• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

This is about differentials. On the Graffiti Scrutiny a borough like Wandsworth that has spent upwards of £600,000, the boroughs average around £203,000 and a borough like Haringey £15,000 per annum. The fee of £10,000 to join in was two thirds of their budget so that may be why they haven't responded and are still in negotiation. But the point really is in setting a standard, how are you going to begin to address the deficit in Haringey versus good practice elsewhere? What sort of standards could they expect with that kind of budget?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Thank you for the report on your Capital Standards Campaign earlier. I note from your comments that 21 boroughs have signed up, 5 boroughs have refused to sign up and you chose to name them and shame them in front of the Assembly here. Could you also for the record name the six boroughs that have been so inefficient that they haven't responded to you or consider this to be such a low priority they haven't got around to it yet?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

: I don't really want to support car manufacturers in any way, but I think that the leeway was given so that they could devise cars that are more easily recyclable.

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

On the question of dumped cars. The End of Life Vehicles Directive comes into force on 21 April this year but the obligation on manufacturers to pay for the recovery of the cars doesn't come into effect until 2007. So in effect there is a five-year funding gap. The Labour Government has clearly voted for this in the European Parliament, and equally clearly has not indicated any willingness to pay over these five years, leaving it to the boroughs. Do you think you could recommend to Sam that she lobby the Labour Government for the money for this particular initiative?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Mr Mayor you have been criticising Wandsworth again while I was out of the room, maybe it's an exaggeration, but what we felt in Wandsworth was that Capital Standards weren't up to our standards. We have just spent a huge amount increasing the contract on street cleaning, a huge amount, very expensive and also a huge amount on cleaning up graffiti wherever it is, on private property, council property, business property, wherever. Mr Mayor, my question is would you like to come to Wandsworth and I will take you around so that you can see what a Capital Standard really...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Similarly, another concern was the extent to which young people in London feel that graffiti is sometimes one of their few outlets and some young people feel they are part of a sub-culture, although I don't think the wider community supports that for obvious reasons. I've seen some good work going on in boroughs such as Merton who are having diversionary activities. But I think an underlying issue is the state, the condition and sometimes the lack of appropriateness of youth services in London. Do you see any way in which we might take up these concerns of young disaffected...

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

This point of capital standards came to the Environment Committee back in November 2000. It has been a very long time in coming and, in a sense, all political parties I am sure can agree that cleaning up London's litter is a very important political imperative. There have been two questions, has there been London wide borough support for this particular scheme and have you got any more information about how we are going to be able to get hold of the fine money that Michael Meecher said boroughs will keep as a result of this particular initiative?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

Ken, I might have wondered why the Fire Authority had not been involved in the excellent initiative of the Capital Standard given that the Fire Authority is already working with a number of boroughs on removing abandoned cars, trying to reduce litter which is a source of arson and given that the Fire Authority is involved in work with young offenders. But I think some of your comments earlier this morning might have explained why Capital Standard didn't involve the Fire Authority. Quite frankly, because you don't seem aware enough of what's going on in the Fire Authority. I wonder...

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

So we could set up a working party of the best boroughs and we can enjoin that with Capital Standards? The Mayor: Absolutely. Samantha Heath: Thank you.

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 27 March 2002

In going through the Capital Standard as it was launched a couple of weeks ago, I noticed in it that it doesn't deal with one thing that we do have to address full on, which is abandoned cars. There is some excellent work that's going on with the ALG and with Lewisham and Newham in particular who have the DVLA pilot. I am not suggesting that Capital Standards can embrace all of these problems, but in a sense there is learning from boroughs and learning from excellent good practice and also other partners that we can bring in on that...