Wandsworth Conservatives

This week I attended a London television debate on ITV between the three main Mayoral candidates - the current Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone, our Conservative challenger Boris Johnson, and the LibDem choice Brian Paddick.

I don’t know in detail how it came across to the television audience watching at home in the hour before midnight on Thursday, but I got some definite impressions, largely the same as I have picked up from press coverage of the campaign since New Year.

Mr Livingstone. after almost eight very annoying and costly years for most of us looked tired, bereft of any new ideas but rather smug and complacent, trying to re-write the history of his period in office, and overall really grumpy.

Mr Paddick for the LibDems, an ex-policeman who weirdly thinks anybody who talks about policing policy must be an ex-policeman, seemed competent (at reading his speech and notes at any rate), but otherwise rather pedestrian.

Boris Johnson is undoubtedly fast growing into the role of Mayor-in-waiting. He is passionate about London and its future, particularly the safety of citizens on the streets and station platforms,keen to give us better value for money on trains and buses, determined to see our young people are trained and skilled, concerned about our environment, and powerful on how London must be run without wasting money on zany projects and propaganda. Above all, he also has a sense of humour unlike his opponents, and it makes him attractive to the young people who normally so often don’t vote in elections.

The four months to 1st May promise to be interesting. Bring it on - and Back Boris for Mayor!!

Recently I met with Kathy Prior, who is the District Manager of JobCentre Plus, looking after Wandsworth. I’m concerned that Roehampton is not included in government’s Deprived Areas Fund (DAF) when it should be.  I’ve raised this issue formally with Peter Hain the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and this week I had chance to discuss it with Ms Prior aswell which was very useful.  Including Roehampton in the DAF it would help Job Centre Plus managers direct local resources more easily to help get local people back into work. I also discussed with Kathy what support the JobCentre Plus can give Roehampton when regeneration plans get more advanced.  I want to make sure that Roehampton and other local residents can take advantage of the job opportunities Roehampton investment will bring – that means really thinking ahead about what skills employers will be looking for, training, and where/how any temporary jobsearch support on site might happen.  I’ll keep working on this.