When people talk of London as a diverse city, they usually mean our great cultural and ethnic mix. But London also boasts a great mix of ages; while some places can be characterised as 'young' cities and others are known as retirement towns, London defies such descriptions, with a significant older population living alongside a younger one.

If elected as Mayor of London in May, I will work to improve our city for all Londoners, including the more than one million pensioners who live in the capital.

The biggest concern for many older Londoners is that the fear of crime prevents them from living their lives fully and freely. Those who have given much to our communities deserve to have special recognition and support.

If older Londoners have seen the neighbourhoods they have known for decades decline into dangerous territory, and if every journey they make on public transport is tainted by fear and suspicion, it is understandable that they might want to retreat
from London life. But I refuse to accept this situation.

I reject the notion that there must be no-go areas in our city, and that our older population must resign themselves to lives led in fear.

My primary goal as Mayor of London will be to tackle crime and return a feeling of safety to our streets, to ensure that everyone can participate in the life, culture and economy of the greatest city on earth - regardless of their age or the neighbourhood they live in.

We must work to make London more age-friendly by improving transport services, protecting and extending the Freedom Pass, and ensuring accessibility to public services. It is also important to recognise that community-based enterprises like local Post Offices and small shops are vital for older Londoners, and they must be protected accordingly.

It is said that you can judge a place and a people by the way they treat their elderly citizens. Under my Mayoralty I am certain that London will be judged as a civilised place; a city that cares for and acknowledges its older citizens.