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

Coming from a design and communications background, I thought it was an excellent piece of marketing, which really engaged. You can pick at it at all sorts of levels, but I thought it was something that people would pick up and read, and that is a major step forward in any piece of literature. The Chair: Question, please. Lynne Featherstone: Will you focus next time on the more serious and statutory parts of the document? What Eric said is right: if you are trying to dumb down congestion charging so that it is approved of subliminally, that ain't fair; so...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Just one last question. Part of the way through this, you talk quite straightforwardly about gaining the respect of Londoners and engaging them. Now you are saying that you are spending all this money on patronising Londoners. I will give you another quote about the new "Respect" anti-racist festival. All we have there is some guy from Radio London being asked what his favourite street is: it is Lamb's Conduit Street, "because it is real old London, but with just the right amount of trendy stuff - it's hip." A "harmonica-playing 38 bus conductor" talks about his favourite street, which...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

I apologise: I had not realised this was called "On Magazine"; presumably your designer should be tackled on that question. I should just like a little more detail on the best value performance included in the "Helen Mirren talks to Ken Livingstone" interview. There are penetrating questions like, "How on earth do you balance the hugeness of the bureaucracy and the difficult political issues with that sense of the personal touch, so that people can feel they can deal with you?" [Laughter.] Answer: "People just come up and talk to me." Helen Mirren on affordability and diversity: "Ken, that is...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

• Question by: Trevor Phillips
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Can I follow up this question of the work of the GLA and the message that goes out? We can spend millions on leaflets, and it can all be destroyed by one ill-advised quote. If I might have a little latitude - The Chair: Well, not a lot. Trevor Phillips: - I would like to read from The Guardian this morning: "Lee Jasper, who works for Ken Livingstone, said, 'I am going to organise black children, black parents and black teachers to come together in a group to educate black people together in London. We need black schools where our...

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

• Question by: Eric Ollerenshaw
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

• 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.