London Assembly MQT – 14 Sept 2011 Thirty-Third Mayor’S Report to the Assembly

London Assembly MQT – 14 Sept 2011 Thirty-third Mayor’s Report to the Assembly

This is my thirty-third report to the Assembly, fulfilling my duty under Section 45 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It covers the period 30 June to 31 August 2011.

Executive Summary

London Disturbances

The last month has been one of the most traumatic our city has seen for decades. There was an explosion of criminality on a truly frightening scale and some of the images will be long remembered.

We saw the very worst side of London. The broken glass has been repaired but it will take time to rebuild the destroyed buildings and restore our city’s reputation.

But we also saw the true spirit of London in the response to the riots.

The Police, and I know every single one of them – warranted officers, PCSOs and staff - stepped up to the mark over the last few weeks in the most difficult of circumstances.

Officers were incredibly brave as they faced extreme violence, which was aimed specifically at them. I have read amazing stories of bravery and I know that there are many, many individual examples, which we will never hear about. I hope that all the officers who were injured will recover as soon as possible and get back to the job, of which all we should all be so proud.

There were 16,000 police officers deployed, many working back to back shifts. They brought order back to the streets, making London safe again and arresting over 2100 people.

Londoners have seen the bravery of their police officers and exactly what they put on the line every time they go out. I would like to take this opportunity to express on behalf of all Londoners our eternal gratitude for everything your officers do – not just for the last ten days but every hour of every day.

Londoners also witnessed the bravery of firefighters, as they faced fires in several parts of the city simultaneously during a rapidly changing and dangerous environment. The violence was also aimed at them and their equipment, with several appliances damaged.

London is rightly proud of its fire brigade and I am sure many, many lives were saved because of the quick thinking and bravery of individual officers.

Buses and their drivers also became targets during the disturbances. We have all seen the pictures of the burnt out buses and some bus staff were seriously injured during the disturbances. I hope they will recover quickly and will be able to return to their roles as soon as possible.

The London Ambulance Service stepped up, helping those injured during the disturbances despite the extremely volatile and unpredictable environment.

The Courts Service has been working through the night to ensure that justice is done and is seen to be done.

We have seen thousands of ordinary people picking up brooms to help clear up or donate to their local shops, which have been damaged, so they can keep going.

This is the true spirit of London and I would like to take this opportunity to express on behalf of all Londoners our gratitude for everything all these people do, not just in the last month, but for every minute of every day.

Since the disturbances, I have been visiting the areas which were most affected, to speak to residents and business people about what can be done to recover and rebuild to improve those areas in the long term. I have visited Battersea (Clapham Junction), Croydon, Tottenham, Enfield, Ealing, Peckham, Camberwell (Walworth Road), Lewisham, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Woolwich, Walthamstow and East Ham.

Every shop will be repaired. Every area will be rebuilt. We are accelerating initiatives already underway to stimulate growth and enterprise in Croydon and Tottenham.

£50 million fund for long term regeneration of capital’s damaged town centres

On 11 August, I announced a £50 million fund to help make major long term improvements to the capital’s town centres and high streets damaged by the recent disturbances. This funding is in addition to my £50 million Outer London Fund.

£20m to transform Tottenham and Croydon

On 17 August, along with the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, I visited Tottenham to unveil a £20 million funding boost to deliver major regeneration to Tottenham and Croydon, two of the worst affected areas in the disturbances. The £20m Government funding brings the total of my regeneration fund to support London's businesses hit by the disturbances to £70m.

The ‘London Enterprise Fund’ will be invested to specifically focus on the regeneration of Tottenham and Croydon, which I had already identified as regeneration priorities before they were appallingly damaged during the disturbances.

High Street Fund

On 24 August, I announced that I had joined forces with a group of the UK’s leading companies and local authorities to establish the ‘High Street Fund’, to help small businesses across the country recover from the damage caused by the recent disturbances.

This new charitable fund will offer immediate cash support to smaller businesses that have suffered from the disturbances across England. The fund comprises of an initial commitment of

over £3 million cash funding, plus support services from businesses including Barclays, BP, Capita, Deloitte, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Santander. I have committed £500,000 to kick start donations and it is hoped that more leading companies and individuals will also donate.

£10 million funding for local town centres

On 3 August, I announced that almost £10 million of funding has been awarded to 20 boroughs across the capital, to increase the attractiveness and economic competitiveness of their town centres in the build up to the Christmas and throughout the New Year.

The funding is from my Outer London Fund, set up in March, which is a £50 million, three year initiative, to grow economic activity and drive employment in parts of London benefitting less directly from large-scale infrastructure investment in the capital, such as Crossrail and the 2012 Games.

A second round of funding, open until 14 October, will see the allocation of up to a further £40m of funding to develop longer-term projects to regenerate and rejuvenate areas, ranging from a small parade of shops to town centres.

£25 million investment in Barclays Cycle Hire scheme

On 28 July, to celebrate the first birthday of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme, I confirmed that Barclays have agreed to provide another £25 million of sponsorship which will allow the scheme to expand into west and south-west London by the summer of 2013. This will extend Barclays sponsorship by three years to 2018 and will take its total investment to £50m.

I have asked Transport for London (TfL) to prepare plans for a westward expansion of the scheme through the boroughs of Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

Sir Paul Stephenson

On 17 July, it was with great sadness and reluctance that I accepted the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. I should like to pay personal tribute to his outstanding leadership at the Metropolitan Police.

Paul helped to bring crime down by nine per cent in three years. He put more officers on the beat, protected Safer Neighbourhood Teams and increased patrols by a million a year on the streets of London. It is a mark of his work and determination that crime on public transport has fallen by 30 per cent and that the murder rate is now at its lowest since 1978.

Team London Launch

On 30 June, I launched my £4.5 million Team London programme. Team London will mobilise around 10,000 volunteers, primarily across six large scale projects to help improve the quality of life in the city.

I want to create an army of volunteers who will become leaders of uniformed youth groups, mentors, sports coaches, literacy champions, help green London through planting trees and support learning activities for older people. The scheme will also ensure better co-ordination of existing volunteering activity and help make volunteering more accessible.

Volunteers and businesses can sign up to be become a part of Team London at: www.london.gov.uk/teamlondon.

New London Plan Published

On 22 July, I published my new London Plan, which establishes my blueprint for boosting the capital’s status as the best place in the world to live or do business and improving the quality of life for all Londoners.

The new Plan focuses on key areas for London’s development over the next two decades against a background of a growing city: economic development, tackling climate change and other environmental issues, housing and transport. It particularly focuses on ensuring there are enough homes and jobs, and to make sure the infrastructure London needs is planned for and delivered effectively.

To view the plan online please visit: www.london.gov.uk/priorities/planning/londonplan

Consultation starts on lane rental scheme to tackle roadworks

On 23 August, TfL began a 12 week consultation on plans for a lane rental scheme that would give utility companies a clear economic incentive to reduce the scale and duration of roadworks on London’s busiest roads. This followed the start of a national consultation by the DfT on 22 August 2011.

Affordable Housing Programme

On 14 July, I reached agreement with the Government to deliver a four year affordable homes programme worth over £5.5 billion for the capital. This includes a substantial £1.8 billion affordable housing settlement for this spending round, which will unlock a further £3.7 billion of private and other investment and will complete 54,500 affordable homes in the capital by 2015.

I have also negotiated with the Government to ensure the programme provides a range of rents in London to reflect the unique needs of the capital.

Section 60

A Sporting Legacy for London?

Response to the recommendation set out in the London Assembly’s Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee’s report, A Sporting Legacy for London?

Recommendation 3 We recommend that after the announcement of the second round of successful bids for the facilities fund in May 2011, the Mayor’s Sports Commissioner report to the Committee on how

the Mayor’s funding is adding to the supply of sports facilities in areas where demand exceeds supply.

Response The second round of successful bids to the Mayor’s Facility Investment Programme was announced in July 2011.

In partnership with Sport England, the GLA Sports Team and GLA Planning Team conducted a significant piece of research into current and projected levels of supply and demand for sporting facilities in London. The clear outcome of this research, published in July 2010, was that in all five London sub-regions, demand exceeds supply for key facilities such as sports halls and artificial grass pitches.

More specifically, every applicant to my Facility Investment Programme must make the case that there is latent demand for the facility they are proposing. This includes a clear exposition of how the facility would be used to attract new participants and inactive people into sport.

Obviously, the Facility Investment Programme operates as an open bidding process, and I can only fund those projects which apply to me for funding. However, I will not offer funding to applications that fail to demonstrate a real need for the facility.

I am confident that all the facilities which have so far received support form my Facility Investment Programme will make a real, positive difference to the communities in which they are situated. Furthermore, if any Assembly Member is aware of a particular project or a particular need within their own constituencies – or anywhere in London – I would encourage them to suggest, and assist with, an application to one of the forthcoming bidding rounds.

