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

When members of the public respond to consultation, what feedback do they get as to what notice has been taken of what they have said?

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

You mentioned the Assembly the second time around there. Do you in fact have any plans to engage with Assembly Members in reaching out to the public, and if so, how?

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

You speak as if this is just a thought you have, rather than any plans - The Mayor: Oh, I have plans. Graham Tope: I am trying to find out what they are. The impression we have is that we started off last year with a great burst of public consultation - "Meet the Mayor" and so on - and this year it has stopped altogether. Never mind for the moment what your thoughts are: what are your plans for the rest of this year, shall we say?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

You talk about reaching out. I have to say that, in many ways, I think that your mayoral office is one of the most buttoned-up offices I can think of. Getting any information out of your office is like trying to get blood out of a stone. We constantly ask for documents, and sometimes we are even told we will get them, but we never actually see them without making a fuss. We still await the public's responses to your transport strategy. You said that we could see them, but we have not seen them yet, and it is now...

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

One of the things we have all noticed from People's Question Time so far is that there are some Londoners with whom it is extremely easy to engage at every Question Time - wherever in London we have it, they are there. [Laughter.] But how about those who are not at People's Question Time, who are much harder to engage? What thoughts do you have about how we are effectively going to engage with them?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 20 June 2001

Yes, but it makes our job more difficult in scrutinising your strategy if we cannot see the context in which you are making certain decisions. The whole point is that we should see them a decent amount of time before you publish your strategy.

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

You were just saying that that is not the case. If you want to start a debate with London, you need to see the arguments. There is creative strength in political difference. That is what happened on the congestion charge - [Interruption.] Yes, there is.

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

No, but if you are serious about raising the level of debate in London and engaging people, real stuff has to happen in front of them. If it goes on being just presented and stage managed, it will never engage, and turnout will be low.

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

I am sure there is always value in people meeting you yourself. [Laughter.] The Mayor: That is not what everyone tells me. Lynne Featherstone: It puts a level on things. It is important that the GLA develops a continuing dialogue, and I am glad you are doing it at a number of levels; but would you not agree that it involves more than simply seeking responses to your strategies? That is where your personal side comes in, rather than simply at officer level.

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

Okay - that is good at that level. Have you yourself met each borough leader and each chief executive thus far?