London disability: Mayoral candidates debate transport, housing and apprenticeships

Run by five disability charities, Sadiq Khan, Caroline Pidgeon, Zac Goldsmith and Green Party councillor Caroline Russell, as a stand in for the ill Sian Berry, met with disabled people to address concerns ahead of the May 5 election.

From yesterday: Live: Mayoral candidates debate disability issues in hustings run by five charities

Before the hustings, Sophie Walker, the candidate for the Women's Equality Party whose daughter is autistic, tweeted to say she had not been allowed to take a place on the panel.

The event was good-natured, with candidates cheered and applauded for many of their answers.

The four candidates on the panel at the event were asked about apprenticeships for young and disabled people in the capital.

March 20: Berry on renters' unions, air pollution and more: Green Party candidate Sian Berry discusses her mayoral campaign

April 5: George Galloway on combating extremism, banning trucks in London and his rival's "miserable" campaign

April 1: "Aiming to get the job done": Women's Equality Party mayoral candidate Sophie Walker talks transport, housing and crime priorities in bid for city hall​

Mr Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate, said: "The number of disabled young people in apprenticeships has gone down.

"I helped set up an organisation in Kingston which is a group of campaigners working with business people to imrpove employment prospects.

"There is a lot to be said for working with grassroots rather than Serco, who do not know local people or local areas. I would like to break up those contracts."

Speaking on behalf of Green Party candidate Sian Berry, Cllr Russell said: "Anything City Hall is involved in should be accessible to disabled Londoners.

"She is going to want to take a look at City Hall service providers and make sure they can show a track record of providing accessible and inclusive services to disabled people."

March 4: London's only gay mayoral candidate talks arts, housing, tube strikes and why London is better out of the EU

February 23: Sadiq Khan visits his Mayoral rival's home turf to talk about the EU, caring for the elderly, Heathrow and Boris Johnson

For the Liberal Democrats, Ms Pidgeon said: "Early on, I would like to set up a London wide career service. Young people are not getting proper, quality advice about careers.

"I would set up a one stop shop for apprenticeships at City Hall so it is not just about who you know."

Labour's Mr Khan said he would be an "advocate for all Londoners".

He said: "I will set up an economic fairness unit in City Hall encouraging employers to pay the living wage, set up apprenticeships and employ disabled people.

"The mayor gives out huge contracts, I will make sure I use procurement stage to tell business if you are hiring disabled people, you are more likely to get the contract."

All candidates acknowledged the rise in disabled hate crime in the city, with many saying education of the public and police officers would go some way to reducing it.

January 15: Pidgeon on planes, trains and "Boris over a barrel": Lib Dem candidate Caroline Pidgeon discusses her Mayoral campaign

October 22: Tory mayoral hopeful Zac Goldsmith talks Jeremy Corbyn, tax credit cuts and Heathrow expansion

Mr Khan said: "In the last six years, disabled hate crime has gone up but the number of successful prosecutions has gone down.

"There is a problem."

Mr Khan pointed to the reduction in neighbourhood policing team numbers and said crime goes down when people know their neighbourhood officers and feel confident to report crime.

Mr Goldsmith said: "All forms of hate crime have gone up but those that get reported are Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

"We do have officers whose job it is to investigate hate crimes. They are in need of education, to be trained to spot and follow up hate crimes against disabled people."

Ms Pidgeon pledged to reverse cuts made by Boris Johnson as mayor and put additional police officers into the network.

She said: "The cuts have been a backwards step.

"In February alone, 88 people came forward with disabled hate crime reports. We need more police."

Cllr Russell said Ms Berry would look into the police budget to assess where priorities for crime was going.

On housing, all candidates acknowledged the need to build more houses in London.

Mr Goldsmith said 50,000 per year would start to fill the gap and emphasised the need to build on brownfield land, with a commitment to 10 per cent of those being accessible, the current level. 

Mr Khan said he wanted London to be the "most disabled friendly city in the world". 

On transport, candidates said more could be done to make public transport accessible for all.

Mr Goldsmith said: "I got a glimpse of the struggle when I spent a day travelling by bus with a wheelchair user.

"It influenced my action plan.

"From where I was standing it was appalling."

He said he would continue with TfL plans to make 95 per cent of bus stops accessible by the end of the year. 

Mr Khan said that he would include disabled Londoners in consultation on the next London plan, so that "it meets the needs of all Londoners". 

He said: "I will work to make sure we have more step free acess on the overground, underground and that buses are designed to have enough space for wheelchair users."