• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

No - I knew I would not get a slot if you were controlling the agenda. There were a lot of legitimate pressure groups covering a whole range of issues. Legitimate Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who have been campaigning for many years have very serious concerns that what was supposed to be a bottom-up event was subject to excessive interference from the Mayor's Office.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

The report on financial implications in that Mayoral Approval Form says that if the Mayor is minded to provide funding support for a project, then he will need to be satisfied of, inter alia, evidence of significant financial support from other organisations. That same approval form flagged up the fact that, out of a budget of £1.2 million, only £50,000 was committed from other organisations, from Unison.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Your next Mayoral approval form, on 20 July when you signed off a further £330,000, refers to issues that you need to bear in mind, in particular the absence of significant financial support from other organisations. Why did you sign off a further £330,000 when there was still no evidence of significant financial support from other organisations?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Then why not report that and not only the £25,000 for feasibility to the Assembly in March? Why not report the full picture?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

In January that same publication reports that the GLA is committed to giving £250,000, and in February that Alexandra Palace was already provisionally booked. Is that correct?

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Also, after the first ESF UK Assembly held in City Hall in December, Redmond O'Neill, your Policy Director, was quoted as saying 'The GLA could give substantial support.' That would not be £0.5 million - substantial, but not £0.5 million. Is that correct?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Forget about the Wombles.

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

But surely then, Mayor, the logical recommendation to the MPA, to LFEPA, to TfL, is simply to say, if this is not a levy, to withdraw in this way and to pay for the advertising and to pay for the pages, and surely that is something we should all recommend.

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

So, you will not mind if Lord Tope here recommends to the Finance Committee that, actually, it cannot afford this increase to The Londoner. You will not mind that - you will realise that that is a prudent saving that we must make in order to try and get down to your 2.5% increase.

• Question by: Damian Hockney
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

We are talking about millions of pounds of taxpayers' money