• Green party outpolls Liberal Democrats on party list for the first time ever in Lambeth and Southwark, by over 4,000 votes
• Greens neck and neck with Liberal Democrats in first past the post vote
• Lambeth and Southwark chooses Green mayoral candidate Jenny Jones over Lib Dem's Brian Paddick in both first and second preference votes

For the first time ever the Green party has overtaken the Liberal Democrats as the third most popular party in Lambeth and Southwark.

In last week's elections for Mayor and the London Assembly, the Green Party outpolled the Liberal Democrats in Lambeth and Southwark in every vote but one - where they were neck and neck.

On the party list, where voters place a cross next to the party they most support, for the first time ever in Lambeth and Southwark constituency the Greens finished ahead of the Liberal Democrats by over 4,000 votes. (1)

In the first-past-the-post election, in which people tend to vote more tactically for Lib Dems, Labour and Conservatives, just 215 votes separated the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats. (2)

In the mayoral race the Green party's mayoral candidate Jenny Jones beat the Lib Dem's Brian Paddick in Lambeth and Southwark in both first and second preference votes. (3)

Jonathan Bartley, the Green Party's London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark said: "We are hugely grateful to everyone who voted for the Green Party in Lambeth in Southwark. This is our best result ever, and shows that the party's upward momentum is continuing.

"The Green Party has now established itself in both Lambeth and Southwark and across London as the third party."

ENDS

Notes to editors

(1) In the vote for the party list, the Green Party got 20,151 votes in Lambeth Southwark, compared to 15,945 for the Lib Dems

(2) In the first past-the-post election, the Lib Dem candidate received 18,359 votes and the Green party candidate 18,144 votes

(3) Green mayoral candidate Jenny Jones received 10,754 first preference votes in Lambeth and Southwark. The Lib Dem's Brian Paddick received 9,946 first preference votes. Jenny Jones

Green Party candidate for Mayor of London Jenny Jones today visited Brixton to meet local voters and lay out policies designed to protect the capital's High Streets and markets.

Along with Green candidate for Lambeth and Southwark, Jonathan Bartley, Jones met traders to discuss how the market has changed, including issues over rent increases, the price of opening at night and the perceived ‘gentrification' of the area.

Jones said: "Decades of big-business government have left our high streets and markets holding on by a thread.

"As Mayor I would give communities and councils more power to keep jobs and money in their local economy.

"By electing more Green Assembly Members in May, Londoners can help ensure that City Hall does more to support London's shops and other small businesses."

The Greens 2012 London manifesto, launched this week, includes a pledge to support and significantly expand London's street markets, provide for them in major regeneration projects, and drive forward the recommendations of recent reviews by trade associations, the Government, Parliament, City Hall and the London First Retail Commission.

Policies on the High Street include:

1. Using planning policy to ensure that by 2020 all neighbourhoods will have a range of essential local services such as chemists within walking distance, and we will use planning policy to achieve this.
2. Increasing small business representation in the community by ensure micro and small businesses are properly represented on London's Local Enterprise Partnership.
3. Working with boroughs and trade bodies to Encourage Londoners to "buy local" and commission research into "buy local" schemes.
4. Ensuring small and local businesses aren't disadvantaged by congestion and parking and consulting them on the future of the congestion charge and a ‘pay as your drive' scheme, which would reduce time and money spent in traffic jams.
5. Preventing the construction of purpose-built car parks for supermarkets wherever possible and ensure local shops aren't disadvantaged by parking standards.
6. Lobbing the Government to give local authorities much stronger powers to prevent chain stores taking over independent shops, and to control the saturation of certain business types such as takeaways, betting shops and payday loan companies.

Bartley said: "The market is the vibrant heart of Brixton and an excellent example of how a new localism might be successfully pursued right across London.

"But we also need to be aware of the threats that it faces. With a rapidly changing population, there are also questions about how the market can be culturally inclusive and continue to cater for all of Brixton's vibrant local diversity. These are the kinds of challenges that need to be addressed if a truly local vision for London is going to be realised."

You can find more details on Green policies on the High Street here

There are currently over 4,000 deaths a year linked to air pollution in the capital according to official figures, and Brixton is recording some of the most polluted air in the capital.

The discovery was made by the Green Party's London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark, Jonathan Bartley, on a visit to the air pollution station located on Brixton High Road.

