Take part in #LondonManifesto

With the mayoral election just around the corner, Thursday 3 May 2012 to be precise, we thought it would be a good idea to set out some policy ideas. Over the coming weeks and months, we hope to publish a range of different contributions for a #LondonManifesto. Who knows, one of the mayoral candidates might just nick one or two of our suggestions. Dave Mentiply explains.

Rooftop London. All large employers should be actively encouraged to “green” their rooftops. We could learn a lot from our “sister city” New York on this. Growing a garden on an office roof is easy to do and has environmental benefits. A green roof is a great insulator. It can also absorb pollution in urban areas and reduce the run-off from rainwater by 50%, preventing the risk of flooding.

Paperless City. Many local authorities have already decided to go paperless. In the days of email and electronic devices, it makes sense. Not only is it financially beneficial, but it saves time on administrative tasks such as photocopying and paper filing. Make London the first paperless city!

Save our Pubs! ‘Well-run pubs play an invaluable role at the heart of their local communities, providing a safe, regulated and sociable environment in which people can enjoy a drink responsibly and interact with people from different backgrounds’ – CAMRA. Despite this, an astonishing 14 pubs close every week across Britain. The Mayor must act to prevent extortionate pricing set by some pub companies and put pressure on government to address the issue of supermarkets unfairly undercutting pubs on alcohol prices.

Fair Fares Policy. Discount fares for all off-peak journeys made on London’s buses, trains, tubes, riverboats, trams and DLR.

London Day. “The world in one city” deserves a day all to itself. A London-wide holiday festival to celebrate our history, our present and future has the potential to be a real success – bringing communities together and encouraging a sense of civic pride. We’ve a lot to be proud of!

Roll out the Boris bikes. The cycle hire scheme has been a success. It could be even better, though. In Paris, there are 20,000 Velib bikes compared to less than half that number in London. There also needs to be many more docking stations in different locations for the idea of commuting by bike to really take off.

More bins in Central London. The grounds for drastically cutting back the number of bins in the City may have been wise in the 1990s, when London was being targeted by the IRA, but there is now the technology to get around this. Explosive-resistant bins must be installed on our streets and in open spaces.

Got a policy idea for London? Tweet it at #LondonManifesto and we’ll be keeping track, or email your longer suggestions to editorial@bigsmoke.org.uk