• Question by: Thomas Turrell
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Thomas Turrell AM: Thank you, Chair, and I hope I am not making the Mayor’s weekend peak too early with a second intervention from me! You claimed earlier this year that only 13 per cent of London’s Green Belt is parkland or accessible space. Last month at the [London Assembly] Environment Committee [12 June 2025], the London Wildlife Trust and [CPRE London] told us that they estimate it to be at least 30 per cent. Would you like to take the opportunity to correct the record?

• Question by: Unmesh Desai
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Mr Mayor. Mr Mayor, recently five people were convicted on serious arson charges. They were linked to the Russian Wagner group. How worried are you about the role of foreign actors such as Russia and Iran in terrorist and violent activities in London, and also the role of social media accounts like Telegram?

• Question by: Krupesh Hirani
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Chair. I echo your words on the commemoration service at St Paul’s Cathedral. It was incredibly moving and fitting. The Government funding for the MPS, if we go back to 2005, has dropped from 80 per cent to 75 per cent now. How has that deliberate policy from the previous Government of quite frankly defunding the police made us less safe?

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Elly Baker AM: Thank you. To reassure the Chair, this is about manifesto commitments. Apologies to the Mayor, it is not something that you knew you were going to be asked about. In your manifesto last year, you highlighted the importance of e-bike and wider micromobility regulation and committed to lobby for powers to be able to regulate that. We also in the Assembly passed a motion in November last year [London Assembly Plenary meeting, 7 November 2024] reinforcing that, to use the [English] Devolution [and Community Empowerment] Bill to give local powers to regulate micromobility markets. Yesterday [10 July...

• Question by: Keith Prince
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Keith Prince AM: Thank you. Mr Mayor, in your manifesto, you talk about transport and also how well you have done on the Elizabeth line and Northern line. You have, during the campaign, also mentioned about the Piccadilly line. As we heard from the [TfL] Commissioner last week [at the London Assembly Plenary meeting, 3 July 2025], there are issues with that. Could you enlarge on that? It looks very much like there is a fundamental problem with this new Piccadilly [line] train that we have.

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Andrew Boff AM (Deputy Chair): In your manifesto, you claim to be the most pro-business Mayor ever, as well as supporting small businesses. During the summer weekends, only a few years back, Northcote Road was closed to traffic, which allowed al fresco dining to take place. It was a huge boost for local businesses and received the overwhelming support of local residents. The Council now claims that costs prevent it from doing this again. Will you help it cover these costs and help rejuvenate this popular scheme?

• Question by: Hina Bokhari OBE
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Hina Bokhari OBE AM: This is linked to Assembly Member Hall’s question previously. The Liberal Democrats are thrilled that funding will be provided to the Carnival this year, but we are worried about its future. Can you guarantee funding every year for Carnival on the streets of Notting Hill?

• Question by: Emma Best
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Emma Best AM: Thank you, Chair. One of the main pledges that you put in your manifesto was to create more good jobs 150,000 by 2028. Clearly that is made all the more difficult by the Chancellor’s action seeing the fall in UK gross domestic product, contraction of our economy, and unemployment rising rapidly. That has been compounded in Greenwich with a potential loss of 70 jobs at the Trafalgar Tavern because of an enforcement notice from Greenwich Council for their al fresco dining. Can you confirm you have made representations to the council and support the Tavern in al...

• Question by: Krupesh Hirani
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Chair. You referred to poor inheritance, but one of those areas that the Government did inherit that was in a mess was the NHS, which the NI rise is contributing towards [improving]. You spoke about the fact about having to make difficult decisions, but also it is important that you have the funds to pay for services and balancing your budgets. Money raised through this change has been vital in providing the additional funding for the NHS and, since the election, NHS investment has risen by £29 billion a year, helping deliver over three million...

• Question by: Neil Garratt
• Meeting date: 11 July 2025

Neil Garratt AM: Morning. In your manifesto, you promised a growth plan which would include hospitality which is an important part of London’s economy. In fact, last year [2024] you had a press release about how important it was and how brilliantly it had recovered from the pandemic, obviously that was when we still had a Conservative Government. Under the Labour Government, the National Insurance (NI) increase is a hammer blow to hospitality and other low-paid industries or industries with low-paid staff. What steps have you taken to lobby Labour to correct its damaging NI increase?