HUGHES LAUNCHES 'BLAIR MAYOR PROJECT'

12.01.00am GMT Mon 2nd Feb 2004

The Blair Mayor Project

Ahead of the expected announcement later today (Monday 2nd February 2004) of Ken Livingstone's adoption as the New Labour London Mayoral candidate, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes MP launched the report the 'Blair Mayor Project', that details the failures of New Labour in London over the Mayoral term and since Mr Blair became Prime Minister.

The Blair Mayor Project

The dossier highlights new figures on tax; crime and policing; transport; housing; education; health and spin in London and includes the facts that:

· GLA tax take has doubled in four years

· £20million of taxpayers money has been spent on self publicity by the Mayor in the last year

· London courts have failed to collect £72million in the last year

· 40,000 manufacturing jobs in London have been lost in the last six years

Simon Hughes MP said:

"The phoney war is over.

"Today we will see the Blair Mayor Project become a reality. Mr Livingstone and Mr Blair are joining together in a cynical marriage of political convenience. Hundreds of thousands of Londoners, whether young, old, in business or unemployed are worse off under New Labour and this New Labour Mayor.

"Many Londoners will feel cheated by Mr Livingstone who pretended to be independent and cheated by Mr Blair who has repeatedly warned our city against electing him.

"When trust is so important to so many people and institutions, it is incredible that the Prime Minister and the Mayor can so brazenly stab Londoners in the back and think they can get away with it."

Ends

Notes to editors

A copy of the summary can be found below:-

Blair Mayor Project

What the Labour London Team has not done for the Capital

With Tony Blair and New Labour adopting Ken Livingstone as their official party candidate, this report looks at what the Prime Minister and Mayor of London have not done for the capital.

· In summary, this includes: -

· Council tax has doubled since the Mayor came to office

· London rates 64th on the world's safest cities behind Amsterdam, Berlin and Glasgow

· Hard drug prices have dropped by on average 1/5th of their prices in 2002

· Year on year gun crime figures have remained static

· 16 of the top 20 hotspots for abandoned cars are in London

· A drop of 60% in the number of Special Constables policing London since 1997

· The London courts have not collected £72million - more than the number of fines given out

· £1billion pound black hole in London's transport budget

· Millions wasted in legal fees by a Labour Mayor fighting the Labour Government in the privatisation of the Tube

· 25% increase in delays on the Tube in a year - the worst record for more than 10 years

· Almost one in ten Tube journeys failed to be completed - the worst record in more than 14 years

· 30% increase in bus fares since the Mayor came to office

· £2million on Mr Livingstone's publication budget

· In the next year expenditure on the Mayor's office is set to increase by more than double the rate of inflation

· Taxpayers money on 16 press officers solely for the Mayor's office

· £18million spent on advertising of the Mayor

· 40,000 jobs lost in the manufacturing sector since the Mayor came to office

· 28% increase in the numbers of 18-24 year olds unemployed in the last 2 years

· New Business start ups have declined since the Mayor came to power

· 1,400 fewer qualified primary school teachers than when Labour came to power

· £3,500 average yearly debt for every London student - the highest in the country

· GP vacancies have risen by 221% in four years across London

· 1 in 3 GP surgeries lists closed to new patients - ½ closed in the last 12 months

· Care homes exceeding capacity driving vulnerable older people away from their families

· 679 post offices have been closed in Greater London affecting the most vulnerable in society

· Almost half of all older people entitled to the pension credit have now claimed money they are entitled to

· 1 in 10 households in London spend more than 10% of their income on heating their

homes

A copy of the report is available on request or can be found at www.simon4mayor.org.uk