Minutes by Month Since July 2019
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Appendix 3 Questions to the Mayor 16 July, 2020 WRITTEN ANSWER REPORT Subject: MQT on 16 July, 2020 Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat Lockdown Crime Question No: 2020/2467 Shaun Bailey Please can you tell us what crime has increased under lockdown, and what are you doing to bring it down? Lockdown Crime The Mayor Last updated: 27 July, 2020 Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/2347. Answer for Lockdown Crime The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 Officers are drafting a response Housing Question No: 2020/2437 Andrew Boff How will housing help London’s recovery? Answer for Housing The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 Officers are drafting a response Housing The Mayor Last updated: 31 July, 2020 Boosting housing delivery has the potential to support jobs and help drive London’s recovery from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is essential that the Government steps up and offers the support required. The GLA’s cross-sector Housing Delivery Taskforce has called for a one-off recovery package of £5 billion from Government. This would fund a ‘buyer of last resort’ scheme to allow councils and housing associations to buy unsold private homes at cost price for use as genuinely affordable homes. The fund would also support a programme to convert housing currently planned for low-cost ownership and private sale into homes at social and intermediate rent levels, where there is a risk to delivery. We also need a significant, longer-term increase in funding from the Government for affordable housing. Increasing the supply of genuinely affordable homes, in particular homes at social rent levels, will help to meet the housing needs of Londoners, protect construction jobs, and support London’s economic recovery. Coach services Question No: 2020/2099 Caroline Pidgeon Please set out what progress has been made in relation to adopting your Transport Strategy recommendations relating to coach services, in particular the specific commitment of “Continuing to work with the coach industry to enable the provision of adequate on-street and off street coach infrastructure in appropriate locations across London for scheduled and tourist coach services, and to allow for their safe and efficient operation.” Coach services The Mayor Last updated: 27 July, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) continues to work closely with local authorities, operators and the industry trade associations to improve facilities for coaches. For the scheduled express network, TfL is continuing to develop plans for the modernisation of Victoria Coach Station. It is also assessing capacity in its bus stations to accommodate other services. For tourist coaches, the main focus has been to retain existing on-street coach facilities as demands on the limited usable kerbside space increase. While the recent essential changes to provide more space for walking and cycling as part of my Streetspace programme has meant some coach parking has been temporarily displaced, TfL is exploring alternative locations where possible. Answer for Coach services The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 Officers are drafting a response Possible connection between air pollution and transmission of Covid- 19 Question No: 2020/2100 Caroline Pidgeon On 24 June 2020 an article by Science of the Total Environment (Reference: STOTEN 140515) stated: “Our analysis shows that short-term exposure to air pollution (both NO 2 and PM2.5) is significantly correlated with an increased risk of contracting and dying from COVID -19, expanding on previous evidence linking high mortality rates in England (Travaglio, Popovic, Yu, Leal, & Martins, 2020), Northern Italy (Ogen, 2020 ) and USA (Xiao, Rachel C, Benjamin M, Danielle, & Francesca, 2020)”. What steps are you taking in response to this growing body of scientific evidence connecting air pollution and the transmission of Covid-19. Possible connection between air pollution and transmission of Covid-19 The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) have identified air pollution the biggest environmental risk to health and millions of Londoners breathe in air that harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness, such as asthma, lung and heart disease. Now there is emerging evidence of potential links between air pollution and an increased risk of death from COVID-19. This makes my plans to clean up London’s air, including the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone next year, more important than ever. The UK Government’s Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) have now published a summary of the submissions for their rapid call for evidence. They concluded “it would not be surprising if there was a link between exposure to air pollution (past or present) and the occurrence or severity of COVID-19 infection”. However, they also cautioned “studies require very careful control for confounding influences, and further work is needed before there can be confidence in their findings.” My officers are carefully monitoring this field of research as it evolves, and I will continue to be led by the best available science. In the meantime I continue to call on the Government to act on the current overwhelming evidence we have on the harm that air pollution does to health and use the new Environment Bill to adopt the WHO recommended limit for PM2.5 as a legally binding target. They should also give London the powers and funding we need to clean up our toxic air. Air pollution on the London Underground Question No: 2020/2101 Caroline Pidgeon On 24 June 2020 an article by Science of the Total Environment (Reference: STOTEN 140515) stated “the PM2.5 and NO2 levels, potential contributors to COVID-19 transmission and fatalities, are relatively higher in LU stations than other transport environments. E.g. the median level of airborne PM2.5 in LU stations is several times higher than cycling”. Please provide a detailed statement on the actions being taken to tackle air pollution throughout the London Underground to reduce exposure for both passengers and staff. Please also state what evaluation has been undertaken as to whether there should be controls on access to specific London Underground stations which are known to have high levels of air pollution and poor circulation of air. Answer for Air pollution on the London Underground The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 Officers are drafting a response Air pollution on the London Underground The Mayor Last updated: 02 September, 2020 Safety is always the highest priority both for myself and Transport for London (TfL). We know that the particulate matter found on the Tube network has a very different composition to air pollution above ground, which is why TfL is commissioning leading universities to conduct further studies to help inform on any health risks associated with dust on the Tube. Whilst there is some emerging evidence linking an increased susceptibility to the worst effects of coronavirus to areas of high air pollution above ground, we are not aware of a similar body of evidence relating to the sort of particulate matter found on the Tube. Controlling access could only be done by closing down parts of the public transport network which is not a realistic option in a city like London. Throughout the pandemic, critical workers have depended on Tubes and buses and we have done all we can to ensure a safe environment for all of passengers and staff. TfL has followed the advice from Public Health England and has taken a number of vital safety measures across its transport network to limit its impact. This includes introducing an even more enhanced cleaning programme, with key interchange points being cleaned more frequently, and social distancing measures for its staff and customers. Customers must now also wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth for their entire journey, including in stations, unless they are exempt. TfL is continuing to improve its monitoring of particulate matter concentrations and specific materials and rolling out enhanced tunnel cleaning regimes across the network. The targeted dust reduction measures TfL is implementing include industrial back-pack vacuum cleaners, specialist equipment that catches dust as it is produced during construction, and the use of more battery-operated tools to reduce fumes. These will now be progressively rolled out across the network, with an initial £1 million investment this financial year and up to £4.5 million next financial year, subject to ongoing discussions with the Department for Transport on TfL’s long-term budget. In addition, TfL’s monitoring results show that dust levels on the Tube remain below the required levels set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Richard Desmond Question No: 2020/2102 Caroline Pidgeon An article in the Sunday Times on the 21 June 2020 contains the following quote from Richard Desmond “I’ve been to dinner with Sadiq Khan and his wife.” However, any examination of your diary since 2016 does not appear to show such an event taking place. Due to the seriousness of the issues relating to the planning process for the Westferry Printworks will you clarify whether this statement made by Richard Desmond is correct and if so please provide the date and other details about when this event took place and for what purpose. Answer for Richard Desmond The Mayor Last updated: 21 July, 2020 Officers are drafting a response Richard Desmond The Mayor Last updated: 02 September, 2020 I have committed to publishing my diary as part of my commitment to openness and transparency. Referencing the online publication of my diary, on 8 March 2017 I attended the Outward Bound Trust dinner at Buckingham Palace. The Outward Bound Trust is an educational charity that uses the outdoors to help develop young people from all walks of life.