• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

Just very briefly: can you possibly confirm something for me? You mentioned obviously the uplift to £1 billion and I was not quite sure whether that was an uplift from the £743 million to £1 billion or for just the £478 million.

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

The Chief Executive (Manny Lewis) referred to the decision that the management are making, that the Board had in considering these issues. Could you advise me of the expected costs for surveyors and for legal advice for the land acquisition programme?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

I think the word that jumped off the page at me was the word `reprioritisation'. What does that actually mean?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

Fair enough, as far as it goes. Let me ask you, in the worst-case scenario, we have heard from the Mayor that he has basically given colleagues of mine hard guarantees that he says that it is not going to cost the council taxpayer a penny. Can I also get guarantees from the LDA, perhaps from your Chair this morning, that it is not going to cost, it is not going on the general precept, it is not going to come from the Treasury, which of course would mean that it was going to hit taxpayers, it is not going...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

You will be obviously providing us with that information when you have finally decided. How will that money, the interest, be repaid?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

You are saying that it is possible for you to potentially double the amount of money that the LDA may have to spend and that it can easily be met within your normal grants from government? Are you saying that, the interest at least?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

Thank you and finally, how much do you reckon that, if you have to borrow the money ' and the Mayor did say to us that he foresaw the most likely scenario for getting the extra money in, that it would be what he called a bridging loan ' if that is where you go, have you made any estimates on how much it will cost to borrow that money?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

Let me put it another way. Are you saying that as a result of reassessing the potential financial situation you find yourself in, there is to be reprioritisation of some of the LDA programmes? If that is the case, perhaps you could provide us with the details of which programmes are being reprioritised.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

Right, so no current programmes will be touched? What about those just down the road in the pipeline? Are any of those going to be put back, delayed, re-jigged in any shape or form?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 07 December 2005

I understand that you may want to at times reshape your agenda. However, I just need to ask you ' and let's see if I can get an answer this time: you have mentioned specifically in the answer to me two questions ago that as a result of looking at this new financial situation that you may find yourself in the worst-case scenario or whatever, that you have had discussions with the Board and, as a result of that, you have had to talk about reprioritising some of your programmes. Let me just remind you that the Mayor gave a...