• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

I do not support the idea of dropping the Congestion Charge over Christmas and New Year. In fact, I think we should be more concerned with limiting the number of cars because they actually slow the buses down that I travel on. I am very concerned that buses perform better over Christmas. Have you put on additional services and so on, or is it as normal?

• Question by: Diana Johnson
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

Once people have been out and bought their Christmas presents and got them home, I would like to know what steps the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is taking to ensure that people are sensible over the Christmas period in terms of protecting their homes and other places from burglary so that those Christmas presents will not go amiss?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

My question is to do with the public realm during the festive season, so it is related to shopping in a way, but to do with enforcing street drinking bans. Are you in favour of that over the Christmas period?

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

I am sure someone will ask you if that is your definition of consultation.

• Question by: Richard Barnes
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

My question is not on the budget but it is rather on your omissions. I note that in your update you have made no mention whatever to the expansion, or planned future expansion of Heathrow Airport. Now that your shoes are firmly underneath Tony Blair's bed, can we assume that you are accepting their Airport Development Strategy?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

You are right, they are alarming.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

The Council Tax is over 100% and you know that. So can we come to the budget? The Council Tax increase you talk about as being minimal but you have now hit the Guinness Book of Records with 103% by our calculations in four years. I do not think anybody has ever managed that in the Western world. But given all that, do you think it is credible when we actually received your budget papers to find in Transport for London (TfL) for this year that lo and behold having gone to all the trouble and talked about all the...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

When you say involve the boroughs do I assume that you mean each of the five boroughs that have a very strong interest in that park? I think there are more Croydon residents who use the park and aspects of the park than Bromley or indeed Lewisham.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

I think the communities that live in the five boroughs around Crystal Palace will be absolutely delighted because this is our best chance for a generation to make that park what it should be, a strategic park for the whole of south London. You have talked about the sports facilities. Do you see the need for a masterplan for the entire park looking at its environmental impact, the potential for raising some money to keep the park in better condition, the leisure effect, as well as the possibility of a transport interchange there now that we hope we will be...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 17 December 2003

It is not me that cannot bear with you; it is people who cannot pay their Council Tax that cannot bear with you much longer. If this under- spend is going to disappear mysteriously by the end of the year why have you included it in the budget and transferred it to reserves, which you have then used for next year's budget to keep the Council Tax down? Can I remind you (I know this is a very feeble kind of Assembly and presumably your new comrades in Labour are signed up to block any kind of movement to prevent...