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The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has today announced the closure of The Londoner newspaper saving London nearly three million pounds. A percentage of this saving will be spent on planting 10,000 new street trees as London's new Mayor continues to deliver on his manifesto pledges. At the start of Boris's second week he has been able to deliver two more election promises - making London greener and cutting the Mayor's publicity budget. The planting of 10,000 street trees will improve the residential streets that need them most with the planting programme directed at deprived areas that often have no trees at all. Had Ken Livingstone been re-elected, Londoners would have spent around £2.9 million this year on the Mayor's personal newspaper. By using some of the money saved from The Londoner - around £1 million per year - London's most deprived areas will see an extra 10,000 new trees by 2012. The Londoner was distributed to three million homes across Greater London. These savings are one of the first steps in Boris's campaign to provide real taxpayer value for Londoners. Commenting on the announcement, Boris Johnson said: "There was little commitment of resources from Ken Livingstone to reverse the trend of decline in the number of street trees. I am taking immediate action to reverse this short-sighted decision. "In the last few years a third of boroughs have seen a decline in the number of street trees. Many London streets, particularly in deprived areas, have no street trees at all. "I believe that as many areas as possible should enjoy the many advantages that street trees bring. So today I have taken the decision to cut unnecessary funding of the Mayor's personal publicity budget to plant 10,000 street trees by the end of my first term. "Trees improve the street environment in which Londoners live and work so I will do all I can to save the trees we have and campaign for more trees to protect London's open spaces." Courtesy of: www.london.gov.uk |