Policing in London

Response to the recommendation set out in the London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee’s report into the future shape of the Metropolitan Police Service ‘Policing in London’

Recommendation 2 In response to this report and by the end of September 2011, the Mayor should present his commitment to increase front-line policing in 2011/12 in terms of the changes in the number of officers, special constables, PCSOs and other non-warranted staff carrying out operational, operational support and organisational support roles.

Response I welcome the opportunity to respond formally to the report and its recommendations. I am determined that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) must retain a focus on protecting operational capability as far as possible. It must also continue delivering a policing service that recognises the importance of both the visible uniformed presence on the street and the specialist policing services it provides - often working largely unseen but affecting people’s lives significantly, such as tackling organised crime, firearms, drugs and child trafficking.

The MPS has stated that rather than commit more resources to understanding the ‘front line’, it will focus on achieving outcomes for London’s communities. The strategic objectives of safety and confidence are supported when the MPS delivers outcomes for individual members of the community, investigating crime, supporting victims, responding to the community. The

delivery of these service outcomes is of greater importance than the internal construction of the organisation that delivers them.

There are a number of change management programmes under way, including the TP Development Programme (focussed on local policing and operational support), the Specialist Crime Directorate realignment and Transforming Human Resources, which will ensure the most efficient use of MPS resources. From the perspective of Londoners, services will be maintained and in fact these programmes should deliver service improvements in many areas.

I am very pleased that due to the additional £42 million I provided to the MPS budget from other GLA sources, the MPS has been able to start recruiting again and police officer numbers have recently started to go up, after they fell due to a recruitment freeze. The numbers are still not at the level I would like, but they are heading in the right direction and will be around 32,500 by the end of financial year 2011/12, which is a thousand more than when I became Mayor. This is in addition to the thousands of extra Special Constables we have recruited.

Policing and Community Safety

Sir Paul Stephenson

On 17 July, it was with great sadness and reluctance that I accepted the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service

There is no reason to doubt the complete integrity of Sir Paul and I believe him to be a fine, passionate and committed public servant who has done a huge amount of good for our city.

I should like to pay personal tribute to his outstanding leadership at the Metropolitan Police.

Paul has helped to bring crime down by nine per cent in three years. He has put more officers on the beat, protected Safer Neighbourhood Teams and increased patrols by a million a year on the streets of London.

It is a mark of his work and determination that crime on public transport has fallen by 30 per cent and that the murder rate is now at its lowest since 1978.

London reaches record high for Police Specials

On 22 July, I welcomed figures revealing record numbers of Met Police Specials who are helping to make the capital’s streets safer. More than 5,000 people in London are now volunteering as a Special, putting the city well on course to achieving my target of 6,667 specials by the 2012 Games.

Specials have the same powers as regular officers and get involved in all the day-to-day policing issues in the capital. However, Specials are unpaid volunteers who give up 16 hours a month to make a real difference to life in London.

Mayor’s Mentoring Scheme

On 20 July, I visited the Epicentre in Leyton, to announce the delivery partner of my mentoring scheme that has attracted over 1,700 volunteers to spend their spare time mentoring young black boys in need of strong positive role models. The scheme has been developed by my

Mentoring Ambassador Ray Lewis, who runs the East Side Academy and is also championed by football legend Ian Wright.

The University of East London will lead a consortium of organisations in rolling out the scheme to hundreds of boys aged 10 – 16. The youngsters will be targeted across seven boroughs where young black boys are most at risk of crime, Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Waltham Forest and Southwark. The boys will have face to face contact with mentors for at least two hours a week and the mentors will work on individual tailored programmes to help their mentees reach their full potential.

I have awarded the £1.3 million funding for the Mentoring Programme, which is a key element of Team London, my ambitious vision to get more people volunteering in the capital and to help tackle some of the cities social issues.

Finally, I have agreed to award the grant for my Mentoring Progamme to the consortium led by University of East London.

Ealing Prayer Meeting

On 13 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended a Prayer Meeting in Ealing Green to pray and worship for peace and harmony in Ealing following the August riots.

GLA/MPA Crime and Community Safety Roadshows

During June and July, my Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthouse, held a third round of crime and community safety roadshows, which were open to partners and community members from all boroughs.

The roadshows provided an opportunity to update progress on my three key strategies; Met Forward 2, Time for Action and The Way Forward, but also to discuss priorities for the future.

More information can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/crime-and-community-roadshows

YOU London and Structured Activities for Young People

I have provided £1.3 million funding to the Safer London Foundation to work with the uniformed groups including, Cadets, Scouts, Guides, and allow them to expand to include the 8,000 young people currently on their waiting lists.

Additionally, I have agreed that a quarter of the young people targeted will be at risk of offending or NEET. Work is now underway on this exciting project and new units will be opening in deprived areas of the capital over the next few months.

Expansion of MetBPA VOYAGE Programme

I have committed £1.6 million funding to help the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA) expand their VOYAGE programme. VOYAGE delivers qualifications and seminars to BME young people in schools in deprived areas that helps them to maximise their potential, builds character and discipline and, also helps to build trust between these communities and the police. I considered this to be a vital piece of work before the recent disturbances; the footage of the riots demonstrated that there is a massive disconnect between some young people and young adults and the police. In the aftermath of the riots, the importance of this

programme, which will reach an extra 5,000 young people over three years, cannot be underestimated.

I approved interim funding of £50,000 and funding of £1,550,000 for the new project ‘expansion of the VOYAGE programme’ that will be used for the following:

 Entry into a funding agreement with the MetBPA for a maximum value of up to £1,550,000 over three financial years (2011-12 to 2013-14) to deliver the expansion of the Voyage Programme.  GLA Expenditure of up to £100k over three financial years (2011-12 to 2013-14) on the evaluation of the programme.

Communities Against Guns Gangs and Knives Funding

I have finalised an allocation of £1.1 million of Home Office Communities Against Guns Gangs and Knives funding, which will support activity to reduce victimisation of 10-19 year olds in relation to gun, knife and gang related violence.

A total of 14 key boroughs, which are experiencing significant issues relating to gangs and serious youth violence have submitted bids for activity. The GLA has funded a range of activity, including support for pro-active policing, targeted diversionary and prevention progammes, as well as specialised programmes for young women who are at risk of victimisation and exploitation from gangs, and additional mentoring in boroughs which are not participating in the my Mentoring Programme.

Museum of London Exhibition: Freedom from Modern Day Slavery in the Capital

On 23 August, my Deputy Mayor for Policing, Kit Malthouse, spoke at the Launch of the Museum of London’s Human Trafficking exhibition, ‘Freedom from Modern Day Slavery in the Capital’.

The exhibition, in partnership with Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest human rights organisation, explores the personal impact of human trafficking and slavery in London in the 21st century. Its launch coincided with the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and runs from 23 August – 20 November 2011.

The powerful exhibition provided Kit with the opportunity to talk about the work I am doing to tackle trafficking in London, including the establishment of the Human Trafficking and London 2012 Network. The Network brings together key organisations from across the voluntary and statutory sectors to prevent, reduce and raise awareness of human trafficking in relation to the Olympics and to ensure that an increase in trafficking and prostitution is not a legacy of London 2012.

I am also working with a range of London partners to improve London’s response to trafficking, such as the London Safeguarding Children Board. The Metropolitan Police have also reorganised the way they respond to human trafficking and now have one command dealing with human exploitation and organised crime (SCD9), with more staff dealing with trafficking than ever before.

Transport

£25 million investment in Barclays Cycle Hire scheme

On 28 July, to celebrate the first birthday of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme, I confirmed that Barclays have agreed to provide another £25 million of sponsorship which will allow the scheme to expand throughout west and south-west London by the summer of 2013. This will extend Barclays sponsorship by three years to 2018 and will take their total investment to £50m.

I have asked TfL to prepare plans for a westward expansion of the scheme through the boroughs of Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and Kensington & Chelsea. Westfield London shopping centre will also provide funding to bring Barclays Cycle Hire to the centre by spring 2012, where twelve new docking stations will connect the existing cycle hire zone to Westfield White City and six docking stations will potentially be on the grounds of Westfield London itself.

This follows my announcement last year where I revealed that by spring 2012, the Barclays Cycle Hire area will extend beyond central London to include all of the Borough of Tower Hamlets, as well as North Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Bow, Canary Wharf, Mile End and Poplar.

Tramlink start up helps Croydon bounce back

On 12 August, I joined Croydon residents and business owners, as the restoration of Tramlink services to the town centre helped boost its recovery from the disturbances suffered just four days earlier.

Track and overhead wiring were severely damaged in the fires lit by rioters and assessment of the damage and work to repair it could not begin until police had examined the arson scenes for evidence and, the fire- damaged buildings were safely demolished. Employees from both London Tramlink and Tram Operations Ltd, which run the service, worked tirelessly to get the trams moving through the town centre again.

I also called on Londoners to shop in their local high streets and town centres in order to support small shops and businesses. Londoners support of the city's high streets and town centres will speed up the return to normality and busy shopping areas will encourage others to come out and spend.

