• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

The 5,000, which is approximately what you want, will cost about £300 million a year that equates to an additional Band D tax of £110 and that is just the extra for policing alone. How far are you willing to push the capital's taxes if the Government does not fork out?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

So you are gambling London's future on pressure on the Government in a general election. As you said to the Budget Committee on 12 June that if the Government does not give it to us there will be a lot of pain and trouble, strikes, and demonstrations. You were asked then if you would put all this into your manifesto for election and this is your promise to the Londoners for the following year, or you have to come back and increase the Council Tax precept by some alarming figures if you are going to meet these targets. So what...

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

I understand you have been lobbying Government for money for extra police officers. I think you are on record as saying you want about 34?35,000 within the next three to five years. Can you tell me who it is you are actually lobbying: the Home Secretary or the man who really runs the country, the prudent Gordon Brown? And if they will not come up with the money how far are you going to raise the Council Tax to fund these extra officers?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

But you are willing to make a commitment that they will not increase beyond inflation?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

So you are telling us that you are not going to put up bus fares or the precept to cover the costs of those extra buses.

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

But how do you plan to pay for it?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

You claim credit for your budget for your bus achievements but one of the things you do not often add to that is the fact the budget is spiralling out of control and we are looking at a cost of £800 million projected in 2005/2006 and no doubt on towards £1 billion after that. How do you propose to pay for that?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

With you as Mayor it is very unwise.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

In your medium?term financial projections, funnily enough next year is the lowest predicted Council Tax increase of your Mayoralty of 7.9%. I am sure that is nothing to do with an election coming. If this Government money does not come through, presumably you envisage in 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 very large rises in the precept to cover these gaps.

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 18 June 2003

But you have already lost some transport grant this year and your very argument about the £1.5 billion. Is that not why Ministers (and we would be interested to know which Ministers you have been lobbying on this) will turn round and say they have given enough already; they are already committing themselves to the Olympics so why should they commit to all these endless other schemes when, presumably, as I said, the rest of the United Kingdom also has a whole wish list of schemes. Moreover, given the problems, Gordon Brown probably could not finance it anyway. Plus there...