• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

Could you tell me how the rapid response experiment has been going, in terms of using resources more efficiently?

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

This may be more a question for Kit Malthouse, as an accountant. Are you satisfied that the MPS property estate management is as fast on its feet as it ought to be? Because it does seem to me that in the last few years we were at one point in a considerable property boom and I got the impression that a lot of opportunities were missed at that stage. What is your view?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

A patrol base moved in one of my boroughs recently and inadvertently as a result of that local youths in the neighbourhood of the old patrol base got a signal that they were being paid less attention by the police. Do you recognise that closing a police station gives signals which may be above and beyond the value which you may attach in terms of numbers of visits?

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

This question is about the effect of budget cuts on police work but I think the public always ask, 'All right about the police work but what about unnecessary bureaucracy?' Do you both feel you are bearing down enough on unnecessary bureaucracy? I am thinking of the pursuit of targets and box ticking which was brought in largely by the last Government. For example, I believe the Home Office has suggested that the Policing Pledge should go. Are you going to remove the Policing Pledge in the MPS or not? Are you doing enough on bureaucracy or is Government perhaps...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

Last month I was fortunate enough to tour Romford Town Centre with the Borough Commander, who showed me the work that has been done to tackle crime associated with the night time economy which is a serious problem for us in Romford. Regrettably last month we had a shooting which is quite unusual. Stabbings and violence is not unusual but a shooting is. Can you explain how you are going to tackle crime in places like Romford in the night time economy set against this background of austerity that we need to deal with?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

Tim, do you share his optimism? Is that a target you can guarantee today?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

What you have described as increasing the bureaucracy have principally been things which have been forced on you externally. Would you be willing to look at things done internally, at the request perhaps of the MPS and more frequently at the request of the MPA, which are rather foolish and look to the public as being extremely odd? You have mentioned your standard operating procedures. This nonsense about how you should ride a bicycle etc are patently obvious and we should not be wasting time training people to do things which to the ordinary man is a complete waste of...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 08 June 2011

We do all support efficiency but cuts and the pressure of budgets do pose a danger that we could be losing essential expertise. There has been some coverage that you are planning to make cuts to the homicide and serious crime command teams and that there may be some merging with Trident. I would be very concerned that the quality and effectiveness of the excellent work that is done in those areas could be lost. Would you be making these cuts and these changes to these extremely expert teams if it were not for the enormous budget pressures that you...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 16 March 2011

In the minute or two left I do not have the time to debate the sweep of the abolition of the Greater London Council (GLC) because it was too interventionist, the strategic role this body was meant to have and now a much more interventionist, but I think many of us round here would be very concerned at planning powers being taken off boroughs as a way of doing business. First question then, very quickly, do you agree that, if we are to go down this MDC route, there should be a very tight set of objectives and time limited...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 16 March 2011

Jennette Arnold (Deputy Chair): Yes, Chair, thank you. I want to take you back to the area that John was asking you about. Thank you for welcoming the fact that there were some disappointments regarding the LDDC in the fact that it did not deal adequately with the social legacy. What assurances will we have from an MDC to get us the social legacy that is so required within this area? Sir Simon Milton (Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff): The assurance you have, Jennette, is that the whole purpose of setting this up is to help achieve the convergence...