• 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?

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

I would not dream of it, Mr Mayor. There was an email yesterday which said that Lee (Lee Jasper, Policy Director of Equalities and Policing, (GLA) and Neale Coleman, Director of Business Planning and Regeneration/Policy Director, Best Value and Partnership, GLA) have advised that the briefing should not be shared with Conservative and Liberal MPs, but perhaps they do not speak for you.

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

You have until mid-afternoon to let me know what secrets I am in possession of as Chair of the MPA Finance Committee that your policy directors do not want me to share with my colleagues in Parliament.

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

So the instruction is given in your name. As I have to do the briefing this afternoon for Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs because the MPA chair (Len Duvall, AM) is unable or unwilling to do so, please would you tell me now what it is that you do not want me to share, or your policy directors do not want me to share, with the MPs that I am briefing this afternoon.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 20 October 2004

The concern that I have is that we know of the success of this particular way forward, and so will this strategy that you have developed enable boroughs like my home borough who have only used it seven times to learn from, say, Barnet, who seem to be well ahead of the game? They have issued 145. Surely there is stuff to be learned.

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

): I am surprised The Mayor chose to try and introduce party politics, even into this answer. Can I make clear the Liberal Democrats have not and do not oppose anti?social behaviour orders? Liberal Democrat?run boroughs do use them when they are appropriate. Would The Mayor agree that they are but one measure, and that there are plenty of others that are appropriate, particularly in preventative work? Since Ms Arnold has chosen to mention her home borough of Islington, is he aware that there are currently 220 acceptable behaviour contracts in existence in Islington? Is he aware that, according to...