and this will continued week by week as necessary.

Similarly the London Green Party has agreed the need for ethnic balance in the Assembly selection list and will attempt at least two self-defined ethnic candidates in the top 5, and at least 4 in the list of 11.

There will be similar arrangements to those to achieve gender balance through extending the nomination period.

Neither of the two existing Green London Assembly members, Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, are standing again.

Full details are available on the London Green Party website LINK

Green vote share triples in London

 Fom the London Green Party

* Under a proportional system, London could have woken up this morning to 3 or 4 Green Members of Parliament

* Greens achieve record result in capital, tripling their 2010 vote share

Greens are today celebrating a "bitter-sweet" result in the capital, after the first-past-the-post system failed to deliver voters a Green MP for London despite a tripling of the Green vote share [1}.



Green Party Leader, Natalie Bennett, polled third in Holborn and St. Pancras, representing a vote share increase of 10%

The Greens saw large gains in their vote share in Holborn and St. Pancras, where Green Party leader Natalie Bennett polled in third place with a 10% swing to her party. Large vote share increases were also seen in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, where candidate Heather Finlay also saw a 10% swing take the Greens to third place.

Deputy Leader Amelia Womack's Camberwell and Peckham constituency also voted the Greens into third place, as did voters in a further 12 constituencies. {2] Greens also saved a record 22 deposits across the capital, with their vote share increasing in all of London's 73 constituencies.

Despite strong showings bringing cause for celebration in the Green camp, under a proportional system the party could have expected to secure 3 or 4 seats in London. The party has joined with other campaigns including the Electoral Reform Society and 38 Degrees in demanding that reforming the electoral system and introducing a more proportional system [3] be an immediate priority for the next government.

Tom Chance, Co-Chair of the London Green Party and their candidate in the election for Lewisham West and Penge said:

In an election votes should mean seats. But, because of the way our outdated electoral system works, millions of people across the country are disenfranchised - they’ve voted Green in their droves and yet have only one MP representing their views in parliament. Not only is this grossly unfair. It also serves to entrench the business-as-usual politics of the "traditional" parties.

That’s why the Greens, along with other parties and campaigns, are calling for a complete overhaul of our unjust electoral system. We want to see a more proportional system introduced, as is used across Europe and in our own London Assembly elections, to ensure that the next time voters go to the polls, parliament reflects the will of the people instead of robbing them of their democratic rights. 

Across the country the Green Party polled its highest ever result in a general election securing 3.8% of the public's vote. Due to our current current electoral system Greens were still only able to elect one MP – the historic reelection of Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavilion - rather than the 24 it would have secured under a more proportional system.

Notes
1. 4.8%, up from 1.6% in 2010. Results can be found here: http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/general-election-results-2015
2. Hackney South and Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Bow, Islington North, Tottenham, Lewisham West and Penge, Vauxhall,   Leyton and Wanstead, Lewisham Deptford, Walthamstow, Ealing Southall and Tooting.
3. The Green Party supports the introduction of the Additional Member System, a version of proportional representation currently used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, and the London Assembly, or the Single Transferable Vote System favoured by the Electoral Reform Society: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/pa.html http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/single-transferable-voteV

London Assembly backs Generation Rent manifesto

The world is their Oyster - publicity for  MIPIM

From Generation Rent LINK

London Assembly members voted this afternoon to back Generation Rent's Manifesto. This is a fantastic endorsement of the work we are doing from politicians in the heart of the country's housing crisis.

Two million people - a quarter of the London population - rents from a private landlord, and the unaffordability, poor conditions and insecurity of tenure are all high on the agenda. A poll from the Association of Residential Letting Agents today said that 43% of London's renters have had reservations about their landlord or letting agent on day one of their tenancy.

Darren Johnson AM, Green Party chairman of the housing committee, proposed the motion, which was seconded by Labour's Tom Copley AM, and passed after a debate in City Hall (available on this link).

“This Assembly welcomes the 'Renters manifesto' published by Generation Rent, which would bring considerable improvements to the lives of one in four households in London living in the private rented sector.

