Liberal Democrats launch London manifesto

6.03.54pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 29th Apr 2005

The Liberal Democrats yesterday launched their manifesto for London, highlighting the need for a city in which fear of crime is lower, affordable housing easier to obtain and journeys are less stressful.

Launching the manifesto, Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy also cited research by the Evening Standard which found that three out of London's five hardest-working MPs were Liberal Democrats.

Highlights of the London manifesto include:

• A dedicated community police team for every neighbourhood of 5,000-10,000 people by 2006. Scrapping Identity Cards will also allow 2,000 extra officers for London. Lib Dems will also invest in new technology to make the police's job easier. The Lib Dems would also devolve more resources to local borough commanders.

• A delay in the introduction of 24-hour licensing to ensure that more effective controls can be put in place and that pubs and bars help to meet the extra cost of policing.

*Fast-tracking home-building programmes above and alongside retail and transport site. Liberal Democrats will work with retailers and transport companies to identify unused space in these areas. An extra 40,000 homes could be built above London shops alone. VAT on refurbishment and repair work will also be reduced, to make it affordable for homes to be renovated. The Lib Dems will promote Shared Equity home ownership schemes, grant council and housing association tenants the 'right to invest' in their home (which allows tenants to buy a share of their home and then move over time to full ownership as they can afford it) and provide better legal protection for private tenants against unscrupulous landlords.

*Bringing better public transport by improving planning. Transport for London's financial planning is chaotic. Meanwhile, Labour's insistence on their ruinous plan to hand Tube maintenance to private companies cost £900 million in legal costs alone. The Liberal Democrats will bring Tube maintenance back in house, introducing legislation which will allow Transport for London the ability to terminate the PPP contracts and take maintenance and upgrades back 'in house', whilst raising additional revenues from bonds.

*Conservative privatisation left the railways in a mess, but Labour hasn't solved the problems. Delays on train services in London have doubled, wasting commuters' time and acting as a massive drain on businesses and the economy. Liberal Democrats will streamline the system, with fewer, larger franchises, given longer contracts in return for more investment and better services.

*The manifesto - like the Lib Dems' other plans - also has a 'green thread' running through it. In addition to championing recycling and pollution reduction, Liberal Democrats will insist on the highest standard of green design in planning and development across the capital, ensuring that London's beauty is enhanced, promoted and preserved.