‘Peter’s 6 Key Policies for A Better, Safer, London For All’: An Analysis
Dr Peter Gammon is UKIP’s candidate for the upcoming mayoral election on the 6th of May 2021. He is up against the likes of current mayor Sadiq Khan (Labour) and Shaun Bailey (Conservatives) and is hoping that his ‘6 Key Policies for A Better, Safer, London for All’ manifesto will help him win. In his manifesto he focuses on six key areas: Police & Fire services, Housing, Transport, Economy, Environment and Social Issues.
A Safer London (Police & Fire Services)
People Before Politics
Defend Not Defund the Police – Recruit 4000 New Officers
Tough on Crime
One Law for All – End Two-Tier Policing
Increased Youth Centres & Projects
Immediate Action on Cladding
Three quarters of young black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) people think they and their communities are targeted unfairly by stop and search. Dr Peter Gammons believes that the relationship between BAME communities and the police can be improved by having the police be more reflective of the community’s ethnic demographic. By having more BAME police officers the police may be able to build better relationships and re-establish trust within certain communities.
Proposes the use of handheld metal detectors (like airports) instead of ‘more invasive’ ‘stop and search’. This is another policy aimed at improving the perception of the police.
Dr Peter Gammons also wants to make carrying weapons a more serious offence. He believes this will act as a deterrence.
Furthermore, he wants to invest into youth services as he acknowledges the relationship between youth service cuts and rise in violent gang culture and believes increased investment will hopefully reduce violent crime in London.
An Affordable London (Housing)
Council Tax Freeze
100,000 New One-Bed Shared-Ownership Starter Homes
Prioritising Londoners & Their Children
London Lottery
Fairer Property Taxes
With young people finding it harder and harder to buy their first home Dr Peter Gammons wants to build affordable housing to help London singles and young couples get on the property ladder. He is Investigating over 100 abandoned and derelict sites for potential construction sights for these affordable homes.
He wants to Freeze council tax in the effort of relieving stress on Londoners after the tough year that has passed. He aims to fund it through ‘cutting the ridiculous waste under Khan’ and, secondly, the ‘London Lottery’.
He also wants to review Council Tax to make it fairer - ‘Some billionaires living in multi-million-pound houses are paying the same as poor families.’
An Efficient London (Transport)
Scrap Congestion Charges
Make TfL financially viable & cut ‘fat cat’ salaries
Remove hated bicycle lanes
Re-open roads khan closed & get London Moving Again
Utilise unused underground tunnels for safe walkways, cycle lanes & the world first citywide pod system
Support London’s black cabs
He argues that some TfL staff are paid too much with some being on 50k or even 100k+ salaries and thinks that these ‘fat cat’ salaries need to be scrapped.
Another key policy of his is to scrap cycle lanes. He thinks that Khan’s attempt to reduce CO2 emissions by encouraging walking and cycling has in fact increased CO2 emissions as now car journeys have become longer. Not only are these cycle lanes causing more congestion, but they are also hardly used according to Gammons. He thinks it is elitist to tell people who can’t afford electric cars that they have to walk or cycle. Instead, he wants to use unused underground tunnels for safe walkways and cycle lanes.
Making transport affordable is a key issue for young people with cost being one of the main barriers for increased usage. Peter Gammons thinks that the environmentally friendly solutions that have previously been suggested are unfair on poorer people.
A Prosperous London (Economy)
Cut the waste & end the cronyism at city hall
Strong leadership to escalate economic recovery
Cut red tape – business incentives
End lockdown & get people back to work
Support the entertainment industry and small business
Thinks that Sadiq Khan has wasted a lot of money on TfL and thinks that if the money were spent better then London would be better off.
Dr Peter Gammons is taking the approach that less government intervention is better for the economy and would make things more efficient and thus London more prosperous.
A Greener London (Environment)
Protect London’s parks
10 new parks & green spaces
‘plant a tree by 23’ youth initiative
Sustainable policies which do not penalise the poor
His primary policy is to plant more trees as he believes they are the solution to reducing CO2 emissions and fighting global warming.
Furthermore, he has emphasised the importance of parks and green spaces, not just for the environment, but also for people's mental and physical health.
Crucially, he wants to implement green policies that don’t penalise the poor which he thinks is often the case.
A United London (Social Issues)
Representing every Londoner – irrespective of race, gender, colour, orientation or religion
Healing divisions
Defending freedom of speech and religion
‘cities of refuge’ – a solution to homelessness
Partnership projects with charities & businesses
‘Student Development Fund’ to subsidise up to 40% of London’s student university fees – sponsored by big business
Dr Peter Gammons thinks he would be the best person to be mayor of London because he thinks he can bring people from all backgrounds together. He is a self-proclaimed centrist (political spectrum), meaning he thinks he is neither right- nor left-wing. Because he’s not tied to one side of the political spectrum he thinks he can bring forward the best practical solutions.
He wants to tackle homelessness by using London’s unused air raid shelters for underground ‘cities of refuge’ – as they provide shelter and would save millions spent each year putting them in hotels.
Lastly, he has proposed a ‘Student Development Fund’ aimed at subsidising London’s student university fees. With tuition fees being one of the major concerns among young people it will be interesting to see if this encourages young people to vote for the UKIP candidate.