Lib Dem London Mayor candidate Luisa Porritt talks to Nub News ahead of next month's election

WITH the London Mayor elections fast approaching in less than a month, Nub News will be speaking to some of the candidates fighting for your vote.

One of these is the Liberal Democrat candidate, Luisa Porritt.

Porritt is originally from Camden and spoke to us earlier this week about some of the key issues affecting the lives of Londoners.

One of those topics is Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), which since their introduction last summer have proved to be very divisive in Tooting.

With Sadiq Khan often voicing his support in favour of the schemes and Conservative candidate, Shaun Bailey, publicly claiming that he would remove any LTN that a majority of residents object to, we spoke to Ms Porritt in order to get her take on the matter.

The former MEP supports the idea of active travel, which is what the LTNs are trying to promote.

She argues these are schemes we 'do need' but that consultation and having the local residents on side are both very important.

She told Nub News: "LTNs have been around as a concept for some time, but what we have seen in the last year in some instances is that there's been some backlash by local communities because they feel like they haven't been asked about them.

"Councils weren't able to bring local communities along with them in a way many of them would have liked to."

"Although I believe it's better to consult people before introducing these schemes, there will be consultation in each case; that's what happened in Waltham Forest – they did the consultation while it was in place during that trial period.

"An opportunity that's being missed is to get ideas from residents about good places to put these schemes.

"I know that from my experience as a councillor in Camden – there were some LTNs I know the local community would've loved to have seen introduced but it was already too late because local officers had already decided where to introduce the schemes and had already allocated the funding.

"The lesson learnt undoubtedly is that it's better to consult in advance and try to get as much support for these ideas by the local community as possible."

Although LTNs is a key issue for many Tooting and London residents, it's not the only one.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a severe economic impact around the world, including London.

For Porritt, it is vital for the Mayor to have a plan to steer London's economic recovery post pandemic and she says it's the main thing she's focused on since being selected as the Lib Dem candidate.

"The city has changed radically as a result of the pandemic, especially through home working.

"Many businesses are now planning to use hybrid working - part office working, part home working.

"The Mayor needs a strategic plan for this change and it's a great opportunity to tackle the housing crisis by converting unoccupied offices into affordable housing.

"At the same time, it's also an opportunity to reinvent our hight streets in order to provide services that our local communities need, such as places to socialise after work, childcare services and also co-working spaces for those that don't have the ability to work from home."

During the pandemic the UK also officially left the EU, with the transition period finishing at the end of last year.

The Liberal Democrats have campaigned as a pro-EU party from the beginning and Porritt wants to make sure London has as close a relationship with the EU as possible.

She said: "We are a forward thinking, outworld looking city and London will keep that spirit despite all the problems Brexit brings.

"There are some specific deals that the Mayor should be pushing the Government to secure, especially regarding services and free movement.

"I will always champion having London close to the EU and I've got those relationships already with my European counterparts as a former MEP."

When asked about her top personal priority if she was to be elected Mayor, Porritt pointed out the lack of social housing.

She said: "I've seen through my time as a councillor how families have lived in overcrowded accommodation and how some people live in temporary accommodation.

"That uncertainty and lack of good housing has an impact on your life constantly.

"Mental health issues can arise because of these worries.

"Housing is a human right, making sure every Londoner has a decent roof over their heads would go a long way to fixing some of their problems and the Mayor has the power to do that."

Finally, when asked what she thinks regarding the calls that this election is a two-horse race, Porritt pointed to the supplementary vote system which is used in the Mayoral election, where voters can choose a first and a second choice of candidate.

If no candidate receives an absolute majority of first choice votes, all but the two leading candidates are eliminated, and the votes of those eliminated are redistributed according to their second choice votes to determine the winner, meaning that votes aren't 'wasted'.

She said: "The Mayoral election has a better voting system than national elections, Londoners can therefore vote with their hearts.

"Besides, Shaun Bailey is so far behind the Mayor, that there's room for an alternative option and that's me."

The Mayoral elections will take place on May 6 and 19 candidates are planning to stand.

These are (in alphabetical order):

• Shaun Bailey, Conservative
• Kam Balayev, Renew Party
• Count Binface, Independent
• Valerie Brown, Burning Pink
• Piers Corbyn, Let London Live
• Max Fosh, Independent
• Laurence Fox, Reclaim Party
• Peter Gammons, UKIP
• Richard Hewison, Rejoin EU
• Vanessa Hudson, Animal Welfare Party
• Steve Kelleher, Social Democrat Party
• Sadiq Khan, Labour
• David Kurten, Heritage Party
• Farah London, Independent
• Nims Obunge, Independent
• Niko Omilana, Independent
• Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrats
• Mandu Reid, Women's Equality Party
• Brian Rose, Independent