Finally, I confirmed that during the weekend of 20-21 August, TfL would offer a free service across the Tramlink network, to encourage passengers to visit their local businesses and support the community.

London Civil Disturbances

Staff right across London's transport network did a simply outstanding job during the recent civil disorder in the capital, and they deserve Londoners thanks and support.

The disorder led to a number of buses being vandalised, and a number of transport staff incurring injuries. Roads in the affected areas were in some cases impassable and some bus services had to be diverted or curtailed. A number of Tube stations were closed for short periods due to problems on the streets above, and the London Tramlink was also seriously disrupted.

Despite this, and showing great courage, transport staff managed to maintain a good service across the capital throughout, ensuring millions of people could, and can, continue to get to work and get around London. TfL continues to work closely with colleagues in the Metropolitan Police to ensure London keeps moving and to ensure the safety of our passengers.

New programmes launched to help businesses of all sizes keep on running during 2012 Games

On 13 July, TfL launched a number of new programmes designed to help London’s businesses to take advantage of the opportunities created by the Olympic and Paralympic Games. These initiatives will help small, medium sized and multisite businesses run smoothly and, minimise any transport challenges during the 2012 Games.

From August, multisite companies employing more than 200 people, such as retail outlets, restaurant chains and financial institutions, will be able to receive tailored advice to help them devise and implement travel action plans for their organisations during the summer of 2012. This will help firms manage the impact of the Games on staff and business operations and optimise deliveries, servicing and freight during Games time. This new programme, which is seeking to work with at least 100 multisite companies, mirrors the support already available to organisations that employ more than 200 people at a single location.

By next summer, more than 50 free workshops will have been rolled out. These will be for firms with less than 200 employees, who are based in areas set to be most impacted by the 2012 Games. The drop-in sessions will help small and medium sized enterprises prepare for any travel disruption that may affect their business, and will cover topics such as how local roads will be managed, optimising deliveries and offering flexible working during Games time.

Plans set out to help transform central London into major 2012 Games venue

On 4 August, TfL and London 2012 set out plans to manage the huge influx of visitors expected in the capital next summer, when it will host a dazzling array of sporting and cultural events.

Thousands of residents and businesses are being sent information and detailed maps about the Central London Zone, which will be based around Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park, to help them plan for when the 2012 Games arrive on their doorstep.

In order to ensure the extra pedestrians are able to get around safely and that the Games can run effectively with minimum of disruption for those who live and work in the Capital, some temporary changes will need to be made to roads in the Central London Zone. TfL will be putting in place additional pedestrian and road traffic management in central London during the 2012 Games which may include restricting turns into roads, suspending parking and loading bays, and changing bus lanes and stops.

In addition, parts of the Olympic Route Network (ORN) will run through key areas of central London. It is expected to begin operation just a couple of days before the Games begin, and TfL plans to end the operation of the ORN as soon as possible after the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Route Network, which will be significantly reduced in size, will similarly be installed just a couple of days before the Paralympic Games.

As a small number of the events, such as the Olympic Cycling Road Races and Marathons, will be taking place on roads that are part of central London’s ORN, a small number of additional road closures will be needed and an alternative ORN will be used to keep London moving. All but one of the road events, the men’s Triathlon on 7 August, will take place at weekends.

Barclays Cycle Superhighways network expands

On 19 July, TfL announced that two of my brand new Barclays Cycle Superhighways routes were open and ready for use.

The two new routes run from Bow to Aldgate and Wandsworth to Westminster. They contribute to my aim of bringing a cycle revolution to the capital, by making it easier and safer for cyclists to commute into central London on direct and continuous cycle routes.

Considerable improvements have been made to infrastructure along both of the new routes to benefit both cyclists and other road users, with new research revealing that 80 per cent of users surveyed felt Barclays Cycle Superhighways improved safety for cyclists.

Works starts on London cable car

On 6 July, TfL announced that construction works had begun on the capital’s innovative cable car scheme.

At two sites on opposite sides of the river, work has now commenced on the two stations that passengers will be using for the cable car, this includes piles being driven deep into the ground to support the construction of the building foundations.

This new transport link is set to give east London a real boost to the economic regeneration of the area and will provide an essential addition to a newly created Enterprise Zone.

The Cable Car is part of my vision to transform this area into a new metropolitan quarter boasting new businesses, tourist attractions, homes and job opportunities. The scheme will provide a quicker link between the O2 and ExCeL, two of the biggest entertainment and exhibition venues in Europe, cutting travel times to five minutes.

Scheduled for completion in summer 2012, the airborne link will provide spectacular views across the Thames and a new and unique addition to London’s transport network for thousands of commuters and visitors to London.

Full fleet of brand new Victoria line trains now in service

On 29 July, TfL announced that the 180 million passengers who use the Victoria Line each year are now being served by a full fleet of brand new trains, following the successful phasing out of the old 1960s stock.

The new higher capacity trains are more accessible, with wider doors and more spaces for wheelchair users, and on-board audio and visual electronic information for hard of hearing and visually impaired passengers. They also feature CCTV in every carriage and are a crucial part of the upgrade of the line.

Once work to remove the old signalling is complete next year, the upgrade will mean a 21 per cent increase in capacity – the equivalent of space for an extra 10,000 passengers per hour.

Works begin on Blackfriars Bridge junction

On 25 July, TfL announced the start of works to alter the northern junction of Blackfriars Bridge that will allow it to handle the 40,000 passengers expected to leave the upgraded Blackfriars station every day.

Blackfriars station will reopen later this year, following a £550 million, three year upgrade project. The upgraded station is expected to be used by more than 40,000 passengers every day, a 60 per cent increase on the 25,000 that were previously using the station prior to its refurbishment.

When the new station is at full capacity, more than 24,000 pedestrians will enter and exit during the morning peak. That is ten times the number of pedestrians that used the surface entrance in 2008, before station redevelopment works began.

The new design accommodates the huge increase in demand from pedestrians, whilst improving facilities for the estimated six per cent of people who travel through the junction by bicycle. That has been achieved without severely affecting other modes of travel, such as the bus and taxi passengers who will account for around a fifth of those using the junction.

New Way to Avoid Tube Stairs

On 4 July, LU added a new guide to the TfL website which shows customers how to avoid stations with stairs. The new guide will be useful for anyone who may have difficulty using stairs but can manage escalators. This will include older people, customers with heavy luggage, parents with pushchairs and people with physical disabilities who do not use a wheelchair.

Putting lifts into existing Tube stations is often extremely difficult and expensive; however, TfL has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in doing this, as well as building new Tube, London Overground and DLR stations which are all step-free.

There are currently 62 Tube stations which are step-free and this will rise to 65 when lifts are installed at Green Park, Blackfriars and Farringdon before the 2012 Games. The Tube Upgrade Plan will continue redeveloping key stations and installing lifts.

TfL publishes draft accessibility action plan for comments

On 8 July, TfL issued an invitation to Londoners to give their views about plans to make public transport in the capital more accessible in the future, by hosting a series of stakeholder meetings to be held later this year.

With funding for improvements currently limited, Londoners are being asked what projects they would prioritise in my Accessibility Implementation Plan. Their opinions will enable me to make the best possible case when I make future bids for Government funding to support accessibility projects.

Crossrail awards first central London main construction contract

On 11 July, Crossrail announced the first of the main construction contracts for the new central London station at Paddington to Costain Skanska JV. The value of the contract is £150m.

Intensive construction for Paddington Crossrail station will get underway later this year. The new Crossrail station in Paddington has been designed to maximise the station’s space, whilst preserving the historic features of the main line station.

Enabling works to prepare Paddington for the construction of the new Crossrail station began in August 2010. Since then, numerous utilities have been relocated away from the site of the new station box. Moving the utilities protects services, such as power and water, during Crossrail’s construction and make them easier to access in the future.

Cycle Task Force marks first anniversary

On 20 July, TfL announced that in the first year since their introduction in June 2010, the Metropolitan Police Cycle Task Force have made of over 200 arrests, and cycle security marked over 12,000 bicycles,

The 30-strong TfL funded unit hit the Capital’s streets in June 2010, investigating and tackling cycle theft and criminal damage to bicycles.

Of the 200 arrests made by the Cycle Task Force in their first year, 175 have been for offences related to theft, with 74 per cent of those resulting in a positive outcome. The Cycle Task Force is part of my Cycling Revolution. In the 12 months since the Cycle Task Force launched, the capital has seen a three per cent reduction in the number of bikes stolen in London compared to the previous 12 months.

Crossrail lorry drivers complete road safety awareness training

On 30 June, Crossrail announced that ahead of main construction work for the new central London stations beginning later this year, the first 1,000 Crossrail lorry drivers have completed an innovative training course, which highlights the skills that drivers need to navigate London’s busy roads safely during Crossrail’s construction.