Accompanied by Simon Birkett from the Campaign for Clean Air in London, they measured the pollution levels both at the monitoring station on the High Road, and in the surrounding residential roads. Levels of PM10 particulate in residential areas were measured at 90% of the levels on the busy High Road.

Jonathan Bartley, the Green Party's London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark said: "Brixton is regularly breaching EU limits for air pollution, and this should be a huge concern for Lambeth residents - not least because the pollution in the surrounding residential streets appears to be at similar levels to the High Road."

"Both the Government and the Mayor of London accept that over 4,000 premature deaths a year in London are linked to air pollution. This is a higher rate than deaths due to road traffic collisions. Urgent action needs to be taken by both the mayor and Lambeth council to warn local people of the dangers to their health and address what is turning into a chronic problem in Brixton."

The Brixton air monitoring station has recorded six major "pollution episodes" which can each last several days, since the start of the year.

Notes to Editors

1. 

3. The Green Party is proposing a series of measures to tackle air pollution in London including a road pricing scheme to ease congestion, lowering the speed limit to 20mph to ease traffic flow, and a fleet of hybrid buses.
4. London faces a £300m fine for breaching EU air quality levels: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/11/britain-300m-fine-london-air-pollution
5. Photos of Green Party candidates, including Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones, can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/gplondonphotos
6. A list of Green Party London policies can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/greenpolicies2012
7. A full list of Green Party candidates for the London Assembly elections can be found herehttp://bit.ly/greencandidates
8. A list of achievements by the Green Party in the London Assembly can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/GPLondonachievements
9. The Green Party of England and Wales promotes the policies of ecological sustainability, a fairer more stable economy, a more equal society, a higher standard of democracy and accountability of politicians to the communities they serve, and social justice on the global level as well as in our own country.
Promoted by Martin Bleach on behalf of Jenny Jones and London Green Party Candidates, all at Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT

A fully-costed pledge to make one third of tube network step-free by 2018 has been unveiled at Stockwell station in Lambeth.

Jones was joined by MEP Jean Lambert and Lambeth and Southwark candidate Jonathan Bartley with Jonathan's disabled son Samuel at the inaccessible Stockwell Underground Station to draw attention to how difficult moving around London can be.

The Party also issued a Tube Map showing only inaccessible tube stations, highlighting the limited journeys that can be made 

Jones said: "We need to aspire to an inclusive transport system, where no one is prevented for using London's public transport.

"In the year that the Paralympics will be held in London it is shameful that the overwhelming majority of the tube system is still inaccessible to hundreds of thousands of people.

"This is nothing short of transport apartheid."

The London Underground has 270 stations, yet a mere 63 are step-free from street to platform, meaning older and disabled passengers are left to run a gauntlet of escalators, stairs and uneven surfaces to access the platform.

Once there, passengers can be faced with a vertical step-up into the train of as much as 12 inches. Transport for London claim to be working on installing platform humps to reduce this gap, but currently these are only available at a handful of stations.

Ken Livingstone promised 90 out of 270 stations would be step-free by 2013. Boris Johnson made the promise of 68 step-free stations by the end of 2010. Neither promise has been fulfilled.

Jones' accessibility manifesto, launched on the same day, focuses on:

• Accessible transport-including making all bus stops accessible by 2018
• Accessible Olympics-making sure there are enough staff on hand to help those who need it
• Accessible homes-making sure that 15% of new homes are wheelchair accessible
• Accessible high streets-making sure essential services and amenities are accessible
• Accessible green spaces-making sure everyone can access parks, play spaces and animal habitats

Bartley said: "As anyone with a disabled family member will tell you, it is incredibly difficult to move around London together, let alone if you are on your own. But when you talk to other disabled Londoners, their friends and relatives, it is abundantly clear that there are many creative and affordable options for opening up the closed transport system to everyone.

"From ensuring that there are always staff at stations, to installing stair lifts and thinking creatively about the use of escalators, what is required more than anything else is the political will to make it happen."

The manifesto is available here

Promoted by Martin Bleach on behalf of Jenny Jones and London Green Party Candidates, all at Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT

• Lambeth has second highest number of empty homes in Capital
• Lambeth and Southwark have highest number of housing benefit recipients in London
• Proposals offer alternative to Lambeth Council's sell off of housing co-ops

Greater protection for tenants, more affordable homes, new proposals to empower housing co-ops and renovation of empty properties are among the many ideas being put forward by the Green Party this week, as housing policy became the focus of campaigning in the upcoming Mayor of London and London Assembly elections.

