Campaigns > London Living Wage

I am supporting the Mayor of London in his campaign for a London Living Wage. The additional costs of living in London, particularly housing costs, mean that even including benefits and tax credits a Londoner earning the National Minimum Wage of £5.35 per hour will be living in poverty.

The Mayor's Economics Unit have calculated that in London a wage of £7.20 per hour is needed to provide a decent minimum standard of living. For more information see here.

It's estimated that about one in seven of London's full-time workers and almost half of our part-time workers are paid less than this and I am working hard with the Mayor, unions and others to elimate these poverty wages from our capital.

In June I succeeded in persuading members of the London Fire Authority to pay Fire Brigade cleaners the London Living Wage.

Our cleaners provide an essential service and truly deserve to be paid a decent salary.  This decision means those who face most disadvantage in the workplace – women and ethnic minorities – will now benefit.

I was outraged that the Conservatives on the Committee voted against the proposal, trying to deny those who work for us a living wage.  

The Conservative Leader tried to defend their heartless agenda by stoking up Londoners alarm that fire stations will close. He claimed that the pay increase would result in the closure of four fire stations when in fact paying increased cleaning costs to ensure cleaners get a decent wage would cost the Fire Authority less than the amount to run one fire engine a year.  There will be no need to cut London Fire Brigade Services to meet this cost.

It seems to me to be a cheap way to deflect the serious issue that the Conservatives would deny those who work for us a living wage but would not raise a murmur when their Leader spent a small fortune on new furniture and a redesigned office last year, even though we are moving out of the building in the new year.

Transport for London have revealed a list of 145 locations across London where they are considering removing traffic lights - even pedestrian crossings in some places. To find out if your local crossing is under threat you can click here to see the full TfL list.  

Join our campaign to Save the South London Line service between Victoria and London Bridge via Denmark Hill.

Read more and sign our petition

Mayor Boris Johnson is carrying out a "value for money assessment" on long standing plans for a new station on Surrey Canal Road.

Sign our petition calling on him to give us our station.

See my latest video highlighting the serious repairs issues facing residents on the Hawkstone Estate in Rotherhithe.

Click here to find out more about the work of the London Assembly Transport Committee.