The Crossrail Lorry Driver Induction Training programme has been specifically developed for frequent lorry drivers working on the Crossrail project. Its aim is to ensure that drivers know how to drive carefully near cyclists and other vulnerable road users, particularly in central London. Lorry drivers working regularly on the project must complete the training programme.

Transport for London employee wins National Apprentice of the Year

On 1 July, TfL announced that 18 year old Shauni O’Neill had been awarded the National Apprentice of the Year Award.

Having already been named London Apprentice of the Year in May, Shauni went on to scoop the top prize at the National Apprenticeship Awards in London.

TfL was also recognised by the National Apprenticeship Service, featuring in their Top 100 Apprenticeships Employers list as part of the GLA Group. Tube Lines, which is owned by TfL, and carries out essential maintenance and upgrade work for London Underground, also features in the top 100.

As an apprenticeships champion, TfL provides an array of opportunities in engineering, operations and maintenance functions. In support of my apprenticeship campaign, TfL has

committed to deliver more than 2,500 apprenticeship positions, both internally and through its suppliers, by 2012.

Yellow and Green Badge Identifiers introduced

On 11 July, TfL announced that following a positive response to last year’s Taxi consultation, London Taxi and Private Hire (TPH) has announced that taxi badge identifiers are to be introduced in the next few months.

These identifiers will show which type of licence the taxi driver holds, green for an ‘All London’ driver and yellow for a ‘Suburban’ driver. In the case of Suburban drivers, it will also list the areas in which they are licensed for. In addition, they will also contain the driver’s badge number.

The badge identifiers are being introduced primarily as a deterrent to drivers plying for hire outside their licensed area. However, they will also assist TPH Compliance Officers and the police with on street enforcement and compliance activities.

Every licensed taxi driver will be issued with two identifiers, one for the front windscreen and one for the rear. The identifiers will be introduced in two phases, with the All London version introduced first.

TfL confirms no more weekend closures for Blackwall Tunnel refurbishment works

On 12 July, TfL announced that following the completion of essential works, there is no further need for weekend closures of the northbound Blackwall Tunnel, reducing the overall weekend closure programme from 10 weekends down to six, a total reduction of 40 per cent. The project remains on target for completion by December 2011, one year ahead of the original schedule.

Dial-a-Ride completes record number of trips

On 21 July, TfL announced that the Dial-a-Ride service had provided more trips in the past year than any other year since the service began in the 1980s.

Dial-a-Ride is a multi-passenger door-to-door service for people with long term or permanent disabilities and is free to its 49,066 members. Last year, the service provided 1,345,152 trips, a 7.2 per cent increase on the previous year with 90,000 more journeys.

Dial-a-Ride provides a door-to-door service for people with a permanent or long term disability. The service is free to members and is ideal for trips of five miles or less. Many members are unable to access mainstream public transport and rely heavily on the service.

Companions, carers and children can travel with members and drivers are specially trained to help passengers.

London Cycle Challenge circles the globe 69 times

On 22 July, TfL announced that the 2011 London Cycle Challenge had been the biggest to date. Over 12,500 cyclists entered the Challenge this year, forming nearly 900 teams who between them have pedalled more than two million miles - nearly 69 times round the world.

The month-long competition was free to enter and encouraged people to make the most of the cycling opportunities in the city for commuting and leisure. Between 18 June and 15 July, participants recorded online all the miles they cycled and saw how they were performing against other teams on the leaderboard. The winning teams included, eCourier.co.uk, Barclays Capital Cyclists, Silly Commuter Racers and the Metropolitan Police.

Coach parking facilities in London increase by 25 per cent

On 22 July, TfL and the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, announced that an extra 100 coach parking bays had been created in the capital, increasing coach parking availability by 25 per cent.

The new coach parking bays are all located within pre-existing bus garages, so do not impact on existing road space and incur no extra cost to the public purse. The bus garages are located all over the city and will allow coach drivers to drop passengers at popular tourist and shopping destinations, before parking up at a convenient parking facility and returning to collect passengers later.

The popularity of coach travel to London continues to grow, with an estimated 3,000 coaches arriving and leaving the capital every day.

TfL demands explanation for Thames Water works

On 25 July, TfL called on Thames Water to explain why their works on the Marylebone Road had again inconvenienced tens of thousands of Londoners. On 24 July, for the ninth time in 16 months, Thames Water dug up part of the Marylebone Road in an unsuccessful attempt to locate a leak. It then took them over nine hours to completely re-open the road to traffic.

Thames Water’s lack of planning and disregard for the effect of their works meant that Londoners faced completely unnecessary delays once again. This is why I am lobbying Government to allow London to have the first lane rental scheme in the country, meaning utility companies could be charged for digging up the roads, giving them an incentive to complete works quickly and during less disruptive times.

Replacement DLR station at Pudding Mill Lane approved

On 25 July, Crossrail announced that Newham’s Strategic Development Committee had approved plans for a replacement DLR station at Pudding Mill Lane.

The existing Pudding Mill Lane DLR station is located where the Crossrail route reaches the surface and, therefore, a new station needs to be constructed. In the meantime, the existing DLR station will remain open to passengers until the new station is complete in 2013. The replacement DLR station will be constructed immediately to the south, between the River Lea and City Mill River, with construction getting underway later this year.

The new station will be purpose built to accommodate longer three-car DLR trains, as well as providing improved step-free access. Outside the station, there will be a large open space which will link into wider pedestrian routes, as well as providing connections with local bus routes.

Procurement process underway for remaining Crossrail tunnel portal

On 29 July, Crossrail announced that a contract notice had been placed in the Official Journal of the European Union, seeking expressions of interest for the remaining tunnel portal at Victoria Dock. The value of the contract is in the region of £50m and it is anticipated that the contract will be awarded in spring 2012.

Construction of Victoria Dock Portal will get underway in autumn 2012. Five new tunnel portals will be constructed as part of Crossrail at Royal Oak, Pudding Mill Lane, Victoria Dock, North Woolwich and Plumstead.

The Western and Eastern running tunnels will have tunnel portals at Royal Oak, Pudding Mill Lane and Victoria Dock. The Thames Tunnel between North Woolwich and Plumstead will have tunnel portals constructed at either end.

Construction of the first tunnel portal got underway at Royal Oak in January 2010 and is due for completion in early 2012. The first Crossrail tunnel boring machine will set out on its journey from Royal Oak towards Farringdon in spring 2012.

Oyster card from a ticket machine

On 26 July, TfL announced that it was making it faster and easier for customers to buy and use Oyster, with the introduction of upgraded ticket machines that will sell Oyster cards directly, with credit loaded.

Most stations across the LU network now have at least one ticket machine equipped to vend Oyster cards. Customers will be able to get their new cards at any time of the day from the clearly marked machines, and will be able to do so quickly and conveniently.

TfL unveils innovative measures to tackle pollution

On 16 August, TfL announced a package of innovative measures aimed at tackling pollution levels at the busiest roads in central London.

These will be financed from a Clean Air Fund, secured from the DfT, which will allow a package of measures already identified as part of my Air Quality Strategy to be initiated, fast tracked and expanded over the next nine months.

The measures include the increased use of dust suppressants, a ‘No Engine Idling’ campaign to deter unnecessary engine running from all motor vehicles when stationary and, the start of a greening programme to trap pollution, including a row of 50 green towers already installed along Lower Thames Street, one of central London’s most polluted roads.

Tramlink to aid regeneration of Croydon

On 18 August, TfL announced that contracts had been signed for the supply of six new trams for London Tramlink that will boost services on the network in Croydon from early next year.

The arrival of the new trams will help contribute to the regeneration of Croydon following the recent disturbances. The trams will provide more frequent services on the busiest parts of the network and will boost capacity and ease crowding during peak times.

London Buses announces suppliers for NOx pilot to improve air quality

On 18 August, TfL announced that that Eminox and HJS had been awarded a contract to install specialist pollution reducing equipment on some London buses.

The innovative TfL pilot will be carried out on 18 buses that will have NOx abatement systems called Selective Catalytic Reduction fitted, half supplied by each manufacturer. The pilot will be carried out over a year on three different marques of buses and the systems tested for their emissions performance and reliability.

Consultation starts on lane rental scheme to tackle roadworks

By using lane rental, TfL would be able to charge companies who dig up the busiest roads on their network, as well as subjecting their own roadworks to charges. The aim is to provide a financial incentive for works to be carried out quicker, and a sliding scale of charges would be introduced to encourage companies to work during less disruptive times.

I have lobbied for London to have the first targeted and avoidable lane rental scheme in the country and, subject to consultation, TfL will look to formally submit a proposal to the DfT in early 2012. That timetable would mean a lane rental scheme could be up and running in the capital by spring next year.

Economic and Business Policy

£50 million fund for long term regeneration of capital’s damaged town centres

On 11 August, I announced a £50 million fund to help make major long term improvements to the capital’s town centres and high streets damaged by the disturbances. This funding is in addition to my £50 million Outer London Fund.

