• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

How long do you think this is going to go on because many elders - and I was with a group last week - have to be out and about at 8 am, to make hospital appointments and deal with other matters in their lives. How long are we going to carry on with this inequality in terms of saying to elders you cannot use public transport before 9 am?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Clearly it is a step forward that the authority responsible for the Tube and buses in London is starting to take management responsibility for the overland trains so I certainly welcome this step on the Overground and it does look as though the standards are going to be brought up to the level of London Underground and people will be pleased about that. Of course the big step will be when we get new rolling stock and that is two years away. It has all gone quiet about your ambitions to take further control of overland trains. Is that in...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

One of the ideas that came up from pensioners is what you could do is issue them with the Oyster Card and that would in fact reduce the cost because all they would have to do is top up. Something has to be done because 10% is a sizeable amount of the population and within that you can find a number of elders who cannot afford to travel.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Mayor, can I add my support to the arrival of what has been called the brand new age of London Overground under TfL and the new operator. I think we are going to be calling them LOROL (London Overground Rail Operations Ltd), which sounds more like makeup than an operator. We welcome that, especially the major improvements planned for the service. Would you agree with me that it is about sustaining that quality of service and so therefore would you join me and members of the Barking and Gospel Oak Line Users for a journey along that line to establish...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

I will not be inviting Ken to come on a train ride with me I have to tell you! My question is about the Overground, but could I say in passing that we welcome your sudden conversion to recognising the importance of local character when it comes to planning decisions. I have to say that smacks to me a little bit of election timing. I do not recall you standing up for local character when you were encouraging the developers to appeal for the decision on developing Lots Road. We always welcome a sinner who repents, albeit just in time...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Can I also take it that for some of the stations that are left open all night, having staff will enable them to be opened in the morning and closed at night?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

On the Overground of course there is still a missing link in the South West from south London through Brixton to Clapham Junction known as East London Line Phase 2 although it is in south-west London. There is no funding agreement for that yet and there had been talk about waiting for the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010 but of course we know now that is going to be rather late for an effective rail service in south London, particularly as the upgrading of the Thameslink service at London Bridge will reduce services. Even Network Rail is saying if we...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Welcome aboard the campaign to support back gardens. Many of us were arguing this long before, so I am always happy to welcome a new recruit. Can I hope that you will use your influence in this regard with those London Labour MPs who blocked two successive Private Members' Bills, one of which I was the sponsor of, by talking them out, which would have given them exactly that protection? I hope you will be able to use your influence there. Can I raise two related points which I hope you will look at as well in that same spirit...

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Can I start with the launch of the London Overground. Having been at the launch it was a very well attended and very welcome event. I have some stations from the Silverlink line in my constituency in Haringey. Can I have a guarantee that every station will now be staffed? Previously the stations, certainly in my borough, were not.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 14 November 2007

Mayor, I very much agree that the situation of back lot developments, infill developments and replacement of houses is one of those issues where it does not look, on the face of it, strategic but where you get thousands and thousands of decisions adding up it does become strategic because it affects the character of London. One of the issues I would like to suggest that you add in to that conversation about how you can give the boroughs a stronger legal policy framework to make balanced decisions about these things is the issue of conversions. There are some areas...