Lambeth and Southwark have the highest percentage of housing benefit recipients of all the constituencies in the London Assembly elections - Lambeth having the second highest in London and Southwark the third highest in the Capital. Lambeth also has the second highest number of empty homes.

The proposals come at a time, when Lambeth Council faces particular criticism from local people for turning its back on co-operative housing.

"It is clear that both the mayor, and local councils like Lambeth, have run out of ideas for tackling the growing housing crisis" said Jonathan Bartley Green Assembly candidate for the Lambeth and Southwark constituency.

"But it's obvious to everyone that there are things that can be done to being back empty housing into use, build more affordable homes, and make rents affordable. It is time for housing policies at borough council level to have a complete overhaul. Fresh ideas from the Greens will inject some much-needed new thinking into how to solve London's housing problems."

Greens would create a clearing house system to make publicly owned empty homes available to be brought back into use by self-help co-operatives, and encourage private owners to list their properties on the system.

Bartley said: "It is a scandal that so many properties are lying empty while thousands of families are on waiting lists. Over 3500 homes in Lambeth alone are unoccupied. Leaving houses empty not only deprives people of a decent roof over their heads but it ends up costing more money in the longer term to bring empty houses back into use.

"Lambeth are heading in the wrong direction with their housing policy. Instead of supporting housing co-ops, the ‘co-operative council' is selling off property, letting people down and leaving people in Lambeth with less-affordable housing. Our proposals are a realistic alternative which will ensure that power is really put into the hands of local people with regard to their housing needs."

The Greens' target for building affordable homes is 15,000 per year, with 40% of these to be family-sized. On the issue of rents, the Greens have taken inspiration from the growing success of the campaign for a London Living Wage, and proposed an officially-recognised London Affordable Rent, based on average earnings and household size. And to make homes more affordable to run, there will be more help for Londoners to insulate their homes and drive down fuel bills.

Ends

LET'S MAKE HOUSING AFFORDABLE

We will build genuinely affordable housing and refurbish over one million homes to cut energy bills. We will push to give private tenants more security and stabilise rent levels. We want to change the housing market from a playground for speculative investment to a source of secure, affordable homes.

1.Build genuinely affordable homes
Build at least 15,000 affordable homes per year, of which 40% will be family sized. Calculate an annual London Affordable Rent for the average household and use public land to keep rents at or below that cap.

2. Build homes that are affordable to run
Ensure all homes are actually built to high energy and water efficiency standards with enhanced building control checks, making them affordable to run as well as rent or buy.

3. End fuel poverty and cut carbon emissions
Roll out the RE:NEW home insulation scheme to over one million homes in London by 2015, helping people to install simple measures and to access the Green Deal, and work with councils and housing associations to bring all social housing up to an enhanced Decent Homes standard by 2016.

4. Help co-operatives build more housing
Establish the London Mutual Housing Company to help communities set-up Community Land Trusts, which will give them control over the design, development and management of permanently affordable homes.

5. Help co-ops restore empty homes
Set-up a clearing house to make all suitable publicly owned empty homes available to be brought back into short-life or permanent use by self-help co-operatives, and encourage private owners to list their properties on the system.

6. Protect the rights of private tenants
Lobby for comprehensive and smart reforms of the private rented sector to bring down rents, make tenants more secure in their homes with a default secure five year tenancy agreement, protect tenants from exploitative landlords and improve the condition of private rented housing. Guarantee these rights for homes built on public land and with public money.

7. Create an Ethical Lettings Agency
Set-up an ethical lettings agency for private tenants and landlords, and a web site for tenants to post feedback on landlords and letting/managing agents.

8. Protect the rights of tenants
Oppose all elements of the Government's housing agenda that weaken security, raise rents for social tenants, and that reduces housing benefits for private and social tenants instead of reducing rents.

9. End rough sleeping
Bring all grants for pan-London homelessness services into the GLA to protect frontline services, and work closely with homelessness organisations to ensure nobody needs to spend a second night out sleeping rough on the street.

