News from Bromley Labour

London Tories vote against rape crisis centres

Conservatives from across London recently voted against a motion calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to deliver on his promise to fund four rape crisis centres.

In his 2008 election manifesto Boris Johnson promised £744,000 a year (£2.23m over three years) to keep London’s one existing rape crisis centre open and to fund three more. His manifesto said: “We will act immediately to provide long term funding for four rape crisis centres by cutting the number of GLA spin doctors”. He promised ring-fenced funding of “around £744,000″ a year.

But, one year after his election, the Mayor announced that only £1.4m had been earmarked for rape crisis centres – almost a million short of what he promised when seeking Londoners’ votes. As of last month, London’s one existing rape crisis centre in Croydon was still to receive a penny of funding from City Hall – a far cry from the four funded centres promised in Boris’s manifesto.

On 21 October nine Tory London Assembly Members voted against a motion calling on the Mayor to honour his manifesto pledge. The motion, proposed by Green Assembly Member Jenny Jones, and seconded by Labour’s Jennette Arnold read:

“This Assembly notes that the Mayor promised in his election manifesto to provide ‘desperately needed’ funding for rape crisis centres in London out of savings in his Media and Marketing budget, at a cost of £744,000 per annum. It notes that the Mayor announced £1.4m over three years towards rape crisis centres, in May this year, and in August provided a breakdown of this funding for the Croydon and proposed West London centres. This Assembly calls on the Mayor to honour his election manifesto and set out a timetable to ensure that funding for four centres is secured by the end of the year, providing the remaining £832,000 from his promised savings if match funding cannot be found.”

The motion was passed by fourteen votes (eight Labour, two Green, three Lib Dem, and one BNP) to nine. All nine Tory Assembly Members present however voted against the motion.

The Tories who voted against improving rape crisis provision in London were:

* Gareth Bacon (London-wide list member and Bexley councillor);
* James Cleverly (Bexley & Bromley AM; linked with Beckenham parliamentary seat);
* Victoria Borwick (London-wide list member and councillor in Kensington & Chelsea);
* Andrew Boff (London-wide list member and former Hackney councillor);
* Tony Arbour (South-west London AM and Richmond councillor);
* Brian Coleman (Barnet & Camden AM and Barnet councillor);
* Roger Evans (Havering & Redbridge AM and Havering councillor);
* Richard Barnes (Deputy Mayor of London, Ealing & Hillingdon AM and Hilingdon councillor).

Following the meeting, Labour Assembly Member Jennette Arnold said:

“This is a further betrayal of rape victims in London. The Mayor made a clear promise to provide immediate funding but has spent the last year back tracking and coming up with excuses. This is an issue that should transcend party politics and I’m appalled that the Tories can’t see that.”

Tory Assembly Member James Cleverly attempted to justify his group’s decision, saying he felt the motion was intended to suggest the Mayor’s commitment to delivering his pledge had faded.

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