• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Let us put it slightly differently. The problem I have is that, as I understand it, you have appointed people and you have delegated things to them. Last time we were in this Chamber we found that you had delegated your planning powers to Mr Clement, which is fine and lawful. If one reads the job description for Mr Parker it appears that you are delegating virtually everything that is not nailed down to him, so you could go off on holiday for four years and he would be doing the job for you. Is that not somewhat inconsistent with...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

I think that is rather a reckless statement but it forms part of the record of the meeting. Can I move on then to my final question - the Wizard of Oz question I call it - which is that you have designated all these things - Final question is that you have delegated these powers but you have also designated people with certain positions. You have the Chief Deputy Mayor or whatever the designation is for Mr Parker, but the reality is that he is no different from Simon Fletcher who was the previous Mayor's Head of Office. He...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Although of course in the meantime you have expended potentially £500,000 on consultants to fill the gaps that the absence of those people - You have appointed people as consultants whose annual costs would be £500,000 at least. Can I move on then.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Have you made all of them and clarified their roles?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Let us move on to some of the more interesting questions then. I am sure you would agree with me that a Mayoral adviser would probably have a desk, an office, a PA, an email account, would speak on your behalf at conferences, would write articles as your adviser and may even be designated Deputy Mayor. Where is this leading? There is such a person who is exercising all of those functions; they write articles in the newspapers - The Sunday Times last weekend: Sir Simon Milton. He was intended to be an adviser. Just for the record, for this...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

I am not a QC but I have read my Ladybird Book of the Law! My concern is that the reality is that he is a guiding hand if you like behind your administration and that in all reality he is acting as an adviser. It is simply a device to try to get around the law and it is quite embarrassing and quite unbecoming of an administration committed to openness'. Can I move on to the next question which is about -

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Mr Mayor, it seems so long ago but can you just remind us what your predecessor's policy was on the North Harrow ticket office closure?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

My local ticket office, the one about 200 yards from my front door, is Stepney Green and the ticket office there shuts at about 8pm on week days. Now, it is one thing to keep open ones which were threatened with closure. Are you going to extend until midnight the -

• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Can I have a clear commitment because the written response I got on the question mentioned postponement. You have not answered my question as yet today. When you say postponement, how long are you postponing this until? What does postponement mean?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 18 June 2008

Joanne McCartney (AM): An annual report was done on the London Living Wage and whether it needed to be raised at all and that report was due to be published during the election but obviously could not be. Will you undertake to actually release this report now and that if that report recommends raising the London Living Wage that that will take place with immediate effect?