• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Thank you, Madam Chairman. Mr Mayor, would you accept that a vast majority of Londoners expect you to take a tough line with the leadership of trade unions who are clearly pursuing agendas for political purposes, out of touch with their ordinary hard working and decent members? What you also suggested, in your second mayoral term, which we are all looking forward to, is the relationship between LU and its various trade unions is a key area that you have to tackle. Would you further accept that perhaps the Government should deliver on its end of trade union reform as...

• Question by: Steve O'Connell
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Thank you. This will be a continued theme. We talked about infrastructure in outer London boroughs, and we had a long debate about that. But my residents in Sutton, when I do speak to them, particularly feel vexed about the Network Rail service into the centre of London. It comes up time and time again, and I know that is not directly under your

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Mr Mayor, can I add to what my colleague, Steve O'Connell has said, because it is not simply Sutton that is affected by this. There is in fact an all party campaign about this situation. This particular measure that has been talked about by Network Rail affects my constituents in the Mitcham and Morden part of Merton. It also affects people in Lambeth too, and it is not simply length of trains and so on; the real point that our constituents are making is that they do need the through service, not only to get to Luton Airport, but also...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

It is very important to my constituency that we have some idea of how these things are going to be distributed because they are clearly going to be a catalyst for regeneration and we want to be making our plans now. You will be interested to know in the light of your discussion on the history of Middlesex that my constituency contains the county town of Middlesex, Brentford, which is in sore need of this money, as also is Kingston-upon-Thames, which of course is the old county town of Surrey and indeed the capital town of Wessex where seven kings...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

I just wanted to clarify one or two bits of this. You announced recently a £50 million outer London fund for the renewal of town centres. Is that correct?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Clearly, it is welcome to have a focus on outer London and my colleagues from Sutton and North Cheam are quick off the mark and have already, as it were, put in for some money even though you have not actually told people what the criteria is. But I, too, am concerned about your funding mechanism. It is one thing to take the money off taxpayers and to grant it to outer London boroughs. It is another to borrow because you have to pay the interest on the borrowing and you have to pay the money back. I am a...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

It is a very great disappointment, Mr Mayor, that my constituents, who want to be involved in your cycling revolution and who have access to the cycle training centre in Redbridge, cannot actually take their bikes further afield because of this Labour borough obstructing the progress of your Cycle Superhighway further east. Can you give us an assurance of when this will actually become available?

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Mr Mayor, would you accept, that as you are somebody who ran on a platform of rights for the boroughs and as those of us who believe in the rights of boroughs, it is perfectly legitimate for individual boroughs to take a strong view and a strong stance on what they should or should not have in their boroughs? These are right and properly matters for local councils to determine, whether they are Labour, Liberal Democrat or Conservative. It is not up to Members of this Assembly - or London-wide - to dictate to individual boroughs what they should and...

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

Brian Coleman (AM): Mr Mayor, will you accept there is some concern in the voluntary sector across London, particularly from youth organisations and others that run minibuses and so on, and will you ask officers of Transport for London (TfL) to do a piece of work on engaging with the voluntary sector and explaining what the LEZ means? Will you if necessary look at exemptions? Particularly I am thinking of uniformed youth organisations who are deeply concerned that they may have to replace their minibuses at a time when their funds are limited.

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 18 May 2011

I should first make a point before I actually ask my question. I think the source of the more recent air pollution is probably nearer to home than mainland Europe. It's probably linked to the demise of the west London congestion zone, and it is not too far away to float from there to the Marylebone Road monitoring road, if you walk along the Marylebone Road. But I am not here to make that point.