The following is Boris Johnson's foreward to the 2014/15 annual report. The full report can be downloaded as a pdf using the following link:  http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/www.hornchurchandupminsterconservatives.com/files/Annual%20Report%202014-15%20PDF.pdf

This has been a spectacular year for London with many records being claimed: the population reached its record level of 8.6 million since the peak in 1939, and it is set to grow to 10 million by 2030; we are building record numbers of homes, more than in any year since 1980, and are on course to build 100,000 affordable homes by 2016. More people are using the Tube and buses than before and more are cycling (over half a million every day). Crime is down. We have successfully reopened Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and have last year welcomed to London more visitors than Paris or New York.

 

London is going from strength to strength with huge investments in infrastructure. The first tube extension in 15 years is about to begin on the Northern Line, Crossrail continues apace; some exceptional projects, led by the ground-breaking Olympicopolis initiative, are promising to keep London as an undisputed leader amongst world cities.

 

Our ambition should not stop there: even with the current Tube modernisation programme and the delivery of Crossrail 1, Crossrail 2 is needed to provide vital new capacity on the transport network to cope with London’s forecast population growth. By 2050, the demand for public transport will have increased by 60 per cent on the Underground and 80 per cent on the rail network compared to current levels.

 

My aim is to achieve more efficient, integrated and innovative infrastructure solutions to ensure London remains the greatest city on earth. We will continue to work flat out for London and Londoners.

 

The challenges are huge. This fast growing population means pressure on all our services – and above all acute housing needs. We need to get on with delivering the record numbers of affordable homes. I am bringing forward the development of public land to help delivery of more than 40,000 homes; I am creating Housing Zones which will support at least another 50,000 homes.

 

We need to give young people better skills, more apprenticeships, better prospects of employment. We should drive on all our programmes for environmental improvement: planting trees, cleaning up the air, leading the UK with our Ultra Low Emission Zone. We must continue to support our young people with Team London, the Music Fund, the educational, sport and cultural initiatives and so much more. We need crime to keep falling.

 

I want by next year to have made decisive progress with Olympicopolis, with the Old Oak Mayoral Development Corporation and all the other opportunity areas. I am immensely proud of everything the GLA Group has achieved over the last seven years. But we have a massive amount still to do.

 

Let's keep the pedal to the metal!