London Mayoral hustings: Webchat with Zac Goldsmith MP, Conservative Mayoral candidate, on Wednesday 27 April at 9am

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Zac Goldsmith MP, the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, on Wednesday 27 April at 9am.

UPDATE FROM MNHQ: The time of this webchat has now been changed to Wednesday 27 April at 9am.

Before entering politics, Zac ran The Ecologist magazine. He has been the MP for Richmond Park since 2010 and says he has been ‘focusing on local issues, such as free parking on local high streets, funding for Kew Gardens, and fighting against the expansion of Heathrow Airport’. According to his campaign, his plans for London include ‘working with the government to secure the funds and powers to deliver his action plan for Greater London: more homes, better transport, cleaner air and safer streets’.

Please do join the webchat on Wednesday, or if you can’t make it, please leave a question here in advance. And do remember our webchat guidelines; one question each only (follow-ups allowed if there’s time) and please do be polite.

The London mayoral election will be held on 5 May.

Thanks
MNHQ

Zac good luck with this podcast as another poster upthread said it's rather lefty here! I'm voting for you and I'm making my DH do so too! Bit disappointed that it took so long to join the London cycling campaign. It did seem you jumped on the bandwagon after S.K. How can you convince us that you would try to expand cycling throughout London? Would be great to get more vehicles off the roads.

Lefty my arse

Maybe five years ago

the refugee threads

test

Hello Zac. I really hope you will reply to Ophelia and AimUnder.

Good morning Zac,

Many families in London are trapped in too small homes due to extortionately high stamp duty costs on London properties and local councils opposing extension plans (particularly in conservation areas). Would you do? Would you seek to reduce planning controls or to lobby the government to reduce the excessive stamp duty burden on Londoners?

Thank you

Morning everyone. Zac here. Looking forward to your questions!

@eeyoresgrumpierfriend

Of all the jobs in politics, why do you want be Mayor of London?

I've heard lots about why you don't think Khan should be mayor but not why you think you should be.

Thanks

I've been a campaigner all my life. I took on the Ecologist Magazine to campaign for the environment and consumers, and against the big polluters. I ran as an MP to stand up for my community. I'm standing for Mayor because it's one of the few jobs in politics where you can actually get things done - and there's lots to do. I want to make London the greenest and cleanest city in the world. I want to make our city safer by backing the police and the brilliant organisations who are steering kids away from crime. I want to protect transport investment to keep London moving and growing. And I want to build 50,000 homes a year in a way that protects our green spaces and actually improves our communities.

Hi Zac

Would you be able to point to any policies that you have that might help those of us who will never qualify for state supported rent/housing but aren't able to just buy/rent a property easily in London near our jobs?

Better transport? Private rent controls?

Thanks

@FancyShrew

What would you say to the accusation that you have led too sheltered and privileged a life to relate to the needs of ordinary Londoners?

I have never pretended I wasn't dealt a good hand in life. But I have always tried to play it as well as I can. And I am proud of my record standing up for my community as their MP. When they returned me last year with the biggest increased majority of any other MP, that was the best possible reference any politician could hope for. To be an effective representative you need to care, and you need to be able to solve problems. I do and I am. I have delivered for my constituents and I want to do the same for all of London.

You are also very good looking as well.

People asking endless questions about his upbringing etc should remember that you don't chose your parents, you don't choose your school, you don't chose you upbringing! It's what you choose to do with it that counts; and Zac has chosen to go into public live to serve others - lets ask questions about policy not privilege.

@FatimaRahmani

Zac, the eldest of my children will be catching the tube by himself for the first time later this year. How can I be sure that he will be safe?

Our tube network is definitely a target and anxiety among commuters is sky high. The Prime Minister and I met with the British Transport Police yesterday to hear about their work, and I am in no doubt that we are all in debt to them for keeping us safe. I have been able to pledge to keep police numbers at least 32,000 because I secured a deal with Government a few months ago, and I have pledged to put an additional 500 police on the tube so there is a more visible presence, paid for from TFL savings.

Can you please explain why you have consistently voted for cuts to support for disabled people? The latest example being cutting support by 30% which will leave disabled people just £73.10 to live on. Could you manage to do that Zac?

@AntiqueSinger

Hello Mr Goldsmith

I'm a chronic asthma sufferer. I find that people who do not have respiratory conditions are less physically aware of how bad the quality of our air is, but the difference in air quality in different regions of the UK is very noticeable. I feel that decent air quality has become something of a post code lottery.

When I travel, I find that the moment I approach London the the quality of the air drops and my ability to breathe properly is negatively compromised. I love shopping and used to enjoy treading Oxford Street and Knightsbridge, but now I have started having quite strong reactions to the contaminants in the air, and have almost stopped shopping in central London altogether. In effect I feel that simply living in London (which isn't something I presently have any choice over) is exacerbating my underlying condition and probably cutting my overall life expectancy down.