10. Campaign for root and branch reform
Use our influence and new research to build momentum behind radical reforms such as land value taxation and a ban on foreign investors, solutions which could stabilise house prices. Our housing crisis will only deepen if we fail to fix the roots of the problem.

Promoted by Martin Bleach on behalf of Jenny Jones and London Green Party Candidates, all at Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LT

Lambeth Green Party came out in force on Wednesday to hand morning commuters leaflets highlighting Green Party plans that could save households in Lambeth and Southwark £1,500 by lowering transport fares and cutting energy bills.

A range of additional Green proposals would leave residents in Lambeth with even more money in their pockets as a result of lower food prices, rents and increased wages for the lowest paid (1).

Over the last 12 years, Green Party members of the London Assembly have already made Londoners better off by working successfully to introduce the London Living Wage, redirecting money away from roadbuilding plans and spearheading major investigations leading to improvements in housing and the environment.

Jonathan Bartley, the Green Party's London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark, said: "Through our presence on the London Assembly for more than a decade, Greens have shown how they can make a real difference to Londoners through significant savings and a better quality of life.

"Some tough choices will need to be made over the next few years. But having Greens on the London Assembly means that Londoners have champions who fight for their welfare and wellbeing - and that includes creating a more affordable London."

Under the Green Party's new proposals:

- Fares would be cut across the transport system, paid for by a new London-wide Pay-As-You-Drive scheme (2)
- Rents would be lowered through new co-operative and social renting schemes (3)
- Food costs would come down through an expansion of street markets (4)
- The income of the lowest paid workers would be increased through an extension of the London living wage (5)
- Energy bills would diminish through the refurbishment of over one million homes by 2015 (6).

Jenny Jones, the Green Party's Mayoral candidate, said: "In the Green vision for London, the capital would become a more affordable place to live, work, travel and relax.

"During these times of increasing financial strain, only the Green Party is offering Londoners the possibility of tangible, realistic, everyday savings. In total our policies could save London households £1,500 over the next four years. For many, the money could be the difference between staying afloat and going under."

Ends

Notes

1. £1,500 figure is saving over four years based on annual average transport savings of £200 a year (see 2 below) and energy savings from home refurbishment of £155 a year (see 6 below) allowing for conservative estimate of annual energy and transport inflation of 5% (total £1,530.10). Lower earning households could save even more if household members are paid a Living Wage and pay rent.
2. The Green Party's proposals contained in a budget amendment tabled by Assembly Members would save on average £40 in 2012/13, before the Pay As You Drive Scheme. The saving with the Pay-As-You-Drive scheme could bring average savings of £200.
3. Move from average private rented home (£1,280/mo) into a social rented home (£386/mo) would save £894 a month. Better rights for private tenants rises are closer to CPI for two years, (estimate 4% instead of 8%) would mean new lettings would average £1,615 instead of £1,740/mo - a saving of £125 a month (baseline figs from the Valuation Office for private rent and DCLG for social rent).
4. Average savings on food would be £465, based on LDA estimate, June 2010, London's Street Markets. Annual average saving verses supermarket prices.
5. Moving from the minimum wage (£6.08) to a living wage (£8.30) the average full time employee would earn around £4,000 more a year.
6. Average annual saving would be £155 Source: GLA, March 2011, RE:NEW demonstration projects summary report.

The analysis shows that Lambeth could benefit to the tune of £46m a year if a Financial Transaction Tax was introduced (1). In each borough the sum could:

• Pay for 900 new police officers (2)
• Fund 8,500 apprenticeships (3)
• Launch 150 new Hybrid buses (4)
• Build a new school (5)
• Reverse all local authority cuts and cut council tax.

Jonathan Bartley, the Green Party's candidate for Lambeth and Southwark said: "Boris Johnson is a mayor paid for by bankers, who runs London in the interests of bankers.

"A Robin Hood Tax would be a simple and fair solution bringing real benefit to people who are suffering as a result of the reckless actions of financiers."

The tax-which would raise £10 billion a year nationally with a mere 0.05% tax on financial transactions-will be introduced in other EU-countries (except Sweden) by the end of this year.

Boris Johnson has consistently expressed his opposition to the tax, choosing instead to defend the interests of the City. During his time in office he has met with bankers three times as often as police (6). More than half the funding for his last election campaign came from hedge funds (7). Hedge funds, financiers and private equity make up 27% of Conservative Party funding as a whole. (8)

Bartley said: "Just imagine how our local area might be transformed with enough money to fund hundreds of new police officers, build new schools or fund thousands of apprenticeships.

