• 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...

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

Mr Mayor, are you aware of the rather ingenious communications programme with young people called Heroes which has been devised by a former broadcast producer in the BBC and which I have communicated to the Time for Action programme in your office? It is obviously a very important way of getting across the message to young people that they should stay on the track. It is ingenious because it uses heroes in the printed comic format. Are you aware of it? If not, can I make you more aware of it?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 25 February 2009

I am not going to defend the Government but I will point out that one thing that has been dropped which could have had an immediate effect was mixed mode and that would have had an immediate increase in flights. Thankfully that has been dropped but that is not my point.

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

Mr Mayor, can I convey to you the appreciation from my constituents - within which the whole of Heathrow Airport sits - for your support of the 2M Group and the legal processes which are now being conducted to challenge the Government on this hideously rushed irrational decision? Whilst we recognise air quality is a major issue, the failure to achieve air quality standards also has a negative health impact on the area. A health impact study was not considered by the Government. Do you think that that would be important to get a really truly balanced decision on Heathrow?

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

Mr Mayor, those of us who live under the flight path in west London, like my colleague, Richard Barnes and myself living in Wandsworth, will remember that this Government gave a commitment after putting up Terminal 5 that Heathrow would not be expanded anymore. Can we trust this Government anymore? Perhaps you could convey this to the Prime Minister when you see him this afternoon?

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

I simply wanted to challenge the thesis behind Mr Coleman's question because I think this sort of John Betjeman approach that you can preserve the suburbs in aspic or whatever the term is is somewhat flawed and I would reinforce what Navin Shah has said. I would like you to agree with me - or contribute differently - that a vigorous Mayor will have to present challenges to the suburbs, some of which they might not like, about sustainability, about affordability, about the fact that the kids - I grew up in the suburbs by the way - of suburban...