Boris visits Bromley College

Boris Johnson visited Bromley College and spoke to the Principle, Peter Jones, and staff about the college, their courses and their links with industry.

The college has a strong portfolio of vocational courses for ages ranging from 16 year olds to adults. Boris said, "Once again I have been inspired by my visit to one of London's outer boroughs. Bromley College is a terrific example of how an educational institution can work with the local businesses to provide the skills that the economy needs".

After visiting the college he went on to meet with commuters at Bromley South station.

Crash on the A2

My best wishes go to the people hurt in the crash on the A2 near Sidcup this morning.

While I don't want to make a party political point, it does go to show the folly of losing an A&E department located between the A2, A20 and M25.

The government really should think again about these knee jerk hospital closures.

Out and about in Beckenham

Boris at Queen Mary's Hospital

Stabbing in Erith

Less than a week into the new year and two young people have been murdered in London. The terrible news of the fatal stabbing in Erith reinforces the need to break the cycle of violence and ensure that there is a visible and effective police presence right across London.

Bexley and Bromley have some of the lowest proportions of police officers to population in London. The killing in Beckenham last year and now this show that the image of leafy outer London suburbs is no basis for policing policy.

I have spoken with local senior police officers, they are far from complacent, they are just as keen to be out and about as we are to have them do so. The politicisation of senior police management linked with Labour's obsession with targets means the increases in police spending are not reaching the front line.

While more police on the beat is not the complete answer it is a good starting point and I will fight to make sure that Bexley and Bromley don't lose out as they have done up until now.

UPDATE:
Boris has written about London gang crime, which can be read here.

Boris at Queen Mary's hospital

Boris Johnson spoke at the "Save Queen Mary's Hospital" rally in Sidcup on Saturday 5th January. He joined local Conservative MPs, Councillors, activists and GLA candidate James Cleverly in opposing the proposed closures to A&E, maternity and children's wards.

Speaking to a large group outside the hospital he said that the hospital's services were essential to cover not only local requirements but possible incidents on the nearby A20 and A2 trunk roads.

Boris then went on a walkabout it Bexleyheath town center with local MP David Evennett and James Cleverly. People were queuing up to meet him and sign the petition opposing the ward closures.

Planning issues in West Wickham

The Blue Circle planning decision is a slap in the face for local voters

At the last council election Bromley voters returned a Conservative council with an increased majority. Despite this huge vote of confidence, Labour politicians who neither represent nor respect the people of Bromley, are overruling locally elected representatives. The Blue Circle planning decision is just the latest example of this.

Excessive population densities put huge strain on policing, transport, water provision, waste management and health provision (especially with services at the Princess Royal under threat), not to mention the environmental implications of losing green belt land. These are factors that the Conservatives on Bromley council take into account when making their decisions, yet they are being dismissed out of hand by Livingstone and Brown and so are the people of Bromley.

The contempt that Labour have for the electorate is shown not only in planning decisions like this but increasingly in other areas of government as well. The recent headlines show why we so desperately need a change.

Local GLA candidate slams Livingstone over his defence of Sir Ian Blair

James Cleverly, the Conservative Candidate for the London Assembly constituency of Bexley and Bromley, has attacked Ken Livingstone’s increasingly desperate attempt to justify Sir Ian Blair’s failure to resign over the Stockwell shooting.

In a speech to Bexley Conservatives this week, James Cleverly said:

"Ken Livingstone is trying to defend the indefensible. In his recent article in the Guardian he claims that our call for Sir Ian to stand down is inspired by envy of his "success" in fighting crime in London, this is a farcical statement.

The Stockwell shooting highlighted serious management failures and the IPCC report found that Sir Ian’s actions after the event made matters worse. Sir Ian has to take responsibility, as the head of the Metropolitan Police, for the systemic failures and in a personal capacity for his own actions.”

He went on to say:

“We all applaud the Metropolitan Police's efforts in fighting crime and terrorism but we cannot let our admiration for the police in general blind us to the failings of Sir Ian.

Sir Ian’s position is untenable and Livingstone’s increasingly desperate attempts to defend him damage them both. Livingstone has a track record of playing politics with the terror threat to London. He slammed the GLA report into the post 7/7 attack emergency response calling it "an insult to 999 crews", just because it was
Conservative led.

Ignoring the report and its findings may well hamper the emergency response to future terrorist attacks in London.

In his attempt to score political points, Livingstone missed an opportunity to improve London safety. In his attempt to twist the Conservative's response to the Stockwell shooting he is doing so again."

Bickley Diwali dinner

The Bickley branch of the Bromley & Chislehurst hosted a Diwali dinner and dance. Over two hundred guests, many from Bromley’s Hindu and Sikh communities, joined the branch Chairman, Mrs Harleen Grover, and President, Mr Gordon Jenkins at the event.

Bromley & Chislehurst MP, Bob Neill, read a special Diwali message from Boris Johnson ,who wasn’t able to attend, and auctioned a wide screen TV.

The Bickley Diwali dinner has quickly grown to become a major event in the local calendar with Jacqui Lait MP (Beckenham), Syed Kammall MEP (London), James Cleverly (London Assembly Candidate) and Charles Griggs (Metropolitan Police Borough Commander) amongst the guests.