"But as long as the mayor continues to oppose it, communities in London will remain left behind whilst those throughout the rest of Europe reap the benefit."
Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: "Inequality in London is growing with the economic crisis being used as a poor excuse.

"The Robin Hood Tax is a simple measure would help ensure our city's richest institutions make a more equitable contribution towards the recovery without scratching the surface of their massive profits.

"The Mayor of London has played a very prominent role in trying to prevent a Robin Hood Tax being implemented. However the tide is turning in this debate and I believe Londoners want a Mayor who is aiming to spread the wealth generated by the financial sector, rather than keeping it all in the hands of a tiny minority in the capital."

Notes to Editors

(1) Figures based on conservative estimates produced by the Robin Hood Tax campaign: an average financial transaction tax of 0.05% would raise over £10bn a year, divided equally across the country.

(2) Based on average cost of a police officer, including salary and additional cost, of £54,500. Source: Audit Commission report "Sustaining value for money in the police service" http://www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk/imp/aio/1457259

(3) The average cost of an adult apprenticeship is £2,700 a year, and of an apprenticeship for an 16-18 year old is £5,400 a year http://www.lsnlearning.org.uk/emails/files/Research/110017RP_ApprenticeshipsandHE_final.pdf

(4) The cost of a hybrid bus is £300,000 http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/Item07-Hybrid-Buses-STP-30-june-2010.pdf

(5) The cost of building a new school is usually between £15m and £30m

(6) See: http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2011/02/11122/

(7) See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/11/boris-johnson-hedge-funds-accusations

(8) Hedge funds, financiers and private equity make up 27% of Conservative Party funding http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/09/30/hedge-funds-financiers-and-private-equity-tycoons-make-up-27-of-tory-funding/

The poll, carried out by pollster ComRes shows 52% of people in inner London supporting the move to lower limits, with just 29% disagreeing and 19% saying they didn't know.

It comes after a three-year campaign by the Green Party in Lambeth to lower the speeds limit to 20mph.

Lambeth's road casualty figures are some of the highest in the UK. Of all 32 Boroughs in London, only Westminster and Barnet have more casualties on the roads.

Lambeth has the second highest casualty rate in London for both pedestrians and cyclists. Official figures have still to be published, but in 2011 the number of deaths on the roads in Lambeth looks set to treble from two to at least six.

20 mph speed limits have been proven to significantly reduce road accidents. They also encourage cycling and walking, reduce carbon emissions by helping the flow of traffic and improve air quality. Already 7 million residents in the UK live in towns which are adopting of have adopted the policy.

The Green Party in Lambeth has launched a petition and new website to urge the local council to lower speed limits in the Borough.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party candidate for Lambeth and Southwark said: "It is extremely encouraging to find such strong public support for lowering speed limits in inner London. But with every day that goes by more people are hurt - some fatally - on Lambeth's streets. Lambeth Council needs to act now.

"Introducing a 20 mph limit is a cheap, effective and efficient way of cutting road accidents, improving air quality, encouraging cycling and saving lives. It even improves the traffic flow for motorists. It's a sensible move from which the majority supports, and from which everyone benefits."

Almost 100 schools and nurseries in Lambeth and Southwark lie within 150 metres of London's busiest roads, statistics uncovered by the Green Party have shown.

In response this week Green Party London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark Jonathan Bartley launched a petition demanding the Mayor and local authorities do more to combat air pollution in the capital. 49 schools and nurseries in Lambeth and 48 in Southwark lie within 150 metres of roads carrying over 10,000 vehicles a day.

Studies have shown that air pollution causes more than 4,200 premature deaths in London every year and can lead to respiratory illnesses such as allergies, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Research shows that children living near the busiest roads can have 20% less lung capacity.

Bartley said: "This is a silent emergency that needs to be acted upon now. Lambeth and Southwark have some of the worst air quality in the whole of Europe, resulting in widespread health problems and premature deaths.

"It is a form of abuse to routinely expose our children, day after day, to conditions which take such a terrible toll on their health. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye any longer. We need urgent action now."

The petition calls for Boris Johnson "to reduce urgently air pollution on main roads near schools to protect the health of children" and is being launched by Green Party candidates across London.

