Sunday 15 April 2018

Creating a Liveable London - 2018 Election Campaign

Along with Living Streets, we've written to the Leaders of each of the parties standing in the Council elections on Thursday 3rd May to ask them to submit a high quality bid for Liveable Neighbourhoods funding from TfL and the GLA to help create safer, greener, cleaner and less congested streets that will be more pleasant places for everybody, but particularly cyclists and pedestrians.

Text of Letter:

The Merton group of London Living Streets and Merton Cycling Campaign (part of the London Cycling Campaign)  are working together ahead of the local elections to represent the interests of everyone in Merton who wants a safer and more enjoyable borough.

Our agenda is the improvement of London’s streets and neighbourhoods; safer, greener, cleaner, less congested streets that will  create more pleasant places for everybody. 

This kind of transformation of the public domain encourages people out of their cars and to choose active modes of travel such as walking, cycling and scootering instead, reducing air pollution, improving physical and mental health, tackling obesity and loneliness and aiding social cohesion. It is a win-win proposition for growing urban communities. All Londoners, young and old, benefit from safer, less congested, greener, calmer and more pleasant streetscapes and we hope that the London Borough of Merton can be a leading example in the coming years. 

We are seeking pledges from local party leadership in advance of the May elections, to support initiatives to create more liveable neighbourhoods in Merton.  LCC and London Living Streets are asking for a commitment that, if elected, your administration will submit a high-quality and safe, Liveable Neighbourhood bid, based in an area with high potential for walking and cycling, that provides big wins for both and that takes major steps to prioritise people walking and cycling over private cars in the area during the course of your term.

Councils with vision can help to bring about this kind of transformation with the help of funding available from the GLA and TfL to deliver real, on-street improvements to Merton’s neighbourhoods. Up to £10 million of funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Transport for London’s (TfL) Liveable Neighbourhoods programme is available to every borough. (https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/boroughs/liveable-neighbourhoods).  

We hope that we can count on your pledge to create more liveable neighbourhoods for Merton and seek funding from the GLA and TfL’s Liveable Neighbourhoods programme to make on-street changes that will bring real improvements to the neighbourhoods where people live and work in Merton. 

We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this and answer any queries you may have. Please let us know a time that would be convenient for you to meet before the 3rd of May.

29th April update

So far the Green Party and Liberal Democrats have committed to submitting a Liveable Neighbourhoods bid if elected. Check the LCC website for updates

Tell party leaders you want to see a Liveable London 

With the council elections at the start of May, now is the moment to tell your next council leader you want them to help bring your borough to life.

Click here to tell candidates in Merton that you want a more Liveable London.