Boris, keep your promise—and fund rape crisis centres

Dear Ed I WOULD like to express my support for the Boris Keep Your Promise’ cabaret show that took place in East London. It sought to remind Mayor Boris Johnson of his election promise to fund four rape crisis centres across London

Dear Ed

I WOULD like to express my support for the Boris Keep Your Promise’ cabaret show that took place in East London.

It sought to remind Mayor Boris Johnson of his election promise to fund four rape crisis centres across London.

Those taking part in the show at Bethnal Green’s Resistance Gallery last Thursday (June 4) demanded he keeps to his word.

After all, he did promise in last year’s London mayor election he would “act immediately” and would find�2.2m over three years for the centres—that’s �744,000 a year.

But, once elected, Boris could only manage �233,000. To rub it in, he then cut his wider domestic violence spending.

Boris now appears to have seen the error of his ways and has announced �1.4m over three years.

I welcome this change of heart, but the funding is still only two-thirds what we need.

It gives a signal that, for him, violence against women is a priority when he opens his mouth, but not for his management of Londoners’ money.

John Biggs (Lab)

City & East London Member

London Assembly

City Hall