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

Respect candidate Akib Mahmood said:

"1. Only Respect is serious about solving the housing crisis. Apart from building more affordable housing at a rate that is genuinely affordable, only Respect is calling for a policy of compulsory purchase of homes that are left empty. There are 600,000 empty homes in England, a significant proportion of them in London. Until and unless these properties are bought in to the market (either for sale or to let) Londoners will continue to be socially cleansed from the city.

"2. Only Respect will campaign to scrap TFL because it is simply unfit for purpose. A new London Transport Authority needs to be created. One where the fat cats are sent packing and hundreds of millions of pounds are not wasted every year on constant ‘restructuring’ and ‘consultations’. A Transport Authority that represents operators, workers and passengers, and can provide cheap, safe and efficient transport for all Londoners. And crucially a Transport Authority that is not beholden to the likes of Uber, driving down the wages of both Private Hire and Black Cab drivers, while clogging up the roads with a never-ending stream of new drivers.

"3. Only Respect is calling for the GLA’s budget to be placed on the Block Chain. The £18 billion annual City Hall budget will be online in real time, giving absolutely transparent. Every expenditure, by every department and official, including the Mayor will be visible to the public and able to be scrutinised instantly.

"4. Only Respect will demand that London’s NHS is bought under the GLA’s control to prevent further damaging cuts to this vital public service. Only Respect in the London Assembly will challenge the dominant ideology of austerity that has seen the Tories lay waste to vast swathes of London’s public services.

"5. Only Respect is calling for free transport for all students and key workers to ease the burden on them. Our future generations are being priced out of a decent education by the loss of the Education Maintenance Allowance and the tripling of University tuition fees. While our public sector workers have endured stagnant wages in these austere times coupled with unaffordable rents and ever increasing transport costs. Both these sections of society deserve a break and free transport will provide a much needed helping hand."