The Big Smoke

The Arts
Chris Smith
‘Make the 2012 Olympics a cultural as well as a sports festival. There has been much talk, rightly, of the “cultural Olympiad”, ever since it formed a central part of the bid to host the Games. But giving shape, inspiration, leadership and, eventually, resources to make it happen properly is going to be vital.

‘Invest in the creative industries, which represent more than 10 per cent of the city’s economy and will soon overtake financial services as London’s most important economic sector.
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‘Celebrate London’s diversity. The huge range of cultures, traditions and backgrounds that populate London has helped to produce the artistic wealth we all enjoy, with fusions of musical, artistic or literary traditions producing new and exciting hybrids.

‘Understand the importance of culture and heritage for London’s tourism economy. The millions of tourists we get each year visit because of the art, the culture and the history. The mayor has to develop these strengths by sponsoring the work of Visit London and building London’s cultural profile abroad.

‘Support the fringe. There’s world-beating culture across outer London. The mayor has to view the whole picture, not just the central bit.

‘Work with Government, the Arts Council and the boroughs to support access for all. Schemes for cheaper tickets, better public transport access and arts activities in and after school are all important – and how about a “White Nights” weekend every summer: 48 hours of non-stop culture and arts activities right across London, for free?’

Chris Smith (Lord Smith of Finsbury), a former culture secretary, is director of the Clore Leadership Programme.

Transport
Christian Wolmar
‘Transport should be the election’s biggest issue. Not only does it affect every Londoner almost daily, but it is the policy area over which the mayor has greatest control. Transport issues have yet to set the campaign alight, partly because Livingstone has been reasonably successful, introducing the congestion charge, improving bus services and being proved right over the unworkability of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts for the London Underground.

‘All four main candidates want more efficient trains and buses. They all support Crossrail, an Oxford Street tram service and the congestion charge, with certain caveats.

‘Johnson’s proposal to replace bendy buses with a new version of Routemasters including conductors, would cost way beyond the £8 million he suggested and, with Oyster cards becoming universal, would be pointless anyway. Moreover, bendy buses do provide a fast service on London’s main arteries. Closing ticket offices is perfectly sensible, given the growing use of Oyster, but Johnson has allied with the unions to criticise it. Surely it is far better to have staff helping passengers on the forecourt.

‘Most of Johnson’s policies are effectively “Ken lite” but with greater emphasis on efficiency and, covertly, on supporting drivers.

‘Paddick has also scratched around for distinctive policies. His most radical proposal is to split up the PPP contracts, but he’ll find this impossible without paying millions in compensation to private firms.

‘Berry would reduce tube fares but this too raises problems because the tube is virtually full at rush hours.

‘As for Livingstone, it’s more of the same: more buses, more Oyster cards and more control. But there’s no sense of the huge task facing the next Mayor: coping with the expected large increase in passengers, sorting out the Metronet collapse and tackling congestion. A London-wide congestion charging scheme using satellites would target the worst jams and generate sufficient revenue to pay for the whole Mayoral budget, allowing a huge council tax cut.’

Christian Wolmar is the author of ‘The Subterranean Railway’, a history of the London Underground, published by Atlantic Books.

'We are the most watched society in the world' (image © Rob Greig)

Crime
Roger Grimshaw
‘Responsive policing and employment are the vital areas for the next mayor to consider. We must remember that the impact of increased police numbers on crime levels is not clear cut. A good level of police responsiveness and communication is more important, so that public priorities are recognised and dealt with efficiently. Cracking down on minor public infractions does more for performance graphs than for crime.

‘Given human error, how often can expensive investments in technology produce the safety they promise? With 4.2 million CCTV cameras (and counting), we are already the most watched society in the world; it is the investment of time in investigating difficult cases that delivers a tangible ‘justice dividend’, not routine surveillance machinery, however hi-tech.

‘Regarding employment, Charles Dickens wrote about “the frightful neglect by the State of those whom it punishes so constantly, and whom it might, as easily and less expensively, instruct and save.” Nothing has changed. It is important to re-examine the web of economic and social factors that excludes so many young and poor Londoners from regular employment, income and housing.’

Dr Roger Grimshaw is research director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, School of Law, King’s College London.