• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

Are you saying the details of one man, who you say is politically motivated, can you explain just what you mean? What do you mean by politically motivated? What party does he belong to? Does he belong to a party?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

I think it is worth pointing out that when you describe people as political it is normally because you do not approve of the opposition that they are offering. You use 'political' in a very derogatory sense and I think it is just worth pointing that out. I wanted to just briefly ask you about reports I read I think yesterday about residents in the area who are also going to be compulsorily purchased to move out. Would you agree with me that it is unacceptable that many of them have still not a clue where they are going to...

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

You are saying businesses are asking for four to five times that because the LDA has told us: `Businesses are not asking that.' They can categorically confirm that businesses are not asking for these multiples.

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

Thank you, Mayor. You mentioned the Philip Waterfield situation but what you do not mention is ' and you did not actually answer the question ' how many have asked for four to five times. I put it to you that no business in Marshgate has asked for four to five times. Let me just quote you the Philip Waterfield quote as put out in the release and they are not talking about industrial land. Philip Waterfield's quote ' and he would stand by that ' is 'once the land is freed up for housing development, land values are going...

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

They are not asking for that; they are asking for a fair price now. All the negotiations are in the region of £1 million - £1.5 million per acre but the problem is, and I go back to what I was saying before which is where I started to wade in and decided not to, that you `went in hard'. To me, the impression you are giving is that you are going in hard on the Marshgate people ' on the smaller traders, by claiming in the Sun, in Britain's, Europe's, the World's biggest selling paper, that `businesses in Marshgate...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

Just to follow up momentarily, would you also agree then that it is the most natural thing in the world for businesses to be anxious at a time like this; to try to exact the best possible deal they can ; to parade some of their anxieties in public which the public bodies cannot really do in the same way and that those interests and rights are perfectly respected, but what we do need to do is make sure at the edges of what is going on in the Olympic area, the temptation to massive land speculation which would effectively...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

Well over nine in West Ealing alone are earmarked for demolition. I can give the numbers of each property.

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

I know that you are a noted sportsman and would regard golf as being one of the keynote sports in this country. What do you think, then, of a power station being located on the fairway of one of the particular golf courses in this area?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

However, you accept that you cannot move school playing fields and you cannot move a golf course lock stock and barrel?

• Question by: Geoff Pope
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

You must be aware that the Department for Transport is getting ever more sceptical about tram projects generally, and it is quite likely you might have some difficulty getting the finance agreed in the next spending review. I note that the projected cost has gone up by 50% in the latest estimate and now shows £650 million for this scheme. Are you in any way going to look at an alternative, cheaper approach, which would be to use a modern electric trolley bus which many estimates suggest would cost only a quarter of this; would in many ways be more...