• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

That is a whole other issue. When you say that a constituency representative would be able in your planning or in your mind to do this kind of meeting, are you thinking of a roadshow approach? Transport is one of the key issues to get in with the boroughs, so it might be an idea to have the four transport spokespersons take out roadshows, or be involved in another way. There are a number of constituencies. What do you think?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

I am surprised that you answer in that vein. They may think that the sun shines out of part of your anatomy, but I am surprised that you should say that the boroughs are not strategically important. They are of absolutely strategic importance, particularly over the SDS and things like that.

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

I suppose it is also partly the status it gives to your view of the importance of the boroughs, as the key delivery agents for most of your strategies. [Interruption.] No, I think it is an important point.

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Thank you for that. Could you also perhaps - The Chair: Could you make this the last one, Louise? Louise Bloom: Yes. Could you also, perhaps, give some thought to making our work here more accessible to the people out there, which I do not think it is at the moment? I am thinking of both public events and meetings and the publications we issue.

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

I have noticed that you have had meetings with, for example, the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and with the Greater London Association of Disability. I would like to see you getting out and talking to, for example, Richmond Advice and Information on Disability, for whom I used to work, and instead of going to the National Association of CABx, why don't you go and talk to Kingston CAB? It worries me that you are not getting down far enough to the people who are out there working on the street with community groups in the voluntary sector. You...

• Question by: Louise Bloom
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Following on from that point, you have talked about engaging with the general public, Ken, but when you were first elected, you made a big deal of the fact that you wanted to have a good dialogue with the voluntary sector. I do not feel that that has happened over the last year to the extent it could have done. What plans do you have for a better dialogue with the voluntary sector?

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Last one from me for the moment: how will you judge, say in two year's time, whether we have been effective in our engaging with the public? What are your criteria for success?

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Jenny Jones: This is quite a small point, but we want to be an open and accessible organisation. In this building, we have started shutting half the metal door - Brian Coleman: That is to keep your friends out, dear. Jenny Jones: We were picketed yesterday by the taxi drivers, I notice, but none of them got out of their cabs. Why are we closing the door? It is an indicator of how we are starting to be a bit frightened about London.

• Question by: Sally Hamwee
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Before I move on to Jenny, could I come back to the point about meetings with borough leaders and chief executives? At last week's meeting, Toby Harris, in his capacity as Chair of the MPA, told us that he is aiming to have two meetings each year with each borough. Do you agree that it would be helpful to build up personal relationships with borough leaders so that, when issues such as the precept to be levied come on to the agenda, there is a context of personal relationships and general understanding which can help to inform that debate?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

The reason that this is working better today is that there is an opportunity to have a conversation about an issue, and not simply make political points. When you take public Question Time out to the people, there is the same difficulty - a lot of ground to cover and a very short time for answers. So I am saying that, if there can be a debate - if you can limit the focus of a public debate - you might have the same opportunity to develop it and actually hear what people think across the range. And if there...