Have your say in the London mayoral election

Have your say in the London mayoral election

There’s an important election coming up. And no, we’re not talking about the one on 12 December.

Next May, London residents will go back to the polls to vote for the city’s next mayor. Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party is the current mayor – he was elected in 2016.

At Migrant Voice, we’ve been working alongside other charities and civil society organisations from across the capital – brought together by London Plus, a volunteering and civil society charity – to produce a series of powerful manifesto asks to put to the candidates standing in the election in May.

Now we and London Plus need your help to decide which ones make it to the final list. Read the asks and vote for the ones you think are most important here. Voting closes on Wednesday 18 December. This is another great chance to make your voice heard on the issues that matter to you in London.

We were invited to develop three asks relating to migration – and we presented these at the London Plus conference in November. Other organisations wrote and presented asks according to their expertise. Themes included youth and crime, green space and environment, older people, economic inclusion, health, transport, and domestic violence.

In developing our asks, we looked both at what powers the mayor has, and what present and past mayors have achieved. We were very aware that the mayor does not control immigration policy and that the majority of factors impacting migrants and refugees are not within the mayor’s power to influence. We therefore decided to look at action that was possible for a mayor to take, whether by using their direct powers, advocating for change at government level, or setting an example through their rhetoric.

As a result of these factors, the asks we developed are different to other calls for change that we as a charity might put forward in other contexts.

These are our asks:

• Support the rights of London’s migrants during Brexit. Ensure that EU nationals have the right support to apply to the Settlement Scheme and do not face losing their rights or becoming undocumented.
• Advocate for London’s undocumented migrants: for a national policy of regularisation and the development of policies that address the causes behind people becoming undocumented.
• Use your powers to ensure refugees in London can build their lives here with the right support. Ensure better access to ESOL and better support during the 28-day move-on period for newly recognised refugees so they are able to access housing, open bank accounts, etc.

You can vote for the asks you think are the most important, across all of the themes. Make your choices here. Voting closes on Wednesday 18 December.

Don’t miss this chance to make your voice heard ahead of the 2020 mayoral election.

TOP IMAGE: London skyline, Sam Carpenter, Flickr, CC BY 2.0