Can you tell me what you would do as Mayor to effectively reduce air pollution levels in London.

Nearly 10,000 people die early each year because of pollution in our air. This is a priority for me. I want Greater London as a whole to become a pollution free area and we have most of the tools and technology to do it. I have promised that on my watch all our buses will be zero-emission or Ultra Low Emission Zone compliant before the 4 year term is up. I have promised to clean up our cabs, and to only issue new mini cab licenses for zero emission cars. I will roll out an ambitious electric car club for our city, and will pedestrianise where possible - including Oxford Street. I will get HGVs off our roads by using consolidation centres and a river/rail first policy for freight. And I will protect the transport budget so we can continue to grow and improve our public transport system and promote cycling.

Pleased to hear both ZG and SK intend to continue with the fantastic improvements made to cycling in London.

@thecatfromjapan

Zac, I would like to ask why you have decided to make fomenting ethnic unrest a plank of your electoral campaign. I have found it extremely distasteful. Have you not worried that it might alienate voters such as myself?

Thank you for the question, but I completely reject its premise! I have never brought race, religion or background into this election. Nor - despite what is said - have I or anyone associated with me ever suggested my rival Sadiq Khan has extreme views. But questions have been raised by newspapers, commentators and yes - my campaign - about Sadiq Khan's judgment in sharing platforms, giving oxygen and even making excuses for people who do have extreme views. If you stand for Mayor of the greatest city in the world, with a big security remit, you cannot be surprised if people ask about your extensive links to people who mean this city harm. It's not only inevitable, it is right.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing women in their workplaces in London, and how are you going to tackle them?

@TheClacksAreDown

Zac in an interview with Grazia magazine you said you would not describe yourself as a feminist. Please can you elaborate on why this is the case?

I was asked if I have called myself a feminist, to which the answer is no. But anyone who wants a fair society as I do, is by extension, a feminist!

@walkingtheplank

Hello Zac,

What would your mayoralty mean for London Boroughs such as Croydon and Sutton? Much of the London budget appears to go towards transport but Croydon and Sutton seem to miss out on new investment e.g. Crossrail 1 & 2.
In Croydon, can residents count on you to use your veto to stop the building of a 17-story skyscraper in the heart of Purley where the current highest building is 4 storeys (I think).

I have been very supportive of the campaign against this tower. It's completely inappropriate for the area and a perfect (bad) example of how we will not get the 50,000 homes we need if we disrespect existing communities.

@mugglelady

Hi Zac, specifically please can you outline what you intend to do to improve the housing situation, in particular for those of us unable to afford up buy and also those in unsecure rentals having to uproot their families every 6 months or so. Thankyou

We have a housing crisis. Even people earning decent salaries cannot get anywhere near the housing ladder. The only real answer is to build more.I have committed to building 50,000 new homes a year - by getting the government to release publicly owned brownfield land and by protecting the transport budget so we can grow the network and unlock that land. I have said that new homes on public land must be for Londoners (there is no value in allowing them to be bought as investments and left empty). And of course I will interrogate every single development to deliver the maximum possible affordability. For those needing or wanting to rent, the answer is the same; we must build more. And we have the tools we need to deliver a really ambitious programme for building rental homes. But we also need to protect renters against unscrupulous landlords, and I will take them on - with big spot fines, and blacklisting the worst. I want many more homes built purely for rent, with secure long-term tenancies.

Mr Goldsmith, You are supposed to start at page 1 with your answers. You went straight to p. 3 and to the last few questions.

There's no point building more homes for rent without a rent cap.

@sickofsocalledexperts

You are my MP and have been a great constituency MP, helping me greatly with my campaign to improve education for children (like my son) with severe autism plus severe learning disability. You have my vote for that alone. Any autism plans for London if you get in?

Thank you. I do think Richmond have done some great things for children with SEN, in particular removing the barriers between mainstream and SEN education. Grey Court school is for me a shining example of how things need to be done. As Mayor I will work with Local Authorities, charities and parents to promote that best practice at every opportunity.

Zac, you suggest your campaign hasn't been based on division and race yet most posts here think it has been. Does that concern you?

@Scarriff

Can you tell us a bit more about your track record as MP? What have you done about protecting the green belt and/or third runway at Heathrow?

I have always stood against Heathrow expansion, and will continue to do so. Working with thousands of campaigners, I have pushed it off the agenda. It would be an expensive, noisy, air pollution disaster and it is the wrong answer for the economy too. We need competition, not monopoly.
And I have always campaigned to protect our green spaces - preventing playing fields being sold off and developed on many occasions. I will do the same as Mayor.