The local elections and the election for the Mayor of London have now taken place and there is little doubt that the Labour Party are the losers. But Labour has left a legacy around the environment that newly elected councillors will follow and if only for that we owe a thank you to Ken Livingstone.

Livingstone's eight year tenure as the Mayor of London put the environment on the political agenda in the UK. He did more to raise the environmental agenda than any politician in Westminister and importantly he stressed that the environment was about local issues and thinking locally. While this author did not always agree with him, Livingstone did lead on environmental issues and London, although far from sustainable, is doing alot more to encourage sustainability than most western countries, particularly outside Europe.

This gives Boris Johnson, the new Mayor, something to build from. Hopefully he will continue Livingstone's work, get the public sector to lead on sustainable procurement, reduce the use of the car in London and encourage changes in planning laws. It is hoped that his approach will be more carrot and less stick.

In the meantime, Mr Livingstone, thank you.