The new £50 million regeneration fund will invest in larger scale proposals and will build on the momentum created as repair and rebuilding work to the affected areas continue. The result of this funding will ensure that the affected areas are not only restored, but will be better places to live, work and invest in. The regeneration proposals will be developed with communities and Councils and I will ensure that contracts awarded for the work go to as many local businesses and employ as many local people as possible. This will also include offering apprenticeships to unemployed people in the affected areas, to give them vital skills to move into work.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be urgently developing proposals to ensure we maximise the impact of this investment, so that these areas are improved and opportunities for economic growth are increased.

I also welcome the Government’s plans for a medium term relief to support business and I look forward to working with ministers to see how their package can build on my long term investment in regenerating these parts of the capital.

£20m to transform Tottenham and Croydon following riots

On 17 August, along with the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, I visited Tottenham to unveil a £20 million funding boost to deliver major regeneration to transform Tottenham and Croydon, two of the worst affected areas in the disturbances. The £20m Government funding brings the total of my regeneration fund to support London's businesses hit by the disturbances to £70m.

I will work closely with local people, local businesses and the local councils to identify the best ways to invest the Government's money to maximise the regeneration impact in these two town centres. The funding is designed to provide swift improvements, so allocation of money could include investment in transport infrastructure, buying up and rebuilding affected properties and funding business rate relief as well as supporting employment.

High Street Fund

On 24 August, I announced that I had joined forces with a group of the UK’s leading companies and local authorities to help businesses across the country recover from the damage caused by the recent disturbances.

Together, we have established the ‘High Street Fund’, which is a charitable fund designed to offer immediate cash support to smaller businesses that have suffered from the disturbances across England. The fund will comprise a total initial commitment of over £3 million cash funding, plus support services from businesses including Barclays, BP, Capita, Deloitte, Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Santander. I have committed £500,000 to kick start donations and it is hoped that more leading companies, as well as individuals, will donate to the fund to ensure that as many small businesses as possible can be helped.

To qualify for funding, a business owner will need to explain what has happened to his or her business, how it happened, and how assistance from the High Street Fund will help get them back on their feet. The Fund aims to make it easy to apply for funding and to make payments swiftly. Claims, which could be submitted from 26 August, can be made using a form that can be downloaded from the High Street Fund’s website which can be found at: www.thehighstreetfund.co.uk. There is also a freephone helpline available on 0800 093 5858.

On 26 August, I urged affected businesses to apply for the grants now that the new High Street Fund had begun to process claims.

I have exercised the power in section 121 of the GLA Act, to direct the LDA to release £500,000 to my central budget. I have assigned authority to the Head of Paid Service, to direct these funds to a third party fund, who will use this money to make grants to London micro businesses who have been directly affected by the public order disturbances. I have agreed that due diligence on the operation of such third party funds will be carried out, the exact combination of grant and loans will depend on the support that becomes available from other parties, including charities, national and local government and, there will be full transparency of the use of all the funds.

£10 million funding for local town centres

On 3 August, I announced that almost £10 million of funding has been awarded to 20 boroughs across the capital to increase the attractiveness and economic competitiveness of their town centres in the build up to the Christmas and throughout the New Year.

The funding is from my Outer London Fund, set up in March, which is a £50 million three year initiative to grow economic activity and drive employment in parts of London benefitting less directly from large-scale infrastructure investment in the capital, such as Crossrail and the 2012 Games. The Fund forms part of my vision for bringing the best elements of the village to the city.

Thirty projects in 20 boroughs will benefit from this first round of funding, with the largest single award, £715,000, going to Enfield council to improve shop fronts, make use of vacant shops, create a new street market in Ponders Green and refurbish street lighting and canopies.

Highlights from other successful bids include:

 New temporary public art outside Waterman’s Arts Centre in Brentford High Street  Linking Magistrates Court and Market Square in Barking town centre  New green space at John the Baptist Church in Chipping Barnet  Expansion of the Green Lanes Food Festival in Haringey  Creation of Bromley Town Centre Heritage Trail  Upgrading of pavements in Barnes town centre and enhancement of Christmas lights

A second round of funding, open until 14 October, will see the allocation of up to a further £40m of funding to develop longer-term projects to regenerate and rejuvenate areas ranging from a small parade of shops to town centres.

London Apprenticeship Campaign smashes Targets

On 5 July, I announced that my drive to create more apprentices in the capital had smashed its 20,000 target three months early. Working in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service, the campaign has seen a total of 28,120 people finding places with companies across a wide range of the capital's business sectors. London’s share of apprenticeship starts has leapt from just 5 per cent to more than 8.5 per cent nationally in a year – the largest growth of anywhere in the country.

I led by example, creating around 2,000 apprenticeships in the past two years within the GLA Group and its contractors through my responsible procurement programme. In addition, a raft of big businesses responded to my call and committed to creating apprenticeships, including Accenture, Microsoft, HSBC, Norton Rose and Channel 4. Furthermore, a further crop of well- known companies, including Sky, Visa Europe, Reed Group, Capgemini, Veolia and the National Theatre have all revealed details of new schemes.

Crossrail Financing to save London Businesses £65 million

On 3 July 2011, I announced that the GLA has finalised a £600 million bond issue through a vehicle developed with Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets. The bond raises finance towards the GLA's share of Crossrail’s £14.8 billion construction costs.

The GLA had previously raised £800 million through the Government’s ‘Public Works Loan Board’. This is repaid through the Business Rate Supplement (BRS) collected from the capital’s larger businesses to pay towards Crossrail. However, last October the Government made borrowing through the Board around one per-cent more expensive.

To ensure value for money for the capital, I sought more economical options in the financial markets and the issuing of this bond is around 0.17 per cent cheaper than the current option. I am committed to delivering at least equivalent savings on further borrowings, and so a total of £65 million could be shaved off the cost of long - term borrowing for Crossrail, potentially shortening the term of the BRS which is forecast to run until 2035.

Beam Reach 5 Business Park, Rainham

I have approved an increase in the LDA’s gross project budget for Beam Reach 5 business park, from £21,951,284, to £23,082,736, but no change in the net LDA funding, arising from a sale of part of the site to Spen Hill Developments Ltd.

International Tourism in London 2010

On 29 July, GLA Economics produced a short paper titled, "International tourism in London 2010: Results for London from the International Passenger Survey 2010", following the latest international tourism figures produced by the Office for National Statistics.

This paper showed that in 2010, there were 14.7 million international visitors to London accounting for over £8.7 billion of international spend. London actually received more international tourist spend than the remainder of the UK regions together. Moreover, international visitor volumes in London rose in 2010, whilst falling in the remainder of England, Wales and Scotland. International tourist trips in 2010 were up 3.5 per cent in the capital on 2009. In addition, international tourist spend in 2010 in London was up 6.1 per cent on its 2009 level.

Business in the Community’s National Awards for Excellence

On 5 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended the ‘Business in the Community’s National Awards for Excellence’ event at The Royal Albert Hall. Richard was invited to the event as a guest of ‘BeOnSite’.

The awards recognised the most exciting and innovative examples of responsible business and celebrated those companies that demonstrate evidence of positive impacts on people, industries and the environment.

Meet the Contractor Event

On 21 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and gave the keynote speech at Morgan Sindall’s ‘Meet the Contractor’ event in Stratford.

The aim of the event was to introduce to the local community the details of the Pudding Mill Lane Portal Project (Crossrail) and to highlight employment, apprenticeship, training and supply chain opportunities. Richard spoke of the work I have achieved with my Responsible Procurement programme and how Crossrail have adopted my policy agenda in their local contracts.

Audit, Risk and Governance Africa Conference

On 25 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and spoke on resilience and security matters at the Audit, Risk and Governance Africa Conference in Mauritius. Richard attended the Conference in his capacity as Chairman of the London Resilience Partnership/Forum and shared with delegates his views and experiences on robust risk management, resilience management and strong corporate governance

Environment

London’s environment revealed - State of the Environment Report

On 6 July, alongside the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Forestry Commission, I published a new report entitled ‘London’s Environment Revealed - State of the Environment Report (SoER)’. This report will help Londoners find out more about the capital's waste, water, air quality, energy and wildlife.

This information is also available on the London Datastore, which I set up to allow free access to a huge range of information held by public sector organisations and encourage the capital's mass of technical talent to transform the raw data on the site into innovative new digital applications using social media.

The SoER shows that since 2000, the capital's environment is improving, despite increasing challenges from climate change and a growing population. However, the report also highlights that more needs to be done. For example, by making their homes more energy efficient, Londoners will reduce the amount of energy used in their homes and reduce energy bills.

The data and SoER can be found at: http://data.london.gov.uk/datastore/package/state- environment-report-london-june-2011.

Finally, I approved that a single ‘joint’ SoER should be produced with the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Forestry Commission and, I delegated authority to my Environment Adviser, to amend and publish the final joint final SoER for launch and to determine when to launch the joint final SoER.

