Westminster resident tells election candidates we are ‘living in hell’ as they are grilled

Candidates vying for the City of Westminster and London parliamentary seat in the general election were challenged by voters during an explosion on a property in west London last night (13 June). Residents at Lillington Gardens Community Center in Pimlico spent two hours questioning the Conservative, Labor and Liberal Democrat candidates on topics including housing, crime and the cost of living crisis.

Only candidates from the three major parties were asked to participate because they had previously engaged with local residents’ associations. Green Party candidate Rajiv Sinha watched from the crowd.

Labour’s Rachel Blake has promised to work to stamp out no-fault evictions and reintroduce a national housing regulator. She accused the Tories of dismantling the regulator and claimed the decision made maintaining housing to a good standard difficult to achieve.

READ MORE: ‘Posh’ west London borough to go to Labor for first time

Liberal Democrat candidate Edward Lucas used his time to trash the Tories’ housing record, which he described as a “scandal” and accused the major parties of creating policies that favor wealthy Londoners and foreigners. He promised to improve the way repairs are reported to owners.

Tim Barnes, representing the Tories in place of sitting MP Nickie Aiken, who quit, blamed London’s Labor mayor, Sadiq Khan, and the Labour-led local council for the lack of adequate housing. He said not enough larger, affordable homes are being built for families. He promised to change the way contractors are paid, ensuring they are paid once a job is completed, rather than when they attend a repair.

At one point, the crowd erupted into applause when a resident asked why the Conservatives should be given another five years in government if housing had not improved in the party’s 14 years in power. The mood turned somber when a mother said she was nearly killed when the roof of her council flat collapsed and said she was at breaking point after being forced to live in overcrowded accommodation with her disabled children.

She said: “We are living in hell. I’ve reached a lot of people and it’s like no one hears me.” The candidates were more aligned when it came to fixing the country’s adult welfare system.

All three agreed that it would take more than one parliamentary term to fix it. Tim called for a commission to look into the issue and said the financial burden on family members had risen to a record high.

They also had similar views when it came to fighting crime in the neighborhood. All three pledged to push for more neighborhood policing, with Rachel Blake stepping forward and promising to reform the Metropolitan Police.

She said: “This is about rebuilding the trust Londoners had so we can all feel safe on our streets.” Tim Barnes has blamed Sadiq Khan for the fall in police numbers in the capital and suggested more should be done to keep more trainee officers in the borough.

All three said they would also support restrictions on gambling ads, while only Edward Lucas agreed that Britain should re-enter the European Union. The elections will take place on July 4. Polling forecasts by Polling Report UK show Labor winning the seat with just over 40% of the vote. In second place are the Liberal Democrats with 25%, followed by the Conservatives with 17%.

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