Where does London end and the south-east begin?

This question can be easily answered by pulling out a map and pointing to the borders that were defined in the 1960s. But we all know in day-to-day life this border means less to most Londoner than those outside London. We all have friends and co-workers who live beyond this border but depend on London’s transport and economy as much you and I.

London is clearly important to these commuters, but these people are just as important to London as they provide skills and spend their wages here. For London and its surrounding regions’ growth we must work together to solve some of our shared problems, such as transport and housing.

Currently, if we need a new commuter rail line to connect our areas the mayor needs to lobby government for it. We need to cut out the middleman and keep some of the money we earn, pool it together, and work together to control the destiny of our region. Letting these areas keep just the property taxes they raise would allow this to happen. A representative body could co-ordinate the sizeable shared development pot; funding large-scale projects to meet the growing gaps in housing and transport.

This new ‘Thames City’ super-region would represent the shared goals of Greater London, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire. It would form the third biggest urban economy in the world, with a combined GDP of over half-a-trillion pounds.

In partnership we could build 40 new ‘garden suburbs’ on disused brownfield sites and go beyond current transport plans to deliver Crossrail 3, 4 and 5.

Instead of just redrawing the borders of London every 50 years, we should choose to keep our areas independent with a local focus, and work together on the big issues.

Victoria Borwick

GLA Conservatives Londonwide Assembly Member