Suburbs are a vital to making London work
By John Biggs
The suburbs are a distinctive part of London.
Defined by endless streets of inter-war semis, they are more complicated than that stereotype.
The schools tend to be good, the streets feel safer, the houses are nicer and (used to be) affordable.
They are a vital part of what makes London work.
When the suburbs change their vote we change our government.
And that is true of City Hall too. Enough suburban voters got weary with Ken to change our Mayor.
The tricky question though is: having rewarded you with their vote, what do they now want?
The answer is confusing. Some suburbs, Croydon the best example, dream of being cities. But others just want to be left alone.
Does London need them to think bigger? Do some need a shove? The Mayor has started, nervously, to look at this.
The challenges are simple: lack of affordable housing; growing traffic congestion; loss of traditional jobs and increased commuting; in places, problems of crime and decline.
The problem for any Mayor who asks these questions is that some of the answers are the very things people went there to escape from.
When the anger about allowances has gone, and we return to our economy and quality of life, we must begin to tackle questions like this for our City.
Is Boris big enough to meet those challenges? I hope so.
- John Biggs is London Assembly Member for City and East
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