RE:NEW

On 4 August, I launched the pan-London rollout of RE:NEW. This exciting phase sees RE:NEW provided to 55,000 homes in specific areas (one in every borough) across the capital between now and May 2012, after a successful trial in nearly 9,000 homes in nine boroughs.

Crucially in these times of rising fuel prices, this scheme will help London's residents to reduce their fuel bills. With 80 per cent of carbon emissions coming from buildings, this service is part of the my vision to retrofit London, to create an energy efficient city, stimulate green-collar jobs and help the city become more resilient to rising fuel prices. Homes in parts of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Lewisham and Waltham Forest are the first to receive this opportunity.

More information can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/renew.

Transfer of LDA Climate Change activities to GLA

On 1 July, the programmes, budget and staff in the LDA climate change team transferred to the GLA. This team will continue to deliver my award-winning retrofit programmes, including RE:NEW homes retrofit programme, RE:FIT public building retrofit programme, the Olympic retrofit programme, and the Green500 and the Better Buildings Partnership. The team also delivers London's sustainable energy programmes, including decentralised energy master planning.

Street Trees Programme

Applications for the fourth and final round of my Street Tree Programme closed in July. To date, 9,500 trees have been planted, leaving just 500 to be planted this winter. The applications have now been assessed and the successful applicants will be announced later in the year, with the trees to be put in over the winter.

Help a London Park

On 21 July, my Director of Environment and Digital London, Kulveer Ranger, attended an event to mark the official start of work on site at Burgess Park in Southwark. This park is receiving £2m from my Help a London Park fund, along with a further £4m from the Creation Trust. This multimillion pound renovation will transform the park into a cleaner, greener and safer community space for generations to come.

The Help a London Park scheme is transforming a total of 11 parks, 10 of which were voted for by the public, and is a great example of putting the village back in the city. Many are now close to completion and all will be significantly transformed by March 2012.

Capital Growth

On 12 July, I announced the winners of the Capital Growth Education Competition. Students from nurseries, primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities, competed for a range of prizes to prove that their food gardens were the best in their category.

Youngsters and teachers from the winning nursery, Rowland Hill in Haringey, and primary school, Charlton Manor in Greenwich, were invited to City Hall to receive their certificates and to join me in planting up City Hall’s very own vegetable plot in Potters Field.

In the other categories, students from Forest Hill Secondary School in Lewisham were named as winners for opposing plans to tarmac around their school and instead creating a garden oasis, where the students learn organic horticultural skills. The students have been rewarded with gardening equipment, seeds and vouchers, as well as a day for two at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in London.

The victorious entry in the higher education category was the London School of Economics campus in Islington, where students and staff joined forces to create five rooftop fruit and vegetable patches.

I would like to congratulate all those who took part in the competition and to encourage even more education institutions to get involved in Capital Growth in the future.

Children and Young People

STORM Peace Concert

On 4 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and spoke at the STORM (Support, Trust, Opportunity, Rebuilding and Motivation) Peace Concert in Wandsworth.

Set up in 2006, the Concert aims to help combat teenage gang culture and violence. The event this year aimed to provide more information and opportunities for young people to gain employment or to go back into education.

Young Musicians Fund

I have agreed to support the establishment by private interests of The Mayor of London’s Fund for Young Musicians as an independent charitable company limited by guarantee (‚the Fund‛), and approved that I will act as the Fund’s Founder Patron.

I have agreed to apply GLA resources to the Fund during its initial start up phase by way of grant funding the charity upon establishment of up to £10,000.

Social Inclusion and Health

Team London Launch

On 30 June, I was joined by Barbara Windsor and singer Peter Andre to launch my £4.5 million Team London programme. Team London will mobilise around 10,000 volunteers, primarily across six large scale projects to help improve the quality of life in the city.

I also revealed that ten of the UK’s business giants, led by Bloomberg LP, are lending their support to my scheme, including IBM, Procter & Gamble, Mastercard, Barclays, Citigroup, BT, Mckinsey, KPMG, BUPA and Addison Lee. Team London was made possible by £2 million of initial funding from the Reuben Foundation and £2.5million from the GLA.

Volunteers and businesses can sign up to be become a part of Team London at: www.london.gov.uk/teamlondon.

London Health Improvement Board

On 11 July, I chaired the inaugural meeting of the shadow London Health Improvement Board which included borough leaders, the NHS and GLA representatives.

The shadow Board asked officers to develop suggested work programmes on three initial areas; alcohol, childhood obesity and the prevention and early diagnosis of cancer. The Board also asked for consideration to be given to information for health improvement as a cross cutting theme.

Over the next three months, officers will work with relevant stakeholders and utilise existing evidence to generate innovative options for how these issues might be best tackled across the capital, complementing the work already being done at borough level. Proposals will be presented to the shadow Board for their consideration at the next meeting in October 2011.

World Skills London 2011

I have approved the calling off of £120,000 of services from Mediaedge:cia UK Limited, under the GLA’s existing framework with that supplier, dated 29 March 2011. Under the contract, MEC will provide marketing services to World Skills London, in order to assist World Skills London to market the World Skills London careers event.

I have approved the GLA’s provision of discretionary services to World Skills London, in furtherance of the World Skills London careers event via the contract described above.

London Carers’ Advisory Group

On 7 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, chaired a meeting of the London Carers’ Advisory Group.

Aga Khan Foundation’s Partnership Walk Day

On 10 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and supported the Aga Khan Foundations’ Partnership Walk Day held in Hyde Park. Richard opened the walk and spoke of the inspiration of all of those taking part.

12 Mechanised Brigade Army Visit

On 10 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, hosted a visit to City Hall by members of 12 Mechanised Brigade. The soldiers are due to be deployed to Afghanistan in March 2012.

City Sikhs Network – The City and Success

On 17 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and spoke at the City Sikhs Network event at Canary Wharf.

The Network was established in 2010, with approximately 600 members based in the City, most being aged between 20 and 40 years of age. Richard spoke of how young Sikhs can help to contribute to the success of London and congratulated the network on reaching its first anniversary.

Disabled and Deaf Stakeholders

On 2 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, chaired the biannual meeting of the key London organisations for Disabled and Deaf People. This forms part of my regular engagement with key London organisations for disabled and deaf people.

Topics discussed at the meeting included disabled people and the labour market, GLA work programme on employment and skills, working towards an inclusive 2012 Games, an update on the Liberty Festival 2011 and on Disability Capital 2011.

Equal Life Chances for All Delivery Group

On 18 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, chaired a meeting of the Equal Life Chances Delivery Group.

The purpose of the Delivery Group is to provide senior level oversight and monitoring, across the GLA Group, of the delivery of the objectives and outcomes of my framework for equality ‚Equal Life Chances for All‛.

Older People's Assembly

On 18 July, I hosted the ninth annual London Older People's Assembly at City Hall, in partnership with the London Older People's Strategies Group. The conference was attended by 200 representatives of older people's groups from across the voluntary, community and private sector.

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Legacy and Sport

London schools to ‘Get Set’ for 2012 tickets

On 1 July, alongside the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, I joined 1,000 youngsters at the London School Games and called on all schools to register for the opportunity to receive free tickets to the 2012 Games.

I met some of the 750 young competitors at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and reminded them, and their teachers, to sign up for the 'Get Set' ticketshare programme for the 125,000 free Games tickets that are up for grabs.

So far around 80 per cent of schools and colleges eligible have registered for the scheme where I have arranged for one in eight of the capital's schoolchildren to get into the Games for free.

Games accelerate rebirth of east London

On 4 July, I published a report outlining that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have rapidly accelerated the regeneration of east London, delivering a massive £2 billion boost to the capital’s economy and creating 10,000 permanent jobs many years earlier than forecast.

As a result of winning the Games, up to £600 million has been invested in new infrastructure, which in turn has seen phase one of the £1.45 billion Westfield Stratford City retail development forge ahead by up to seven years earlier than planned. The research by Volterra, estimates that completion of phase two of the development will be up to 25 years ahead of the investor’s plans and will see the total number of permanent jobs created rise to 15,000. This is in addition to the wider jobs and skills legacy being delivered through 2012 Games programmes.

London Ambassadors

On 12 July, I visited the Ealing Volunteer Centre, as part of my search for 8,000 enthusiastic and passionate London Ambassadors to welcome the world to London in 2012.

By early August, 16,000 applicants had been put through their paces at 10 volunteer centres around the capital. I am on track to appoint the first London Ambassadors this autumn.

Launched in July 2010, the search for London’s Ambassadors has proved hugely successful, with over 23,000 people applying for the sought-after positions. Project managers from Volunteer England and staff from Proctor and Gamble worked alongside a number of volunteers to interview and select the Ambassadors.

