By Ian Austen

ian.austen@essnmedia.co.uk

KEN Livingstone has promised that getting the Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace back on track will be a top priority if he returns as Mayor of London.

He made the pledge as he launched his bid to become Labour's candidate for the job in Croydon town centre on Tuesday.

It was a visit which saw the former mayor surrounded by TV and press cameras as shoppers, braving the rain and not quite sure why he was there, flocked to wish him luck in whatever it was he was doing.

It took Ken about an hour to make the short walk from Allders Mall in George Street to the middle of North End, as people clamoured to be photographed with and talk to him.

Mr Livingstone said the decision by present mayor Boris Johnson to pull the Tramlink extension from Transport for London's (TfL's) ten-year programme was a mistake.

It was estimated the new line would cost between £62 million and £170 million to build, and Mr Johnson claimed he had to use available money to build Crossrail and repair the Underground network.

But Mr Livingstone told the Advertiser on Tuesday: "Investing in transport is vital for a city like London, and the Tramlink extension is a way of bringing investment to areas which perhaps have not been well supported in the past, through a relatively low-cost project."

Reinstating the programme, Mr Livingstone said, "has the highest priority for me."

Mr Livingstone said getting Mayor Johnson's failing housing programme back on target would also be high on his wish list.

Before his defeat in 2008, Mr Livingstone gave financial support to the programme instigated by Croydon's Conservative-controlled council to start building council housing again.

On the wider front, Mr Livingstone pledged to support public services, hold down fares, create new jobs and make streets safer. He said the global economic crisis, the country's fragile recovery and planned Government cuts meant protecting Londoners also had to be a priority.

Mr Livingstone added: "I will use every lever to make sure our quality of life is protected and improved."

The launch was supported by Tony Newman, leader of the Labour group on Croydon Council, and several of his shadow cabinet members.

So far only one other contender has come forward looking to fight for the Labour nomination, former MP Oona King.

But there was talk among some local supporters on Tuesday of an "anyone but Ken campaign" within the party, which could see big guns like former business secretary Lord Mandelson entering the fray.