Communications specialist and businessman Alex Challoner has become the latest London Conservative to announce he will seek to to become his party’s challenger to Sadiq Khan at next year’s election for Mayor of London.
Challoner, 53, is best-known as founder of Cavendish Communications, which he set up in 2003 having previously worked for several companies in the same field and, before that, for a short period as a BBC regional journalist. His experience includes working for Tory mayoral candidate Steve Norris in 2000.
Setting out what he calls his “bold vision for London“, Challoner says as Mayor he would build “five new Market Communities around London”, each of 10,000 homes, “for key workers and families” creating five new mayoral development corporations to acquire the necessary land.
He says his housing plan would include dropping Social Rent homes and instead “having one simple affordable rent product” with rents set at local housing allowance levels. He also advocates “a comprehensive review of our green belt” to locate land he would need.
On transport he promises to “deliver full automation on the Victoria line by 2026” with others to swiftly follow, “pause” the implementation of an enlarged Ultra-Low Emission Zone – which Mayor Khan intends to have operating by the end of August – and advocate for “more bold projects like the Elizabeth line”.
Other promises include increasing officer numbers on the Met’s safer neighbourhood teams by a third, launching a “dedicated unit for burglary and car crime”, investing in tech industries, “taking bold action” on licensing rules to help night time economies, and helping “wellbeing and mental health services to support children and young adults”.
Challoner has attracted the support of Tory London Assembly member Tony Devenish, along with MPs Robert Buckland and Jackie Doyle-Prince.
Twitter: Dave Hill and On London.
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