10,000 adult volunteers wanted to take part in opening and closing ceremonies

On 25 July, I revealed plans to recruit 10,000 adult volunteers to take part in the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This is another huge opportunity for Londoners to be a part of the greatest show on earth as the capital proudly presents itself to the world as the 2012 Host City. Enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated volunteers will be sought to join the cast of the official ceremonies that will open and close the Games and be watched by hundreds of millions around the world.

Volunteers do not need to be accomplished actors, dancers or singers, but, must have commitment, passion and lots of energy, as well as the desire to rehearse through wind and rain. Rehearsals for the ceremonies will take place in east London with creative director Danny Boyle, following which the successful candidates will have the opportunity to perform alongside some of the biggest names in British show businesses at the new Olympic Park next summer.

Full details on the application process will be announced shortly.

One year to go until the 2012 Olympic Games

On 27 July, with a year to go until the 2012 Olympic Games, I staged an event on Trafalgar Square to invite the world to come to London next year for an amazing summer in the world’s best big city.

During a spectacular ceremony broadcast live around the globe, I called on the world to come and be part of the greatest sporting event on the planet. Audiences in Trafalgar Square also got a first glimpse of how London will look during Games time, with the official Games-time branding used to dress the event – and another first, the design of the Olympic Medals was unveiled.

I was joined at the event by International Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, who officially invited the world's athletes to come and compete at the 2012 Games. Also in attendance were HRH the Princess Royal, the Prime Minister David Cameron, LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe, Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson, and representatives from other National Olympic Committees.

Whether visitors are attending a 2012 Games event or just here to soak up the atmosphere of the host city, everyone will have the chance to join Londoners in enjoying this unique moment in the capital's history. There will ‘Live Sites’ at 4 venues around the City, with large screens to watch the events and a fantastic programme of free entertainment.

London will also be putting on a wide range of other entertainment from street festivals to special programmes in its unrivalled cultural institutions, as well as spectacular makeovers of its

town centres and iconic landmarks. This is in addition to the multitude of attractions which are part of London's everyday appeal.

London urged to dress in its best for 2012 Games

On 29 July, alongside LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe, I called on the capital’s boroughs to embrace the London 2012 ‘Look’ by dressing up their high streets, squares, parks and public spaces in the official colours and branding that will greet athletes and visitors next summer.

In the spring, I allocated £50,000 to all the boroughs to help them decorate and dress their key celebration areas, so that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic experience enhances every corner of London. Many have already submitted proposals for how they plan to spread the ‘look and feel’ of London 2012 throughout those areas during the Torch Relay and the Games.

The boroughs have now received the official 'Look Book' from which they can now choose a range of London 2012 ‘Look’ materials and a website will be launched in the autumn where boroughs can purchase their chosen items. This will include flags, banners and bunting, but the 2012 Look Book is also designed to help boroughs dress their public spaces by physically applying the look and feel to its buildings, pathways and streetscapes, including the use of artwork, light projections and planting ideas for flower beds.

This is the first part of a major programme that will also see London’s iconic landmarks and popular tourist venues spectacularly dressed to welcome the world to London in 2012.

2012 Games: City LOOK & FEEL scoping and concept work

I have approved the entry into arrangements with Government’s Central Office of Information (COI), for the commencement of a competitive procurement process, utilising its OJEU compliant framework, to procure a Marketing Communications Consultancy to support the GLA in the scoping, and mapping of Experience Themed Areas to support the delivery of the LOOK & FEEL of London during the Olympic and Paralympic Games

I have delegated power to the Director of Marketing and the Director of London 2012 Co- ordination, to approve the award of a contract via the COI, with a Marketing Consultancy Agency to scope and map the delivery of the Experience Theme Areas.

Transfer of London 2012 Skills and Employment Programme

I have directed the LDA, pursuant to section 121 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the GLA Act), and, in accordance with the terms set out, to transfer to the GLA: £1 million of LDA revenue funds for the Construction Employer Accord; £570,000 of LDA revenue funds for the 2012 Employment Legacy project; and £4,370,000 for the Host Boroughs Skills and Employment project; in each case less any expenditure incurred by LDA in delivery in the Financial Year 2011/12 up to the date of transfer.

I have also directed the LDA to transfer to the GLA all contractual rights (subject where required to novations), intellectual property rights, data and other resources held by the LDA, which form part of, arise out of, and/or are reasonably necessary for the delivery of the 2012 Employment and Skills programme.

I have approved the delegation to the Executive Director of London 2012 at the Greater London Authority the authority to exercise any function of the GLA in relation to the Construction Employer Accord, 2012 Employment Legacy project and the Host Boroughs Skills and Employment project. This delegation is subject to the following conditions: that all decisions that would, in the course of normal GLA operations, have been made by a Mayoral Decision form, and are not significant in policy terms, novel or contentious, may instead be made by a Director’s Decision form (DD) signed by the Executive Director of London 2012; and any decision which concerns issues of significance in policy terms, or which is novel or contentious, must be referred to me for a decision via a Mayoral Decision form.

I have also approved a total budget of £13.985 million for the 2012 Skills and Employment programme, to be funded in 2011-12 by £5.94 million of revenue funds transferred from the LDA and, in 2012-13 and 2013-14, by £8.045 million from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills programme allocation grant.

Finally, I have authorised the Executive Director of Resources to make all appropriate budget adjustments for the Construction Employer Accord, 2012 Employment Legacy and Host Borough Skills and Employment projects.

Transfer of the Olympic Fringe Public Realm Programme

I have agreed that the Olympic Fringe public realm programme should be transferred from the LDA to the GLA.

I have directed the LDA, under section 27 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, as soon as practicable to:

 Exercise the power in section 121(2) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (‘the GLA Act’), to transfer to the GLA £0.25 million revenue, less any expenditure incurred by the LDA up to the date of transfer, in respect of funding for the delivery of the Olympic Fringe Programme in financial year 2011/2012;  Use reasonable endeavours to novate all live contracts and agreements associated with the programme from the LDA to the GLA (or for administrative ease a delivery partner if so instructed); and  Transfer from the LDA to GLA (or for administrative ease a delivery partner if so instructed) current and archived data associated with the programme.

I have noted that responsibility for any liabilities arising at any time in respect of the novated contracts and agreements that were incurred prior to the date of transfer will be transferred from the LDA to the GLA, as specified in the relevant novation agreements.

I have also agreed that the programme should be delivered by the OPLC on behalf of the GLA.

I have delegated to the Executive Director for London 2012 at the GLA, the authority to issue any additional reasonable instructions to the LDA, including in relation to administrative matters, and to enter into a grant agreement with OPLC, in connection with this Direction

Finally, I have authorised £3m of GLA capital funding for the capital element of the programme, to be granted to OPLC, and authorised the Executive Director of Resources at the GLA to make all appropriate budget adjustments in relation to the capital funding of the programme.

100 Great Things about the Games

On 1 August, I launched ‘100 Great Things about the Games’, my campaign to inform Londoners of the huge range of benefits the city is reaping as 2012 Games host city. The campaign also aims to highlight how Londoners can take advantage of and get involved in the multitude of opportunities that are already transforming life in the capital, both now and in future.

Fantastic new and improved sports facilities, music classes for novices, greener cleaner public spaces, thousands of new homes and a huge range of volunteering opportunities are just a flavour of the benefits that are making the city a better place, a year ahead of the 2012 Games opening.

The full list of ‘100 Great Things about the Games’ can be found on the Greater London Authority website at: www.london.gov.uk/games.

Delegation to TfL in relation to London 2012 Olympics

I have authorised TfL, under section 38(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 as amended (‚the GLA Act‛), to exercise the Greater London Authority’s powers under section 34 of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 (‚the Olympics Act‛) for the purpose of supporting, preparing and delivering events connected with the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Championing equality and diversity throughout the London 2012 Games

On 21 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, chaired the most recent meeting of the London 2012 Equality and Diversity Forum.

London 2012 Olympic Games – So What?

On 1 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended and gave a speech at the London 2012 Olympic Games – So What? event at City Hall.

Hosted by the London Resilience Team, the event stressed the importance of being ‘games ready’ to a host of resilience partners and organisations.

Sport

Sport’s Legacy Fund

On 14 July, I visited a City Hall funded BMX project in Walthamstow to announce that a further £12 million is to be invested into grassroots sports projects in the capital, as part of my drive to get thousands more people fit and active. I have now hit my target of channeling £30 million into sport by the 2012 Games.

I have awarded grants to 14 large scale sports participation projects and 26 community facilities including £4m funding from my Sports Legacy Fund and £8 million ‘match funding’. In total, my spend on grass-roots sport is now over £10m, with a further £20m match funding, which has been drawn from a range of sources in the private, public and charitable sector.

Some of the projects to benefit include a plan for nine new wheelchair basketball clubs, virtual indoor rowing ‘race nights’ and weekly touch rugby sessions for workers right across London. Upgraded facilities include a new two-storey karate club in Kingston-upon-Thames, the reopening of a disused lido in Charlton, and a new floodlit hockey pitch in Hillingdon.

