• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

What sort of modelling did you do to get to the £8 figure? Will it be high enough to make a significant impact in terms of traffic reduction?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

You have no problem with revealing the figures? You have no problem with that material being revealed to us?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Will you support any application that might be made, any legal proceedings?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

I will wait until later today. If Lynne Featherstone were here she would be asking you whether the extra revenue would be invested on developing global positioning satellite technology.

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

How does the proposed new Congestion Charge compare with parking charges in the West End?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Can I also make a comment on the West London residents- impact on the West End extension potentially? Do they not actually get a very good deal from you? At the moment, if the proposal goes ahead, for between 50-80p, they could get entrance into the West End, which they do not do at the moment.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

You say that the effect of the Congestion Charge on business is minimal, but that is not the message that we get from businesses. I think businesses across the board are united in saying that their takings are substantially down, both large businesses and small businesses. Small businesses are saying, in fact, that when the £8 Congestion Charge comes in ' if it comes in, which knowing you on past performance is likely ' it will drive many of them out of business. Are you not concerned about that?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Well, I think however much you try to muddle it up, it is pretty clear in most people's minds that it is about the complications, and it is about the money, and you consulted with people for £5, and they gave you a 66% `no' across the whole of London, and I suspect that that will only go higher, if you actually had to end up consulting about £8. Are you not concerned that Londoners have virtually given up having any confidence at all in your open-mindedness as far as your consultations are concerned? You would not be out already...

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

The consultation on the £8 gives an estimate of an increase of £45 million a year income as a result of the increase. I guess, from what you have said about the separation of the consultations it cannot, but perhaps you could clarify whether or not it takes account of the westward extension, or is this just an estimate simply on the central zone?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 15 December 2004

Can I come back to the westward extension and the £8? If both go ahead, there will be a lot more Londoners who will get a discount of £7.50, if they use their residential exemption to drive into a bigger area of London. Is that not actually in danger of risking the whole of the scheme?