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

Conservative Party candidate Cllr Joel Davidson said:

"I'm a born and bred North West Londoner and I care passionately about making Harrow a better place to live and work. I will make the job of assembly member visible for the first time and will be accountable to the residents of Harrow. It is a serious and responsible job, and I will put Harrow back on the map when it comes to securing funding for policy initiatives from City Hall.

"As a councillor in Brent, I have a track record of working with different community groups to bring about positive change. As assembly member I will have an open door to all Harrow residents, who can lobby me for help in pushing for transport improvements, street safety and a cleaner local environment. You have probably never heard of Navin Shah who has been in post for eight years, yet he should be accountable to you; I will be fully accountable to the residents of Harrow.

"I am the only candidate with the personal drive to finally deliver step free access for Harrow on the Hill and Stanmore stations. I will cultivate relationships with the mayor, TfL and the government to ensure that funds are made available, and are used in Harrow. Under Navin Shah's eight years of non-activity as your assembly member, Harrow has fallen to the back of the queue; I will change that.

"As assembly member I will drive a strategy across Harrow to encourage businesses to thrive in the borough. This means using mayoral funds to rejuvenate our high streets, and encourage residents to shop locally. This is essential in the light of the forthcoming business rates changes, whereby all business rates will be retained by the local authority. We have a responsibility to support our local businesses.

"I will work with the Met Police to crack down on the low-level criminality and anti-social behaviour that spreads fear in our community and leads to more serious crime on our streets. I will develop an effective strategy with the mayor's office for policing and crime to tackle the scourge of knife crime and gang culture that too often blights our boring hand ruins lives."