• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

One of the tragedies in life is I generally get reported as being a critic of yours. Now, on this issue, obviously both as a constituency member and as a person with a great interest in East London and probably as a Labour group member as well, we don't have a formal policy on this, this is an excellent proposal, although there are a few questions that clearly need to be answered and I think there would obviously have to be some sort of public inquiry before the thing goes ahead. With public inquiries, you don't only have to deal...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

Excellent. Shovel underground? How long do you estimate until the first shovel underground?

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I think it's an excellent proposal, I don't have a problem with it at all. Three areas that I'd like you to say a bit more about is, I do have concerns about mixed funding and how we're going to fund all of this. It's a tripartite question, if you like. Then, further, a bit more about consultation because I think if there isn't a thorough consultation on the new regime, then you will be held up for a very long time trying to get it through. Thirdly, I worry about a phased development because the northern tranche, which goes...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

The first part of my question was, where does it go if the National Audit Office decides that you're right, and that it isn't value for money? Where can it go?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

Will you undertake to consult with the people of Havering and Redbridge and the local councils before you change your mind and definitely promote this route? Will you undertake also that this has nothing to do with the fact that fewer people voted for you in the Borough of Redbridge than anywhere else in London?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

Forgive us, I suppose we must be a bit naïve in my part of the world, but we thought that you were going to make transport decisions on the basis of what was good for passengers, rather than what was good for land values and for redevelopment. I do wonder, looking at the system as well, the old proposal was supposed to link up with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link at Stratford. How is the new system going to do that? How will there be a direct link to the City, because yes, it goes to the City eventually, but...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

One of the major reasons behind the original route for CrossRail was to take the pressure off the central line between Stratford and Liverpool Street. This is the most overcrowded section of tube in London, and every day many of the residents of Redbridge, and indeed people from Waltham Forest as well, suffer travelling to and from work in the City on that tube. How do you propose that this new system will fulfil that important requirement?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

(Cross rail) Towards the end of August, Mr Mayor, you received a letter from Councillor Muhammed Javed, who is the Labour leader of Redbridge Council, taking you to task for your decision to re-route the Chelsea-Hackney line away from the north part of Redbridge and pointing out that you were acting without a great deal of information about what was happening locally, based more on your prejudices than any sort of rational analysis of the situation. I just wondered if you had made a similar error with this, or if you'd actually discussed with Redbridge Council and Havering Council the...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

(PPP) The position you've taken is absolutely right, to be as constructive as you can within what is a dreadful situation for all of us. I was staggered, actually, when I read the Deloitte & Touche report. Value for money is absolutely clearly shown to be not the case. In the light of what you sent to the government, one wonders how they can come back to you with an alternative that's not scrapping the PPP? But my questions are twofold; one, if it does go to the National Audit Office and they find in our favour, what road does...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 05 September 2001

I wondered if you'd like to give some sympathy to our Labour colleagues here, who are plainly not speaking for their voters on this issue because they're under constraints from their party?