• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

You heard a conversation not long ago when someone told you that the congestion charge would improve air quality in central London, and despite scientific evidence otherwise, you seem to have used that as a reason to make policy. I just hope that you are not going to do the same here. The Mayor: It depends how I feel at the time. Roger Evans: I hope that you give more serious thought to this, and that you will welcome the Assembly's proposals to have a scrutiny of flood defences and response to flooding in London; and that you will respond...

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

The LDA is certainly considering coming to you with proposals for compulsory purchase orders, and it is important that you consult before reaching decisions about them. If you give your approval, you are doing so as Mayor of London, and it would bring you into a number of controversial situations with communities in London. So you need some sort of consultation process yourself.

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

So does that mean that you will simply rubber-stamp any proposals from the LDA or TfL; or will you have a process of consulting before you reach your decision?

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

This paper deals with the general principles for allocating these funds; it does not deal with specific SRB bids in the way that the paper did last year. It therefore seems perfectly proper that you would take a strategic view on the issue.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

Were you consulted about that paper, as you should be under the Act? The Mayor: I honestly cannot remember, without checking. Valerie Shawcross: Are you happy with your working relationship with the LDA? We have heard today of a couple of occasions when you have spoken about issues to people in the LDA, but there was a significant one when you did not. This paper is about the allocation of money in areas in London which could be the start of the single pot, which at £20 million is hugely significant. How do you identify and talk to the LDA...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

So are you saying that your willingness to involve the Association of London Government or any of the London boroughs is contingent upon their willingness to support your precept rises? Are you going to say here and now to all your staff that they should never again consider doing anything of this sort without involving the boroughs?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

The problem with that is that it hides the fact that the first draft had no invitations at all to borough speakers in London. It was only as an afterthought that the ALG have been invited. The first draft included speakers on the education service from Birmingham City Council. How can you hold a conference on public services without your first thought being for organisations in London that spend £8 billion - four times what we spend in the entire GLA family in the public sector? I believe that you have to think extremely seriously about the nature of your...

• Question by: Brian Coleman
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

The Chair: I know you do it deliberately. Many people would like to come in on this, but our procedures do not allow that, I am afraid. But it is an issue to which we shall return again and again unless everyone in the GLA family understands the importance of the boroughs - the central, fundamental, underpinning role they play. I do not think it is a question of letting you know if a meeting has been refused: the important thing is to understand their role right from the start. But please do not answer that, because I am not...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

We had the ALG before the Transport Committee to discuss how they were working with Transport for London on the introduction of the congestion charge and they had a pretty awful tale of woe and misery to tell about the relationship. Following what Val said, there seems to be a complete lack of respect from you for the boroughs, and a lack of inclusion. Given that it is in the boroughs that implementation hits the people, they are the most important element in the success of the congestion charge. I have had complaints at all levels - not just from...

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 21 November 2001

Bob Neill: When you publish the order on Monday or Friday setting out the exemptions - The Mayor: I am making the decision; it will take some days to get it into legal shape. The way I write things down does not stand up to legal scrutiny. It has to be tarted up by the lawyers. Bob Neill: I think that has been proved in the past. On the basis that you will be announcing your decision, it must follow that you will have had in mind the criteria on which you come to your view on exemptions. Will you...