• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

I can see your interest. One thing you can certainly do, and that is actually to go to Capita and ask them if they will waive the provisions of the contract. Having agreed it, the two parties can make changes. That's not legally impossible.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

My prime concern is not supporting Capita's share price, and that's not the reason why I'm asking the question.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

Let me give you the opportunity to express your gut instinct to being in sympathy with the next area, which is that - again this was from Derek Turner - the issues are commercial. He says, "The Chief Executive of Capita has expressed his severe reservations to me. He"s indicating he doesn't want to disclose information. The commercial basis for the wind-up costs [this was in the context of our asking about termination payments to Capita should the scheme be pulled] is one of commercial confidentiality, because the implications to Capita would directly affect their share prices'. Is it in...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

: I see. So, you confirm it's going to be Martin Richards, are you? He's far too close to be independent.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

Can I just say then, what we obviously did have from you is a lot of waffle last February, when you told me in some length that you were intending to appoint an independent assessor to actually judge the scheme so that it would be seen to be an independent decision. Here, you're saying that that was never the case, it was always going to be you. So, why did you waste all our time telling us about this wonderful independent assessor you were going to appoint?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

No, you promised me it would be an independent assessor.

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

You say that it may all become academic, because the scheme is going to work. But you have, of course, said in the past that you would scrap it if it didn't work. I am just wondering, given that we're now not going to be getting the information from Capita as to how things are going, where are we on the other way of judging it? I think we've had independent assessors promised by you. We now have been told that you would make the decision yourself, because you were elected to make those sorts of decisions. We still haven't...

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

The more troublesome question I have is that you are the same Mayor who is protecting the confidentiality of a private company who has tried very hard to demolish the share value of another private company in relation to the PPP in the last month. And we don't want to argue about the details of whether you're right and they're wrong, although they would argue with this information. But the fundamental question is whether the private companies you say you want to deal with can have confidence to deal with you, if there's a 50% chance you're going to go...

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

The decision was taken to drop that earlier this year, some six months ago, not to proceed with that. So, can you tell us what progress has been made to bring those properties either back into use, given their disrepair, or for the land to be sold and used for new housing?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 20 November 2002

I welcome the fact that we're now monitoring this information. The key thing is to move on from monitoring, to using this information to take action. I presume the 52 in relation to TfL, a fair proportion of those relate to Bounds Green.