• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

No, that is not the gravamen of the question. The gravamen of the question is this; how is it that on one day you can say one thing and on another day you can say the other? It is all very well for you to defend it in the way that you have done; it is the way you defend everything. Weasel words.

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

They were constantly eroded because you were quite willing to see exceptions made.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Just a quick question about the building that you are talking about in Ealing. I have to say I do agree with what you say in this respect because I thought it was an extremely ugly building. It has been nicknamed the Penny Whistle. But 700 odd flats there. You did not mention the effect that that would have on the local infrastructure. You have 700 odd new families in that area. What about the schools, the hospitals, the doctors, the dentists and the transport; all of that will be affected and there is no provision in those plans to...

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

So you are interested in what the majority of Ealing residents say? That is a first.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Mayor, would you agree with me that the analysis that was done now I think about a decade ago in the Urban Renaissance Report showed that clustering of tall buildings and intensification of development around public transport centres is actually the way forward for sustainability and environmental management of the city?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Are you not actually turning into a Liberal Democrat on this matter! In the sense that on 24 February you told Andrew Marr that you did not support a tall building in Ealing but a letter from the GLA on the following day that you, 'Accepted that the site was an acceptable location for a tall building as proposed by the applicant'. This is you telling one story one day and another story the other day, just like they do.

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

I read that there was a local authority going to take over the post offices that were mooted for closure in their patch. Is it Essex? That is worthwhile looking at to see what in fact the arrangements would be and what the legality is.

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

It certainly comes as a shock that 169 branches are going to be closed. I am not asking you to take those over but is it possible for your staff, using demographic data, to do your own equalities impact in order to show the impact this will have on poorer people?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Are you aware that, worse than this, at least one main post office is effectively closed at the moment at least for the business of renewing Freedom Passes and that is the main post office at Enfield? It has told people to come back next Monday because TfL has not sent them the renewal forms or the Freedom Pass stickers.

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 12 March 2008

Will you ensure that other post offices are not short changed in that way?