• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

So you did do costings, on Tower Hamlets? How much it would cost to do that and was it just not considered worthwhile?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I am really pleased that you are doing your best for the good burghers of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster and actually extending the congestion charge, but what about Tower Hamlets? That seems to have dropped off the agenda and it seems a real shame that a poorer borough, an exceptionally poor borough, cannot benefit?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

Then why are you sharing it with us?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

Can I just make the point about Selfridges, quickly? I think that we have to recognise that Selfridges is not like John Lewis. It actually has a sensitive share price and, of course, the Chairman of Selfridges is not going to share with the public the fact that the congestion charge might be damaging their flagship store. This is not the information they would want to put out in the same way that John Lewis which is a partnership feels more able to do because their own staff own the shares. So, it is not quite correct. It is not...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

£200 million.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

It was originally.

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

As you know, Mayor, I have always championed congestion charging and been a strong supporter. However, on the western extension, I am very perturbed by the fact that what we seem to be creating is a free urban clear-way. That route through Edgware Road, Park Lane, Victoria and Vauxhall is what we called in the 1970s the inner ring road. At that stage we were talking about the danger of creating environmental happy zones and environmental hell zones. And, in a sense, we are going to concentrate, if this goes ahead, 25% at least more traffic onto that free route...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

The business plan you have just published demonstrates that the extension of this zone would make a profit or a surplus of £10 million. That is actually quite a marginal sum given the net income and operating costs and it is foreseeable that it might actually make a loss. Would you proceed with the scheme if it required a subsidy from Transport for London?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

I think one of the experiences that we are having from this is that there needs to a better relationship between yourself as the congestion charging authority and the local authorities who are the parking authorities for their areas. Do you think that needs to be tweaked in any particular way?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 November 2003

No, this has come from me, and my group here. It is also the fact that we had representatives from Transport for London presenting evidence on the plan at the Transport Committee here on Thursday and it became very clear that while it proposed that running costs and revenue costs would roughly break even, there was a £120 million set-up cost. At a time when you are a bit short of money, to put it mildly, or will be, when asked, Jay Walder said, this is not the first thing he would spend £100 million on given the scope of...