It will be presented to City Hall in the new year.

Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: "We hope that this petition helps tell City Hall how serious the problem or air pollution is-and how urgently action must be taken.

"Simple measures could make such a huge difference in improving air quality and road safety, but there remains a lack of will to take this issue seriously.

"By cleaning up the bus fleet by 2016, taking the most polluting vans and taxis off the roads and reducing traffic across London, those who live in and visit London could enjoy healthier, cleaner, safer lives."

The cost of road pollution to the UK has been estimated at £20 billion a year. 

The petition can be found at www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/dirtyboris.

Green candidate for Lambeth, Jonathan Bartley, has written to Streatham MP Chuka Umunna, asking him to clarify his position on Wednesday's public sectors strikes.  The MP did not vote on the right to strike when the issue came before Parliament last year.

The text of the letter is below: 

Mr Chuka Umunna MP
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

28th November 2011

Dear Mr Umunna,

This Wednesday thousands of your constituents will be taking part in, or otherwise supporting, the biggest strike this country has seen since the 1920s. Despite questions from local people and the national media, you have not made clear whether you support the strike or not.

In recent weeks your critics in the media have accused you of using a lot of words but not actually saying anything. You have given some very mixed messages. You expressed support for a referendum on the European Union, but then voted against one. You said we needed more socially responsible businesses but then urged the Government to buy more from commercial arms companies. You have lamented rising unemployment whilst supporting the cuts made locally in Lambeth which are hurting some of the borough's most vulnerable people. The reality is that, as highlighted on Friday's BBC Newsnight, your own spending plans only differ by 0.3% of GDP, to those of the Government.

When the issue of the right to strike came before Parliament last year you did not vote on it. Local people have been left entirely in the dark with regards to where you stand. You cannot be all things to all people. Wednesday's strike gives you the opportunity to finally make clear what you think about this issue which will affect many of your constituents for years to come. Please make clear publicly before Wednesday whether you support the strike or not.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan Bartley
Lambeth Green Party

He highlighted how the new cuts of 50%, announced last week which will be imposed from 12th December, will have a devastating impact on new community initiatives such as those in Brixton and Streatham, seeking to provide cheap and green energy to local people.

Speaking on BBC1's Sunday Morning Live Programme, Jonathan Bartley explained the effects the government's decision to slash subsidies would have on initiatives being run by groups such as Transition Streatham and Transition Brixton to supply renewable energy at cheap prices to people in the local community.

Emphasising the negative impact on local renewable energy schemes Jonathan Bartley said: "This is a huge blow to community initiatives right around the country, and most notably in Lambeth who have been pioneering the use of community solar energy.

"Groups like Transition Town Streatham have pushed ahead in good faith with their plans to provide clean, green energy to local people, based on returns promised by Government from Solar Feed-in-Tariffs. These promises have now been broken.

"This calls into question the whole idea of the 'Big Society', when government withdraws help to those who want to help their local communities in a practical way", Jonathan Bartley told the BBC.

Jonathan Bartley is involved in Transition Town Streatham, and has been contacted by many local Lambeth residents expressing their concerns about the impact that the cuts to Feed in Tariffs will have.

Among the small number of Labour rebels was Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, who voted in favour of a referendum. Tessa Jowell, MP for Dulwich and West Norwood however voted with the Prime Minister and the majority of the Labour party, against a referendum.

Perhaps of greatest interest though is that Chuka Umunna, MP for Streatham, also toed his party's - and the Conservative - line, and voted against a referendum. This appears to contradict a pledge he made during the election campaign last year.

There didn't appear to be anything in his election literature about the issue one way or another. But like all candidates, it is likely that he was asked questions on the doorstep about it. And a promise was apparently made on the subject to Mark Wallace, a campaigner and blogger.

Through the medium of Twitter, in recent days Wallace has been asking Umunna publicly if he would honour what he said to him during the election - or at least clarify where he stands.

I asked Wallace what Umunna had actually said to him. He replied that Umunna had made a pledge to back an EU referendum face to face with him, on the doorstep. Umunna, he said, stated that he preferred an in/out referendum to settle the issue once and for all. In addition, Umunna had even promised to write to Gordon Brown on the matter.

This appears to contradict how Umunna voted last night.

