As the polls open for the General London Assembly elections on Thursday, May 5, The Harrow Times has asked each candidate for Brent and Harrow five reasons why they should be elected

Liberal Democrat candidate Anton Georgiou said:

"1. I was born in Brent in 1994; this makes me the youngest GLA candidate in London. For me, housing is the most important issue in this election. I want to be a champion for young people in Brent and Harrow, and across London calling for genuinely affordable housing in the capital. Simply put young people are being priced out of the city, and no party has done enough to address this. Caroline Pidgeon and the London Liberal Democrats have a plan to build 200,000 new homes, 50,000 of which will be council homes over the next 4 years which will go some way in addressing this problem. We must go even further, our plans for a 'Rent to Own' scheme that helps particularly first time buyers get onto the housing ladder will help too.

"2. Drugs reform - I realise this is not within the remit of the GLA, but in my capacity as an Assembly Member I would champion the need for a new approach. The war on drugs has been a dismal failure. I also want to look at the practice of Stop and Search in London, which in my opinion is one of the most illiberal policies here and has led to a considerable level of distrust between people and the police. We need to review how Stop and Search is conducted and I will campaign for all police officers to wear body cameras at all times.

"3. I will campaign for more to be done for people who suffer from mental ill health. In a recent report Brent came last in terms of addressing the needs of people, particularly teenagers, who suffer from mental health conditions. We need more investment in and awareness of mental health. Over the last few years, thanks in part to the Liberal Democrats in government, there has been an increase in awareness of people suffering from mental health conditions – but we could do so much more and go so much further, I will seek to do just that as the assembly member for Brent and Harrow.

"4. We need to do be doing more for refugees. My family are refugees from Cyprus, so this issue is very personal. London should be leading on efforts to help some of the most desperate people in the world. Our community is one of the most diverse in the country, we see our diversity as our strength – why then don’t we do more? Last year I set up a community action group called Brent Refugee Action, the main purpose to raise awareness of how we can unite as a community to help. If elected I will continue to champion this issue.

"5. Liberalism for me is all about community and bringing people together. If elected I would seek to do more to bring communities together in our area. We can achieve anything we want to - together. I have been a community campaigner for a number of years now, and from the Assembly I would continue to be a champion for local issues across our two boroughs. This concept of coming together and working together is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about staying in the EU. If elected I would really push the need for people to vote on June 23 to remain. London belongs at the heart of Europe."