“The Assembly reaffirms its support for a number of Generation Rent's recommendations, which the Assembly put forward in its 'Rent reform' report in June 2013, including policies to stabilise rents, introduce longer tenancies and end retaliatory evictions.

“This Assembly supports further measures proposed by Generation Rent, including:

• longer notice periods for tenants who have lived in a home for a number of years
• banning letting agent fees
• closing loopholes on deposit protection schemes
• increasing the Rent a Room tax allowance
• scaling up the Community Land Trust model to create a large, secondary housing market affordable to Londoners

This Assembly also notes with regret the Mayor’s continued involvement with international property fairs such as MIPIM. His support for rich investors to build expensive flats for rich owners and landlords, who in turn let homes on insecure contracts in a dysfunctional rental market, is not providing for the needs of ordinary Londoners.

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to set out his response to the 'Renters manifesto', to consider piloting some of the recommendations in his Housing Zones, and to require its implementation in any deals made at MIPIM.”

We'll be looking forward to Boris Johnson's response. 

Comment from Wembley Matters.  The  next four day MIPIM will be held in Cannes in March and costs 1490 Euros for each delegate plus accommodation. Brent's Director of Regeneration and Major Projects, Andy Donald, has been an attender in the past. LINK

The People United Against Austerity Today in London

Thousands marched today in London against the Coalition's austerity policies and for an alternative. Romayne Phoenix of the Coalition of Resistance and the Green Party was on the platform as the MC and Caroline Lucas received  great applause for her speech.

Here are some images from the day:

Christine Blower (General Secretary NUT) and Kevin Courtney (Deputy General Secretary) review the Green Party's Reclaim Our Schools flyer, 

Navin Shah issues challenge on A&E pressures

From Navin Shah Labour Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

New figures have revealed the increasing strain London’s Accident and Emergency departments are facing. The increased pressure on A&Es follows the closure of wards across the capital. In the past year 199,693 people were forced to wait more than four hours at an A&E in London, this is an increase of 18% on the previous year when 168,604 people waited more than four hours.

The local A&E unit at Central Middlesex Hospital in Brent now operates at reduced hours with more suspected cuts to follow. Northwick Park Hospital in Brent, which is on the boundary of Harrow is the nearest A&E unit that is open for a twenty-four hour service. This will put so much pressure on Northwick Park Hospital with people waiting much longer hours at the A&E Department. Both Central Middlesex Hospital and Northwick Park Hospital fall under North West London, which has seen 12,778 people wait more than four hours over the past year.

Overall, two A&E units in London have been closed, two are to be “downgraded”, three are set to be closed and a further three are under threat of closure. In the past year all but one of London’s Hospital Trusts with A&Es failed to meet the key waiting time target of 95% of patients seen with 4 hours. In 15 out of 22 trusts this target was missed for over half of the last year. Navin Shah, local Labour London Assembly Member, is calling on the Health Secretary to urgently review the situation, and for the Mayor to lobby government for the resources that London’s NHS needs.

Navin Shah, local Labour London Assembly Member, said:

We were told that closing A&Es wouldn’t lead to longer waiting times, but the evidence shows that Londoners are waiting longer to be seen. In the past 12 months nearly 200,000 people across London and 12,778 people in North West London have been forced to wait for more than four hours at A&E. These figures are a damning indictment of the failure to properly plan our NHS services. 15 out of 22 Hospital Trusts have failed to meet this key target.

Last year we all celebrated the NHS’ 65^th Birthday, one year on the government’s botched top down reorganisation is putting severe pressure on our local services. Continuing to either close or downgrade London’s A&Es will make the situation even worse. NHS staff work hard to look after us all when we are at our most vulnerable, but they need the resources to be able to deliver the service we all expect. Central Middlesex Hospital now operates an 11 hour A&E service, which adds further pressure to Northwick Park Hospital’s A&E service. I am deeply worried that following these A&E closures, waiting times will continue to be high and Londoners will continue to suffer as a result.

