State of London Debate 2025

The State of London Debate is free for Londoners. It's an opportunity to put questions to the main stage panel, including Deputy Mayors about your city.

There will be a main stage panel, including Deputy Mayors, responding Londoner's questions.

Deputy Mayors work alongside the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to deliver a better, brighter future for everyone who calls this amazing, diverse city home.

“...let’s continue to build a better London for everyone – a city that is fairer, safer, greener, more prosperous and more affordable for all our communities."
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

The Deputy Mayors are:

• Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard – Deputy Mayor, Communities and Social Justice
• Howard Dawber - Deputy Mayor for Business and Growth
• Joanne McCartney – Statutory Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor for Children and Families
• Jules Pipe CBE - Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service
• Justine Simons OBE – Deputy Mayor, Culture and the Creative Industries
• Mete Coban MBE - Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy
• Kaya Comer-Schwartz - Deputy Mayor, Policing and Crime
• Seb Dance - Deputy Mayor, Transport and Deputy Chair, Transport for London
• Tom Copley - Deputy Mayor, Housing and Residential Development

Alongside special appointees; Dr Will Norman – Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Dr Tom Coffey OBE – Mayoral Health Advisor, Claire Waxman OBE – Victims Commissioner, Theo Blackwell MBE – Chief Digital Officer and Lib Peck – Director of the Violence Reduction Unit.

In-person tickets are now closed.

You can still register to participate online, with the chance to put your questions forward on our dedicated live chat forum. Book your online participation ticket directly on Eventbrite. Click link to participate online.

You do not need to register, if you would simply like to watch the event without participating. The livestream will be featured on this page further above.

Only one ticket will be issued per registration.  Each registration must be made in the name of the person applying for a ticket. Tickets are non-transferable.

Photo ID will be required to enter to event, which must match the name on the ticket.  

Any minors attending, do not require a ticket or photo ID, but must be accompanied by a ticketholder aged 18 and over. 

Tickets, including venue details, will be dispatched closer to the time.

Tickets are allocated tickets in the order they are received, one ticket per application.

Your e-ticket will be issued, along with venue details, closer to the time. This will be sent to your email address, via our third party provider, Eventbrite. 

Please note you can only register for one ticket under your name. You cannot use the same name and/or email address, for multiple tickets or for a group, as this will risk additional tickets being requested under the same name, to be deleted. We cannot accept duplications. Each ticket will require photo ID.

Once you receive your ticket, you will need to bring a form of ID. 

Photo ID must be original and in date (copies and out of date ID won’t be accepted). If you cannot provide this proof, you will be refused entry. Please see a full list of accepted photo ID:

• Passport
• Driving licence
• Biometric Residents permit
• Citizen card
• Validate UK ID card
• HM Forces ID card
• Police warrant card
• Photographic travel card (eg. Freedom Pass)
• Voter Authority Certificate

Please note that only adults aged 18 or over need to bring ID on the day – it is not required for children under 18, although anyone who looks older than the specified age limit may be required to show proof of age in order to be admitted.

The Greater London Authority (GLA), and its named third-party service provider[s] will use the information that you provide for the purpose of administering the State of London Debate, including ticket distribution, and will only store data for the duration relevant to the specified purpose.

This event will be recorded and photographed in parts. By attending the event, you are giving consent to the Greater London Authority to use any photos, images or video from the event which you may be in.

You acknowledge that you do not own the copyright of any of the images taken, and understand that all photography, filming and recording will proceed on the basis of your consent. 

Read the GLA’s privacy notice for further information on how we process your personal information.

Due to online safeguarding issues, you must be 16 or over to take part remotely or in-person.

This is a hybrid event, available in-person and online.

 A British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter was provided at the venue and on-screen. This is part of wider livestream content, including on-screen subtitles via a palantypist. 

There is an induction loop available at this event, including wheelchair access.

A full event transcript is available on request.

If you cannot register online, you can also purchase tickets via the SOLD accessible phone line: 020 7983 6554. Line opens on Thursday 15 May 2025, 10am.

Various topics will be discussed on the night, including (in no particular order);

• Transport
• Policing and safety
• Air quality and the environment
• Housing
• London's economy

Various core topics will be discussed on the night, like transport, policing, safety, housing and London's economy. Questions outside these core topics can be asked in the final open section.

We expect approximately up to 6 questions to be asked and answered in each topic section, but it could be more or less depending on time constraints. There's a chance of less questions being answered if there are unforeseen issues.

The Chair will direct each question to the main stage panel for a response. Questions are intercepted live from the in-person audience, so the main stage panellists including Deputy Mayor's do not have access to the questions in advance.

We cannot guarantee your question will be asked on the night.

The live, in-person audience can raise their hand, and onsite paddle-handlers will approach with a wireless microphone to ask questions (if chosen by the event's Chair).

We cannot guarantee your question will be selected on the night. The Chair will try and get through as many questions as possible in the time available.

If your question doesn't get asked on the night, you can contact the Mayor after the event. We will aim to respond within 20 working days.

As we want to get through as many questions (from as many people) as possible, we request you:

• ask only one question
• stay on topic, such as transport, housing etc
• keep questions concise and to the point.

We want to make sure Londoners can ask their questions to the SOLD panel, but will not subject them (or event viewers) to abuse.

We cannot guarantee your question will be asked on the night.

Venue details will be provided with tickets closer to the time.

Tickets do not guarantee entry. We operate an oversubscription policy, whereby we issue more tickets than the venue capacity to account for no-shows. This is based on historical data. Tickets therefore do not guarantee entry, which is based on those ticketholders who arrive first and are allocated seats up to the point we reach venue capacity.

Please make sure you arrive on time. Doors will open up to one-hour before the event starts.