• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Do you think that these proposals reflect the widely held perception that you have failed to deliver so far?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Is this the way forward though? You talk about the Act but you've not followed what the Government envisaged on every issue. Why go back to what the Government wanted, particularly as the Government's view of directly elected Mayors for local government has been rejected in referendum after referendum? It appears that people don't want to have one individual with vast powers acting as Chief Executive and politician. That seems to be the majority view where referendums have been held. Why do you think that this is what Londoners want?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Why didn't you use your powers when we began this organisation, why now? Something must be going wrong for you to do this at this time because - and I bow to your abilities in terms of the news and the media out there - people out there are going to see this as a rip off and jobs for the boys. That's how you know it's going to be seen. You can't escape that, you must have known that, so why have you gone for it now? Is it because it's just before Easter, as some members have said...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Mr Mayor, can I thank you for your eight pages of close type on the business development of these proposals, although I think they seem to have been taken a great deal from Joseph Stalin's canon about how to organise a Politbureau, but nevertheless, can I ask you specifics? The Executive Director of Housing and Social Inclusion should therefore have a dotted line relationship to officers. I also note that the Executive Director of Equalities should have a dotted line relationship to the Equalities Unit. Yet the Executive Director of Environmental Services should have a dotted line role to the...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

You know there is going to be an emergency meeting of the Appointments Committee to consider this. We don't have a date yet but I assume in the very near future. Can you give us an undertaking that you will not proceed further with this until that Committee has met and concluded whatever it is going to conclude, and then you can respond to that?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

It might have been right if you'd got the Assembly on board first as well.

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

I accept entirely that it's right and proper to discuss first with the people directly affected, the Executive Directors and probably other staff, but that does not preclude your discussing it with Assembly Members, either in the Bureau of Leaders, the Appointments Committee that met only last week, or even informally with the Leaders as you have done on many other proposals. But that's what I am now doing. I was absolutely determined -- Graham Tope: A letter written to all Assembly Members, published and getting the inevitable reaction in the newspapers, hardly suggests that you wish to get the...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

He clearly can't give me an answer. I was talking about the posts, I was not talking about you politicians relating with other politicians. I thought I'd made myself clear. I am talking about the posts that you say are going to be in your structure. They will have to have a relationship with other professional officers. Do you have any idea currently at what level you would expect them to be meeting with other professional staff from other organisations?

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Mayor, I've worked for many years in the NHS so I am familiar with cycles of two yearly restructure, so I am not at all surprised at the paper in front of me, but I've got a couple of questions that I think are important. The first one is: can you give us an undertaking that you will make every endeavour to ensure that the new structure is representative of London in terms of 51% of Londoners being female and, say, 30% being from black and minority ethnic communities? Wouldn't it be wonderful if you, in your restructuring, could give...

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Before the election you were always keen to say that you opposed the idea of a directly elected Mayor and concentrating more and more decision making powers in the hands of one individual. This seems to be strengthening the grip of one individual over the organisation and putting more and more power into your hands. Is that consistent with the views that you were arguing before the election?