1.    Navin Shah is the Labour London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow.

Figures for 2013/14 taken from here: http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/weekly-ae-sitreps-2013-14/ and for 2012/13 from here: http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/weekly-ae-sitreps-2012-13/

Willesden Green: Fracking hell-not here! Demonstrate tomorrow

Brent Friends of the Earth (Brent FoE) says that fracking is a dirty word that local residents do not want, and they will be asking MPs, London Assembly members and the local Council to swear that they won’t allow it in Brent.

They will spelling out their message outside Willesden  Green Station tomorrow at 10.45am tomorrow (Saturday October 19th)

Later this year the Government is expected to open vast swathes of the country to fracking with a new round of licensing. This will bring the threat of fracking to thousands more people’s doorsteps. Brent, as the local planning authority, has the power to prevent this. Brent is one of many authorities on a list of potential sites under consideration for this controversial technology.

Ian Saville, Brent FoE spokesperson and Neasden resident, says, “fracking is a dirty technology that will damage our health, environment and climate. The resulting shale gas is a dirty fossil fuel that will add to the dangerous levels of greenhouse gases in the environment. It should be left in the ground.”

“Brent residents, along with other communities up and down the country, don't want a dash for gas. If fracking is the answer, then the question must be wrong! If London Mayor Boris Johnson gets his way, we could see fracking across London. We need to send him and Brent a clear message that we do not want or need fracking to keep the lights on, nor can we count on it to reduce fuel bills. Instead we need to invest in renewables and energy saving to heat our homes.”

Brent FoE will also be running a stall outside Willesden Green tube station on the day and will be speaking to local residents about the problems with fracking.

Green Assembly Member backs parents battling against forced academy conversion

Darren Johnson, Green Assembly Member for the whole of London has issued a statement supporting  parent groups in London campaigning against their schools being forcibly converted into academies. He said:

Forcing schools to become academies is deeply wrong on every level, particularly when it flies in the face of what the majority of local parents want. That is why I am giving my full support to the Save Gladstone Park,  Save Roke  and Thomas Gamuel Primary school campaigners in their battle to keep their schools as local authority-run schools,  properly accountable to local people.

PRIVATE TENANTS DEMAND: Decent, Secure, Affordable Homes For All

I have received the message below from London Private Tenants. Census data released last week showed a significant rise in the number of Brent residents living in the private rented sector. Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt has pledged action to improve the standard of homes in the sector but tenants also want to see the reintroduction of rent controls and increased security of tenure.

Join us on Tuesday 18th December at City Hall (GLA HQ) to stand up for the rights of private tenants to decent, affordable, secure homes.

When: 9am to 10am  - City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London SE1 2AA   [To help organise, meet 8:45am @ Cafe Fratelli, nearby]

We will be demanding that rent controls are brought back, local housing allowance (LHA) is increased with inflation, secure tenancies are reintroduced and greater protection and support is given to private tenants.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
On Tuesday 18th Dec the London Assembly Housing and Regeneration Committee are holding their last meeting as part of the review of London's Private Rented Sector. The theme of this meeting is 'tenant and landlord rights' and the purpose of the review is to 'evaluate different options for achieving higher property standards, greater security and more affordable tenancies'.

Tenants have been given little voice in the process so far, so come and join other private tenants and supporters to make our demands known and put pressure on those attending to stand up for private tenants.

Bring banners, Santa hats, placards, lots of noise ..and warm clothing...

Carol singing!
Tenants have adapted some classic carols to the theme of housing and will be singing on the day, so come ready with your best singing voice

The meeting
This is a public meeting and some of us are planning to go in, we want to make the presence of tenants and supporters felt, so please join us. At the start, we'll be presenting our 'Dear Santa' scrapbook to the Chair of the Committee, Len Duvall.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Private Tenants Demands...
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Affordability

Bring Rents Down!
Housing is a basic necessity, like food and water. Actions to maximize rental income at the detriment of tenants show this has been forgotten. Rent controls do exist on pre-1989 tenancies and we demand these controls be introduced to all tenancies.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Remove all bogus Letting Agents 'fees' for tenants!
Letting Agents provide a service to Landlords and charge them for doing so - they should not take further 'fees' from tenants. Agency 'fees', reference 'checks', admin 'fees' and leaving 'fees' are all costs that have been created in recent years by and for Letting Agents to increase their profits and exploit the basic need to have a home.

