We all remember the 2012 Paralympics and Olympic games, but the thing that remains with me was the unstoppable spirit of the Paralympians who broke new ground in disability awareness. I see that same spirit in the lives of thousands of Londoners living with disabilities who refuse to be defined by what they can’t do but rather what they can do.

More than one in ten Londoners identify themselves as living with disabilities. Delivering for these people will be a key priority of my mayoralty. Two issues in particular need urgent action: transport and housing.

A constituent of mine who uses a wheelchair once challenged me to spend some time with him on London’s public transport system so I could better understand the obstacles he and countless men and women like him still face. I accepted and was shocked by what I saw. So within my first 100 days as Mayor, I will commission a full review of the step-free programme with the explicit aim of increasing the number of stations that can be made step-free. Wherever possible I want to see “universal access” — so that whatever your mobility, we come and go through the same doors.

I can also guarantee that the Disabled Persons Freedom Pass will be protected throughout my mayoral term. And I can deliver on those commitments because unlike Sadiq Khan my plan protects transport investment. TfL has confirmed that Khan’s fares pledge would blow a £1.9 billion hole in the transport budget. This funding shortfall would put both the Freedom Pass and the step-free access programme at risk. These are initiatives that benefit millions of people every day — not just people like the estimated 150,000 Londoners living with a visual impairment and the estimated 50,000 Londoners with brain injuries.

Housing is my major priority, because too many Londoners are being priced out of their own city. My plan will double house-building to 50,000 a year by the end of my term. I’ll do it by working with the Government to release public sector land on which to build, and by investing in transport to unlock new brownfield sites. Crossrail 2 alone, for example, could allow us to build 200,000 new homes.

I will also reaffirm the commitments made in the existing London Plan, which requires all new housing to be built to “Lifetime Homes” standards and for 10% of new housing to be designed to be wheelchair accessible or easily adaptable for residents who are wheelchair users. I will hold the boroughs and developers to account for achieving and even exceeding these targets, and that we deliver more sheltered accommodation. Again, these extra homes will benefit all Londoners, not least the 30,000 who have an unmet need for wheelchair-accessible housing and the more than 100,000 households who need their bath or shower facilities redesigned or relocated. These improvements will enable all of London’s diverse communities to participate fully and to contribute to all areas of London life.

You at the Conservative Disability Group are tireless advocates for your members, and I’m looking forward to working with you at City Hall. There are huge challenges ahead to make sure that London truly belongs to everyone: from making our green space more accessible, to using the new devolved adult skills budget to create more opportunities for Londoners who want equality and deserve opportunity. 

That’s why I am determined to win on May 5th. So together we can make our great city greater still.

Zac Goldsmith is the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London