CITY SIKHS – Mayoral Hustings in the City

Date: Monday 2nd April 2012

Time: 18:00 – 21:00

Venue: Deloitte LLP, 2 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3BZ

“Mayoral Hustings in the City” will be co-hosted by Deloitte’s Multicultural and Deloitte’s Hindu Networks; and the City Sikhs Network in anticipation of the forthcoming Mayoral elections. It is an evening of short talks and a Q&A session/debate with six London Mayoral candidates representing the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, The Green Party, UK Independence Party and the leading Independent candidate.

The wide range of Mayoral candidates at the event will speak to and represent the diversity of the City and its views. It will be an opportunity to explore the policies of the various candidates and for the audience to ask questions directly to the candidates, one of whom could be in control of the 3.2 billion annual budget of the Greater London Authority in May 2012. Topics of discussion will include policing, transport, the London riots, the congestion charge, technology and the Olympics amongst many others.

We invite you to join us to participate, ask questions , be inspired and enjoy networking opportunities over drinks and canapes.

Format for the Evening

18:00 Delegate Arrival and Registration

18:30 Welcome from City Sikhs Network and Deloitte

18:35 Deloitte in the City

18:45 Short (5min) introductions from ecah of the Mayoral Candidate Panel Members

19:15 Panel discussion and debate led by compere, with audience Q&A

20:00 Summary and Close

20:05 Networking with guests over drinks and canapes

21:00 End

Ticket Bookings

To RSVP for this free event please click on the Register button which will take you to the Deloitte RSVP:

Speaker Profiles

Brian Paddick – Liberal Democrats London Mayoral Candidate

Brian Paddick was born in Clapham in 1958 and was brought-up in Mitcham, Tooting, and Sutton in South London. He served for over 30 years in the London Metropolitan Police, rising to the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner with day-to-day responsibility for 20,000 police officers, still the highest-ranking officer in any UK police force to be openly gay.

Brian first came to national prominence for his effective, liberal approach to drugs law enforcement and his close working relationship with the African Caribbean community. Subsequently, he also developed close links with the Muslim community in London as a result of being the police spokesperson following the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

Since standing for Mayor of London in 2008, Brian has been setting the agenda for policing in London. Most recently, he became one of the first public figures to take on the Murdoch media empire and to challenge corruption in the Metropolitan police, and has supported the Dowler family following the revelations about News International.

Valerie Shawcross – Labour Deputy London Mayoral Candidate

Val Shawcross CBE has worked for the Inner London Education Authority, the Commonwealth Secretariat and as Head of Public Affairs for the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. She is a former Labour Party National Women’s Officer. She was a Croydon councillor between 1994 and 2000, serving as Chair of the Education Committee (1995-1997), Deputy Leader (1996-1997) and Leader (1997-2000). She has been the Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark since 2000 and was awarded a CBE in 2002.

Val was the chair of the London Fire Authority (2000- 2008). She was a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority at the London Assembly until it dissolved in January 2012. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Transport Scrutiny Committee and also a member of the new Police and Crime Committee. She is Ken Livingstone’s running mate as Deputy Mayor for the 2012 Mayoral elections.

For more information please see www.valshawcross.com

Jenny Jones – Green Party London Mayoral Candidate

Jenny Jones is the Green Party’s Mayoral candidate and has been a London Assembly Member since its start in 2000. She grew up in Brighton, East Sussex, and has lived in Herefordshire, Lesotho in southern Africa, and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, before moving to Camberwell, South London, in 1991. Before entering politics, Jones worked as an archaeologist, studying carbonised plant remains, mostly in the Middle East.

Jones has been named among London’s 1,000 Most Influential Londoners every year since the awards inception. She has said that she fell in love with the capital during a visit to London Zoo at the age of five and has described London as the “best city in the world”. She has a canal boat in north London, practices yoga, enjoys cycling, and loves the cinema choice that London offers.

Lawrence Webb – UKIP London Mayoral Candidate

Lawrence Webb, has lived and worked in London for most his life except for a few years spent living and working overseas.

I believe that Londoners are crying out for change and that UKIP’s vision for London will resonate with the ordinary folk in London. With the on-going Euro debt crisis and the negative impact of EU legislation on London jobs there has never been a better time for UKIP and I look forward to achieving real success in London in 2012.

There is a growing sense of injustice and I intend to ensure a greater fairness for all Londoners.

Key Policies:

• Tackling the lack of law and order and putting the rights of victims first.
• Gaining a tighter grip on immigration to ensure that Londoners are put first when it comes to jobs and housing.
• Halting the burden of EU legislation threatening the City of London and the jobs of all the people who directly and indirectly rely on its success to earn an income.
• Restricting the extension of the Low Emission Zone which will have a detrimental effect on thousands of small businesses across the capital unless they upgrade or change their vehicles.
• Implementing an integrated transport policy that is fair for all commuters and road users both public and private

Before working in politics, Webb was a self-employed electrician. He was also in the Territorial Army for eight years.

James Cleverly – Conservative Party London Mayoral Representative

Elected in May 2008 with a majority of over 75,000, James Cleverly is the London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley. In addition to his role as Leader of the Conservative Group, he is the Mayor’s appointed Chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board, and until February 2010 was the Mayor’s Youth Ambassador.

James is a member of the Assembly’s Police & Crime Committee as well as the Environment, Planning & Housing, and Business Management & Administration Committees.

Before being elected to the London Assembly James was a candidate in local elections in the London Borough of Lewisham, the parliamentary candidate for Lewisham East in the 2005 general election, and the Conservative candidate for directly elected Mayor of Lewisham in 2006.

He is the Patron of Advocacy for All, a charity helping people with learning disabilities and/or autism. He is also Honorary Vice President of Bromley District Scouts and part of the coaching team at Old Colfeian’s Rugby Club.

James comes from a background in web and print publishing. He has a business degree from Thames Valley University and before being elected was the co-founder of a company that runs websites helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow and develop.

James is a Major in the Territorial Army with over 20 years experience, and until 2005 was the Officer Commanding 266 (Para) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers).

Siobhan Benita – Independent Mayoral Candidate

Siobhan is the modern, credible alternative to Boris and Ken. She is not a politician. She resigned from her job at the heart of government to run in the Mayor election. She believes that the Mayor of London should represent people, not political parties and she will ensure that all voices are heard. Siobhan joined the Civil Service in 1996 and worked at the very heart of Government for over 15 years. As a senior official at the Cabinet Office she led major projects across Government and has worked with ministers and officials at the very highest levels. Siobhan knows how political decisions get made and is experienced at working with a range of senior people – from across the public and private sectors – to get things done.

During her career Siobhan devoted a lot of her time to improving diversity and, in particular, gender equality, in the workplace. She is passionate about improving opportunities for everyone and wants to use this campaign to speak for people and groups who don’t usually get heard.