Length of Tenure
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Bring Back Secure Tenancies!
Until 1988 most tenancies were secure. Today, private tenants are given a six month tenancy with few rights. Across London, people are being evicted by landlords who know they can charge extortionate rents for substandard properties. Tenants should be able to live in their chosen community and home, near schools, friends and family, as long as they wish. Housing should not be a business like selling cars or renting holiday homes. Bringing back rent control will force rents down to affordable levels.

Tenant and Landlord Rights

Decent Standards!
Less than half of private rented homes meet the Decent Homes Standard. Many homes in London are in an appalling, dangerous condition and it is often children, the elderly and vulnerable adults who are worse affected. The link between poor housing and the health, wellbeing and life chances of tenants is striking. 

Tenant Empowerment!
The GLA should ensure that empowering tenants is central to the policy recommendations that come out of this review. Presently, landlords have many rights, and tenants have very few. This balance of power needs to be shifted so that tenants are empowered to enforce their right to be involved in all decision-making about their housing, from rent to maintenance to length of tenancy. The GLA should ensure that the voice of private tenants is heard at all levels of policy making. There is a tradition of landlords being thoroughly consulted in discussions about the private rented sector but tenants being ignored. The London Assembly has the power to see this change.

Private Tenants in London are mobilising! Why not get involved with a group near you? Or set one up of your own.

- Housing for the 99% .,.. housingforthe99@gmail.com
- Hackney Housing Action Group...hackneyhousinggroup@gmail.com
- Digs - Hackney Private Renters Group.. hello@hackneyrenters.org
- Haringey Housing Action Group... housing-action@haringey.org.uk

Barclays 'a proud British institution'- Boris Johnson

Green progress in London elections

Green candidate Jenny Jones has come third in this year’s London Mayoral elections.

The Green vote on the London Assembly was also the third highest, meaning the party has overtaken the Liberal Democrats to become London’s third party.

The Greens also finished in the top three in five constituency elections.

Jones said: “This is a wonderful day for Green politics. 

“The almost exclusive focus on the two frontrunners in the Mayoral election meant that any other result was very unlikely, but our resolutely positive campaign has stuck to the issues affecting Londoners and the policies to address them.

“I am over the moon that these messages have resonated. We’ve been able to dispel the myth that when times are tough, green politics are a luxury. More and more Londoners are realising that social and environmental justice are tied together inseparably, and with more Assembly members the Greens can help ensure that the Mayor is held to account on his promises and that City Hall can help create a city more equal, affordable, healthy, and safe for everyone.

“And we know that this campaign has attracted some wonderful bright, dedicated and loving young people to the party, who will pick up the torch and carry it forward in the interests of London’s future.”

Jones received 98,913 votes compared to 91,774 to Brian Paddick in fourth place. 

 

On the Assembly, the Greens received 189,215 votes compared to the Liberal Democrats on 150,447.

The Greens came third in Barnet and Camden, City and East, Greenwich and Lewisham, North East and South West constituencies.

Shahrar Ali, the Green Party candidate in Brent and Harrow, said: "I thank the 10,546 Green voters of Brent and Harrow. We have increased both our vote and vote share across the electoral constituency and we will be back for more. I look forward to receipt of the detailed results in a few days, which I think will show even big advances in places where we campaigned hardest."

Shahrar Ali continued, "I congratulate Navin Shah on his excellent win, where he will be joined by our two London wide Assembly Members Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson. Across London, the Greens came third and we have overtaken the Lib Dems in London for the first time in electoral history."

Commenting on the prolongation of the count for Brent and Harrow, Shahrar Ali said: "I was an observer at the Brent and Harrow count throughout the day, from 8am to 11pm. From the outset, I found I had to make several complaints about what I witnessed as sloppy handling procedures. I think the discovery of two thousand ballot papers whose votes had not initially been recorded, and the need to rectify this, was partly a result of poor handling processes. Whilst I have every confidence in the result, I shall be raising my concerns with the requisite authorities."