• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

Are you concerned that only nine London boroughs are currently on track to meet their targets under the Home Energy Conservation Act. What can you do to improve things for councils and get them to meet those targets?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

I agree with the range of policy solutions you said were needed, but with energy prices having risen by 10% in the past year, and the Met Office prediction of the coldest winter in 40 years, we could be seeing a very significant surge in deaths this winter. Will the GLA be undertaking a promotional campaign to raise awareness, both about payment assistance and also about energy efficiency assistance that can be given to vulnerable people?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 16 November 2005

I agree with that, in terms of new developments. Also, in terms of retro-fitting existing developments, are we going to see initiatives in social housing to get down to that?

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

To pick up your point about transportation, I have here a quote from Tony Travers of the London School of Economics, where he says about Britain's dependency on cars: `the costs of public transport continue to rise faster than those of car use', and that is down to you. I put it to you, again, another survey from the London Chamber of Commerce: `65% of those questioned believe that trade could be rescued by introducing a charge-free period during the day, encouraging shoppers and diners to come back into the centre.' I suggest to you: if you must have your...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

You say it is attitudinal. What you have done with the western extension is to sow uncertainty in the business environment. Businesses thrive on confidence. They need confidence in order to plan ahead. When there is uncertainty, that confidence evaporates. Businesses cannot plan ahead; they cannot see the way clearly to invest. What is more important is that the banks reassess the risk; they make it more difficult for businesses to borrow money, and the whole thing suffers. Businesses need confidence. The western extension has sown uncertainty for several years to come. What you have in fact imposed on that...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

It depends on who you listen to, obviously. The London Chamber of Commerce says that, according to their survey, 79% of businesses in the Congestion Charge zone say their takings have fallen, and there is an alarming 32% of retailers who are considering relocating their businesses as a result of the Charge. We have a letter here from a business owner in Knightsbridge who has been there 100 years, but who says `We moved out of the area when we realised Ken Livingstone would never listen to objections from businesses about the extension, and he has personally told me he...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

Here we have a publication from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) ' in fact, it is actually published by the Government Office for London (GOL) ' which shows value-added tax (VAT) de-registrations against VAT registrations, and it says here that `Only London and the West Midlands region have experienced an overall decrease in VAT registrations. That is, the de-registrations exceed the registrations'. Lo and behold, the area which is most affected is the area covered by the central and the western extension. In fact, that is showing a very different picture to the one that you paint...

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

The problem is that what will move out are the small, independent retailers and what will be left are the large supermarkets and the big chains.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

It will not do much good if businesses have moved out of the centre.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 18 October 2005

Just one question, Mayor. I think it is true to say that John's (Biggs) concern in asking this question was about making sure there was a coherent approach to planning, regeneration and transport in the Thames Gateway. Having sat on the Commission on London Governance, I am very aware that there is an issue all around the outside of the London boundaries, in terms of a lack of a cooperation framework ' a partnership framework ' to enable the London boroughs and London to relate to the county councils in the region outside of London, particularly on crime reduction, policing...