I will continue to pressure Government to ensure our police are properly funded. I have lobbied both the Home Secretary and Police Minister for additional funding for London's police and have raised concerns about the 101 system for reporting crimes.
Our economy is thriving and, locally, we we have one of the highest job creation rates in the UK. I will continue to do all I can to make sure that Richmond and Kingston are the best areas of London for new businesses to invest and for existing businesses to flourish.
I will work to ensure that we have increased provision of affordable housing wherever possible, with consideration given for medical, transport and other amenities. I will always campaign for appropriate developments that enhance rather than undermine our beautiful communities.
School funding levels have risen in recent years. However, the proportion of funding available for high needs education has not kept up. I have been campaigning hard for more Government funding, and will continue to apply pressure.
As chair of the All-Party Group, I am building alliances across Parliament. I have set up a powerful new Coalition Against Heathrow Expansion, bringing together all the key campaigners.
London has disgraceful levels of of air pollution. I'll continue to campaign for increased investment in cycling and public transport, tougher rules on HGVs and for London's buses and cabs to go zero-emission.
Zac’s campaign to support local shops has led to 30 minute free parking being rolled out in both Richmond and Kingston upon Thames.The introduction by Richmond’s Conservative Council of the ‘Richmond Card’ means that residents in Richmond are entitled to 30 minute free parking within the borough.And since the Conservatives won control of Kingston Council from the Liberal Democrats in May 2014, 30 minutes free parking is being rolled out in Kingston upon Thames as well.
Zac is working hard to ensure that education in our area is truly first class, and together with local parents and Conservative Councillors has brought about the opening of a new secondary school in Kingston for the first time in 20 years.The Kingston Academy opened its doors to pupils in September following a decade long campaign.
Zac has protected Kew Gardens, a national treasure, by securing £2.3m of funding despite the threat of cuts.Kew Gardens is one of England’s top tourist attractions, welcoming over two million visitors each year. It hosts over 30,000 plant types and is home to an internationally acclaimed botanical research facility.After the announcement that the funding to Kew Gardens was going to be cut by £1.5m, Zac led a campaign to protect its funding.
Richmond GP Alliance is a partnership of all the GP Practices in Richmond upon Thames. The group recently applied for funding from the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund to help address demands on local health services.They received a one off grant of £2.3 million, which will be used to start the process of developing primary care “hubs” across the borough. Some of the changes brought in thanks to the funding include extended opening hours (8am – 8pm) and improving technology to allow appointments to be made by mobile and consultations to take place using video.