In the end, in the absence of any written evidence, it may come down to one person's word against another's. But there are some big issues of concern here. The first is that Umunna has failed to make clear what his position is on a referendum. His constituents should know, and they should have been told long before last night's vote. It is not as if this is a minor issue.

The second is that even when asked publicly, he has failed to respond. There is an issue of accountability here. Umunna has voluntarily chosen to use social media to communicate with constituents and others. He has fallen silent on this issue. Why? Is it because he believes one thing, but has voted another for reasons of advancement within his own party? These are the kinds of questions that will now be asked.

Even at this point it would have been very quick and easy to make his position clear. He has not done so.

It should be noted too, that Umunna had the opportunity to express support for a progressive amendment to last night's House of Commons motion, tabled by Green MP Caroline Lucas. This backed a referendum on the basis of democracy and that it is right for people to be given a choice. He did not take that either.

You can read the full debate and the way all MPs voted in Hansard here

2000 Civil Partnerships
At the first ever Mayor's Question Time assembly member Darren Johnson called on the Mayor to introduce a registration scheme for same-sex partners.
What happened next? A successful scheme was introduced, paving the way for civil partnerships legislation at national level.

2001 Thames Gateway Bridge
Greens began campaigning against Ken Livingstone's plans for a new six-lane road bridge. As a price for supporting the Mayor's 2005 budget the Greens called for the mayor to fund the objectors in order that the environmental case could be properly presented at the public inquiry.
What happened next? The public inquiry failed to give the go ahead for the bridge and the new Mayor Boris Johnson then abandoned it altogether.

2003 Climate change budget
Greens criticized Mayor Ken Livingstone's budget for devoting just £300,000 per year to making London's homes and buildings greener.
What happened next? In a series of budget deals with the then Mayor, Green AMs got the climate change budget at the London Development Agency increased to £8 million per year.

2004 Living Wage
As part of a budget deal Greens called on the Mayor to establish a Living Wage unit to tackle poverty pay in the capital.
What happened next? The GLA and a growing number of public and private sector bodies now pay the London Living Wage as a minimum.

2005 Leaking water mains
An investigation led by Darren highlighted the fact that a third of London's drinking water was lost through leaking mains pipes.
What happened next? Following pressure from the Assembly Thames Water began a major mains replacement programme.

2006 Cycling budget
Green AM Jenny Jones commissioned a report which led to the setting of a target to increase cycling by 400% through the introduction of cycle hire, cycling superhighways and cycling hubs in outer London.
What happened next? The Green AMs secured budget commitments from Ken Livingstone which led to a tripling of the budget for cycling and walking.

2008 Opposing Heathrow expansion
Darren Johnson led the Environment Committee investigation into Heathrow expansion. The report showed that the economic benefits were exaggerated and the environmental impacts understated.
What happened next? In 2010 the new Government abandoned Heathrow expansion, the Assembly's all-party report playing an important role in establishing a broad political consensus.

2009 Road safety
Green AM Jenny Jones fought the closure of the Metropolitan Police Commercial Vehicle Education Unit, which instructs HGV drivers on road sharing and awareness of vulnerable road users.
What happened next? This unit has now been reinstated within the traffic police section.

2010 Protecting small shops
For the Assembly's Planning and Housing Committee, Green AM Jenny Jones led an investigation looking at what could be done to protect London's small shops.
What happened next? Mayor Boris Johnson agreed to put policies for the protection of small shops in his new London Plan, the overall planning document for London.

Imagine what a few more Green Assembly Members could achieve in 2012...

The latest figures show that during 2010-11 Lambeth's head earned £215,963 (this is excluding pension contributions, which were an additional £30,976, giving a total annual salary of £246,939) moving from fourth to third place among the 32 London boroughs. The Green Party analysis (based on each council's 2010/11 Statement of Accounts) found that the average pay of council chief executives across London in fact fell by 4% during the same period.

In the previous financial year (2009-10) three chief executives of London councils were paid more than Derrick Anderson. In the face of cuts, many council heads cut their salaries. Lambeth's did not. Anderson subsequently became the third highest paid council chief executive in London during 2010-2011, only marginally behind those of Tory run Hammersmith and Fulham (£225,785) and Kensington & Chelsea (£220,976).

