• Question by: Gareth Bacon MP
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Strictly on the Low Emission Zone, the first question I want to ask is strictly factual and it relates to the letter that you wrote to Lord Mandelson. I think we on this side support the fact that the reality of the situation that we live in at the moment is that there is a very deep recession in this country and that imposing the Low Emission Zone phase 3 - because nobody is talking about abolishing phases 1 and 2 and I think it is important because opposition Members are playing a few games around that one - could...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Indeed, Chair. I am concerned that perhaps some of the findings that came out of the excellent Environment Scrutiny Committee that we held recently have been misrepresented or selectively represented this morning. One of the things that the scientists who came before us told us was that traffic moving at less than 20 miles an hour produces twice as much pollution as traffic which is going at a faster speed and moving smoothly. Will you therefore reject the Green proposal - which, of course, turns out not to be very green at all according to this evidence - of introducing...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

It is a real quickie, Chair; well it depends on the length of the answer. I have a letter here to Merrick Cockell [Chairman of London Councils] on 18 December from Richard Blakeway, your adviser, in which he says on your behalf, 'I am concerned that attempting to negotiate a bed space or floor space target with each borough will significantly increase the complexity of the target but if any borough would like to propose a size mix to go along with their unit target I am happy to take that into account'. It does seem to contradict your new...

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

If Ms Gavron had bothered to visit Barnet more during the last election campaign when she was a candidate there she might be more familiar with the issues in Barnet, but as she never bothered to visit she has no idea! Mr Mayor, would you not agree that the contrast between this administration and the last one is that you are negotiating with the boroughs, you are not imposing a top down solution? Would you not further agree that one of the great attractions of suburban green boroughs like Barnet is the very nature of suburbia and that any development...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Mr Mayor, on Saturday I had dinner with an architect from Germany and she told me that she was shocked by the small size of flats and the poor quality of housing that is currently allowed in London through the London Plan, which was of course a creation of Nicky Gavron, someone who I would have thought would know the value of spacious accommodation! Will you review the London Plan to ensure that when people buy flats in our city they have plenty of space to live and to grow into because we want properties which are for buy to...

• Question by: Kit Malthouse
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

I wanted to ask your view and whether you acknowledge the alarm and concern that is spreading through London at the Government's proposed social housing rent increases of between 6% and 9% this year allied to their proposal also to increase business rates by 5%, therefore hitting small businesses and their ability to employ the very people who are going to have to pay that rise in social rented housing?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Mr Mayor, do you think at some point you might be able to issue some guidance either through the London Plan or through the housing targets on the desirability of socially rented homes for families being above the fourth floor in new developments?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Turning to borough targets. I do not want to go into your negotiating style but I do want you to confirm that the list when it comes back will total 50,000.

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

Mr Mayor, you and I share a very great interest in river transport and perhaps I could urge you at this moment to inspire TfL to look even harder at the potential for river transport in this area that we have been talking about which would alleviate perhaps some of the problems of the DLR?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

For inquisitive members of the public it may be helpful to tell them that there is a council by-election in the south of Newham at present which is a ward through most of which runs the route of the DLR which now goes to Woolwich. The problem my constituents in the south of Newham have is more or less the same as residents in the south of the Isle of Dogs had when the Lewisham extension was built which was the massive demand for people who want to cross the Thames is not being adequately met by the current capacity...