• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

So you base it all on goodwill between your office and Government, for which you are famous. How will we judge whether you have been successful?

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

You make it sound as though you and London march to a different drum from the rest of the country.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Like Valerie Shawcross (AM) I was surprised that this was attributed to me as I have never ever said that it is ineffective, I also believe that it is too soon after the introduction to measure its effectiveness properly. There is no doubt that it is expensive, indeed only yesterday the Liberals put out a press release claiming that it would cost 8.9% just for a roll-out of Safer Neighbourhoods leading to a precept increase of 18-19%. I am sorry Ms McCartney (AM) is not here to learn a little bit about policing rather than make badly researched statements, however...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

I was asking what it is that you do not want me to tell them, not what you do want me to tell them.

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

Mr Mayor, I understand that you have already arrived at that figure because you have told the MPA officers that the increase for the MPS budget has to be reduced to or kept at a 2.5% increase, and in doing that you have put forward your option for step-change which actually cuts staff. You have cut manpower by 0.75%; you have completely cut the extra manpower that was supposed to go into two specialist directorates in order to vet these PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) and also to deal with the crime that they are supposed to investigate and send...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

We are talking about policing. What figure will you judge to be successful when it is announced?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

On a day when all parliamentarians of all parties are being briefed on the very important issue of police funding, nowhere more important than in London, I find it mind-numbingly startling that the Mayor's office is issuing instructions that a number of London MPs are not to have the briefing shared with them and the Mayor does not care. I find that quite startling.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Will you accept that unless you receive a very generous settlement from the Chancellor (Gordon Brown), who is well known to be close and supportive to you (which we all hope happens and I very much support your private lobbying and that of the chair of the MPA), we will be faced with a choice of either an unacceptably large hike in the council tax precept - certainly unacceptable to us and to the Government - or with a scaling back on the funding of the MPA budget?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

It is not absolutely clear whether or not the Conservatives actually do support neighbourhood policing, however I think it is very clear that they are wholly focused on the narrow issue of the precept. Would you agree that in fact there has been considerable savings to the rest of the public sector generated in the areas where there have been neighbourhood policing teams? For example, we have seen roughly a 30% reduction in vandalism in both public and private sector facilities in the neighbourhood policing team areas. Do you think that our Conservative colleagues are focusing on a very narrow...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

Firstly, may I make it clear that we strongly support the roll-out of Safer Neighbourhoods and our concern is solely motivated by ensuring its success. You will know that today is the parliamentary briefing day of the APA. Can you tell me why you have instructed that the officers' briefing for that should not be made available to Liberal Democrat and Conservative Members of Parliament?