In April this year, Anderson finally announced that he would take a pay cut for 2011-12 and waive his entitlement to a bonus. This was strange as Lambeth had previously claimed he received "no performance related pay or bonuses".

The figures came to light through London-wide analysis by the London Green party. The amount earned by Anderson in 2010-11 is over 17 times the minimum wage earned by some of Lambeth council sub contractors and over 13 times the Living Wage which the council pays its direct employees.

Lambeth has still to pay a Living Wage to all those who work on behalf of the council. Green councillor Rebecca Thackeray campaigned in 2009 to get Lambeth to adopt a Living Wage for all who carry out work for the council. This was opposed by Labour councillors who only accepted that Lambeth's direct employees should received a ‘Living Wage'.

Last month Lambeth came second from bottom in a league table of all councils in England, measuring the severity of cuts to disabled people's services. This included a 22% cut to adult care and support.

It is a stark contrast that whilst Lambeth has some of the highest executive pay in the whole country, it is imposing some of the most severe of cuts for its most vulnerable residents.

People in Lambeth will wonder why, in one of the most deprived boroughs in the country, where the cuts are so deep, Lambeth's head took so long to take a cut in his own pay, whilst many of his contemporaries did so across London.

But the priority must be for Lambeth council to increase the pay of all those it employs as other councils have done, so everyone gets a Living Wage. It isn't just Lambeth's chief executive and Lambeth residents who are being treated in different ways. The staff who implement vital council services are also subject to double standards.

Key figures for all boroughs in London are as follows:

Borough Staff paid more than £150k* Chief exec remuneration* No. of times higher than living wage

Barking and Dagenham 3 £162,087 10
Barnet 9 £200,976 12
Bexley 3 £199,248 12
Brent 2 £203,853 12
Bromley 3 £177,135 11
Camden 6 £204,961 12
City of London 1 £142,000 9
Croydon 4 £204,520 12
Ealing 1 £183,854 11
Enfield 1 £194,693 12
Greenwich 5 £189,667 11
Hackney 5 £177,956 11
Hammersmith and Fulham 5 £225,785 14
Haringey 2 £189,890 11
Harrow 2 £195,965 12
Havering 1 £180,213 11
Hillingdon 1 £183,250 11
Hounslow 1 £156,901 9
Islington 1 £210,000 13
Kensington & Chelsea 2 £220,976 13
Kingston 1 £179,000 11
Lambeth 5 £215,963 13
Lewisham 1 £192,387 12
Merton 1 £200,390 12
Newham 5 £188,022 11
Redbridge 1 £181,542 11
Richmond 1 £178,744 11
Southwark 5 £182,089 11
Sutton 1 £156,195 9
Tower Hamlets 2 £186,528 11
Waltham Forest 2 £180,000 11
Wandsworth 9 £191,122 12
Westminster 3 £200,543 12
London total / average 95 £188,983 11

* Total remuneration including expenses, excluding pension contributions

It found Southwark and Lambeth to have the 9th and 11th most expensive rental prices (for two bedroom homes) in England, with average monthly rental prices of £1,407 and £1,321 respectively.

The most interesting findings come though in terms of affordability. Average London rents for two bedroom homes take up 60% of a Londoner's median take-home pay, a rate which is close to double that seen in most other regions. Southwark comes in at number 10 in the most unaffordable places with 63% of average take-home pay spent on rent, and Lambeth at number 12 with 59%. This earned them a classification of 'extremely unaffordable'.

Given yesterday's unemployment figures, the ongoing rise in rental prices lack of social and other housing alternatives the picture looks very bleak indeed. There was a good report on the human cost on Radio 4 this morning.

It's a cross-party event, and our mayoral candidate Jenny Jones will be there. Over 400 hundred people have already signed up to say they're coming, and hundreds more are expected on the day. Blackfriars bridge falls in Southwark, which is part of the Lambeth and Southwark constituency for the GLA elections.

London Cycling Campaign has produced excellent images showing how the junction at the northside of Blackfriars Bridge can be dramatically improved for both pedestrians and cyclists.

Two cyclists have been killed on the bridge in recent years, and several serious crashes have been reported already this year.

It's estimated that LCC's new cycling-safe design would add only 1% to the cost of the three-year Blackfriars development, but could save lives and prevent serious injuries.

The Blackfriars Bridge flashride meets at 5.45pm by Doggett's pub on the southside, in Southwark.