• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

And the boroughs? And the private sector?

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

On the implementation of the environmental strategies, you have told us that you hope that it will be paid for by the boroughs or the private sector or the Government. Will you know what their replies are at the time that you publish your draft Budget?

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

I am surprised that you show such a fascination with popularity: it makes you more new Labour than "Independent Ken", doesn't it? The Mayor: I would rather know I was up than down. [Laughter.] Andrew Pelling: Whatever your standing in the opinion polls, do you think, then, that Londoners can afford to pay double the precept?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

Now we come to the real strategy, in terms of the Budget. If you are as successful with the case for London as you were over PPP, we cannot expect much, can we? Therefore, given that you said last year that the high precept - in fact, at 27% I think the highest precept ever charged in local or regional government in this country - was a one-off because of the start-up, can you guarantee that this year there will be no large precept?

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

So, finally, you are admitting that there will be a substantial increase on the precept, and that Londoners are going to have to pay for the failures of this Labour Government to restore the cuts you say other Governments made, or might even have to pay for further cuts to London grant as money is taken out of London to go elsewhere. And your campaign to get money back is an abject failure already. We have seen nothing for months about it. You started off with this great London debate between yourself, London business and the City Corporation; I have...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

But it is your Budget that we debate, Mr Mayor. Do I conclude from that, that you are saying, yes, there will be a large increase? You know as well as everybody else that the MPA/MPS budget has serious problems, yet you guaranteed an extra 1,000 policemen on top. So if that comes in overspending this year, the precept there will go up by - what? - 10%, 12%, 13%, 14%, before we even get to transport. A 1% increase raises about £4 million, so to get any decent money into your transport requires a hell of an increase in...

• Question by: Lord Duvall of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich OBE
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

Can you advise us on the implementation issues in a little more detail - how you actually see the role of the GLA, and particularly the role of your advisers, in that process? Can you also tell us where you expect partnerships to be undertaken to do that work if it is appropriate, and what steps you are taking to build those relationships?

• Question by: Victor Anderson
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

What are you telling us about the implementation of the environmental strategies? This morning, you have said that we rely on others to carry them out - and you mentioned the boroughs and the private sector. But about five minutes later, you told us that there was a lot of business opposition to the environmental strategies, because they would mean increased costs for them. You also said that there are very few boroughs with spare capacity. So is your idea realistic, that business and the boroughs are going to implement these strategies?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

Toby Harris: You are required to produce seven strategies under the statute; the biodiversity action plan; implicitly you are required to produce a cultural strategy; we have heard today mention of the children's strategy; then there are the rough sleepers strategy, the domestic violence strategy, the energy strategy, the housing strategy, the asylum/refugees strategy. How many more strategies are your staff working on, and can you name them? [Laughter.] The Mayor: I think Toby has done an excellent job in identifying the strategies. [Laughter.] Bob Neill: Including several you have forgotten about.

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 19 September 2001

My question, Ken, is about the capacity of your advisers to deliver. You gave a commitment to developing a children's strategy, which was widely welcomed, certainly by the young people and children that Nicky and I have met while going around selling the strategy on your behalf, and by the many organisations working on behalf of London's children. I understand that there was a three-month delay to the original timetable while documents were here awaiting clearance from your office. Can you tell us, was that about your needing more staff in your office? Will you ensure that there are no...