In addition, more than 140 organisations are set to benefit from ‘Freesport’ grants of up to £1,500, and I have also been providing heavily subsidised training for Londoners wishing to train as a sports coach, official or volunteer.

Government and Parliamentary Relations

Norwegian Book of Condolence

On 1 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, visited the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrave Square to sign the Book of Condolence for those who lost their lives in the recent tragic events in Oslo and the surrounding area.

Meeting with Leader and Chief Executive of London Borough of Redbridge

On 4 July, I met with Councillor, Keith Prince, Leader of London Borough of Redbridge and Roger Hampson, the Chief Executive. We discussed transport issues, the Outer London Fund, school places and the Olympic MDC, green belt issues, libraries and music education.

Meeting with Leader of London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

On 20 July, I met with Councillor Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham, where we discussed the borough’s regeneration plans for Old Oak Common.

Meeting with Leader of London Borough of Lambeth

On 24 August, I met with Councillor Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth, where we discussed the recent public disorder, the Community Conversation Programme, policing, the proposed developments at Elizabeth House and the Fire Brigade Headquarters (Albert Embankment), and Barclays Cycle Hire extension to Brixton.

Housing

Affordable Housing Programme

On 14 July, I reached agreement with the Government to deliver a four year affordable homes programme worth over £5.5 billion for the capital. This includes a substantial £1.8 billion affordable housing settlement for this spending round that will unlock a further £3.7 billion of private and other investment and will complete 54,500 affordable homes in the capital by 2015.

I have also negotiated with the Government to ensure the programme provides a range of rents in London to reflect the unique needs of the capital. The Government’s new Affordable Rent programme now allows registered housing providers to charge up to 80 per cent of market

rent, but I have secured an agreement that across the programme rents in London will be charged at an average of 65 per cent of market rent, and should not exceed new welfare caps.

London Housing Strategy

On 31 August, I published my initial proposals for a revised London Housing Strategy. These proposals have been published for formal consultation with the London Assembly and GLA Group, as required by the GLA Act 2007. This consultation will run for eight weeks and I look forward to receiving comments by 28 October 2011.

I approved the content of the London Housing Strategy consultation document for statutory consultation with the Assembly and Functional Bodies, and for its publication on the GLA website.

I gave authority to my Housing Advisor, Richard Blakeway, to approve non-material changes to the document prior to its publication for the purposes of consultation.

Culture and Events

Notting Hill Carnival

On 28 and 29 August, the Notting Hill Carnival took place over the bank holiday weekend, with families, communities and Londoners coming together to enjoy this internationally renowned event.

It was agreed that the event should take place after I consulted with the Metropolitan Police and key stakeholders in the weeks leading up to the event, despite the recent unrest in the city.

Over the weekend, around 1m people experienced the Carnival, taking in the sights, sounds and tastes of one of the capital’s most important cultural and tourism events. I attended on the bank holiday Monday, speaking to performers and the public alike – all of whom were thoroughly enjoying the event.

I also witnessed the excellent policing and stewarding operation, working together to ensure Carnival ran smoothly and safely. With an earlier start and finish, the event passed largely without incident, with an atmosphere of respect and solidarity from both participants and audiences. Whilst there was one serious incident towards the end of the event, this is not to be unexpected with an event of this magnitude, and crime figures overall at Carnival this year were on par with recent years.

It was a credit to all those who helped deliver Carnival that the event took place, and that in spite of the recent unlawful actions of a small minority and concerns around safety, it was a real example of communities coming together and celebrating the true spirit of London.

Carnival will be an important showcasing event in London next year, taking place in between the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the organisers are already working towards this being an amazing event for Londoners and visitors alike.

London Notting Hill Carnival Limited received GLA funding of £190,000, which went towards supporting costs of the stewarding operation.

London Pride

On 2 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended London Pride, leading the Parade through London from Portman Place down Regent Street to Trafalgar Square. The Parade featured some 20 floats and a variety of walking groups, creating a colourful celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in the heart of the capital.

Following the Parade, Trafalgar Square hosted the main stage, which included a speech from Richard. In excess of 500,000 people are estimated to have attended Pride over the course of the day and research commissioned by the GLA estimates a direct economic impact of the event of £28m to the capital.

Shubbak Festival

On 4 July, London’s first ever celebration of contemporary culture from across the Arab world began. Sponsored by HSBC, ‘Shubbak: A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture’, took place between 4 – 24 July 2011, and featured a wide-ranging programme of events, including visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, lectures and discussion, with many of the events free.

The festival included around one hundred artists, in over seventy events, at more than thirty key cultural venues throughout the city.

I approved the GLA production and delivery of a Contemporary Arab Festival in June/July 2011, including:

 entry into a sponsorship agreement with HSBC;  the allocation of a core budget to meet the costs of the production and delivery of the festival and the award of the grant funding;  the seeking of further sponsorship income, entry into related sponsorship agreements and use of such income to enhance elements of the festival, the production, marketing, promotion and delivery of the festival;  the procurement and subsequent award of contracts for goods and services required for the development, production, marketing, promotion and delivery of the festival;  identification of, and award of grant funding to, third party recipients as a contribution to their costs of participating in the festival.

I delgated power to the Director of Communities and Intelligence to approve:

 the award of, and entry into, contracts for required goods and services, sponsorship agreements and the award of grant funding;  all necessary documentation (and sign such documentation on behalf of the GLA) and actions for, and details of the completion of contracts, sponsorship agreements and funding arrangements; and approve all expenditure relating to the festival irrespective of their value, including that on contracts for required goods and services and the award of grant funding.

Capital Age Festival

On 10 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, spoke at the Capital Age Festival, London’s largest and most vibrant festival for older people. With an annual draw of 30,000, the Capital Age Festival is a small voluntary organisation which makes a huge impact to the lives of elderly people across the capital.

Sky Orchestra over London

On 25 July, seven hot air balloons projecting sweet melodies soared above the capital, heralding one year to go to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

I teamed up with the London International Festival of Theatre to bring UK artist Luke Jerram's Sky Orchestra to the city. The spectacular event offered a preview of more than 12 months of extraordinary cultural events and celebrations being organised in the run up to and beyond the 2012 Games.

Rhythm of London Busking Underground final

On 30 July, the Rhythm of London Busking Underground final took place at Southbank Centre, as part of Wayne Hemingway's Vintage Festival. The event was presented by the award winning actress Rebecca Grant, known for her role in Holby City and singer-songwriter Vin Goodwin.

The top prize this year went to The Robbie Boyd Band from Kensington who will now receive an official busking licence from TfL.

11 finalists took part in an X-factor style busk off, all hoping to win the much-coveted licence to busk on the Tube, with other prizes also available. In addition, Busking Underground also programmed the Vintage Bandstand on Sunday 31 July, where Busk off finalists and other artists each played a short 20 minute set.

Rhythm of London has been developed as part of my Music Education Strategy, which aims to increase access to music education and participation across the capital. This includes the launch of the Mayor of London's Fund for Young Musicians, which will raise £2m by March 2012 to boost music education for tens of thousands of children in London.

You can view the entrants performing at: www.london.gov.uk/rhythm-london/busking- underground/vote. Other footage can be found at www.buskertales.com.

Story of London

On 1 August, my third Story of London festival began. Running until 31 August, the month- long festival was inspired by the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, exploring how it was celebrated across the capital in 1951.

With exhibitions, events and walks, presented in partnership with local museums, Museum of London and the Southbank Centre, both Londoners and visitors could experience the original festival but with a modern twist. The festival culminated in a finale on 28 August at Southbank Centre, with a range of events including a floral bicycle parade.

More information can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/story.

Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Hilingdon

On 31 July, my Environmental Director, Kulveer Ranger, joined 7000 other people for the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Hillingdon. Many more came out to watch and experience the day as cyclists of all ages and abilities took to traffic-free streets for the chance to enjoy their local area on two wheels.

Working with Sky and British Cycling, in partnership with Hillingdon Council, TfL and I organised the 9km route, which took in some of the areas well known landmarks, including Barra Hall Park, Hayes Town Centre and Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. Participants were treated to a whole host of activities and entertainment throughout the day along the route and in the green open spaces of Barra Hall Park. In addition, stars from the worlds of cycling and TV took time out to help less experienced riders and chatted with participants throughout the day.

Mayor of London’s Sky Ride Barking & Dagenham

On 21 August, Dan Ritterband, my Director of Marketing for 2012, attended the second of my mass participation Sky Rides in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, where an estimated 7,500 people participated.

Riders at the free event cycled a 9.6km route passing Barking Park, Mayesbrook Park, Barking Town Centre and many of the boroughs green and semi rural spaces. The event featured an impressive range of bike-based entertainment and information at several points along the route, all aimed at encouraging cycling in the borough.

Mayor of London’s Sky Ride 2011

On 25 August, I was joined by Kelly Brook, to launch the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride and unveil details of the 11.6km city centre route that will allow tens of thousands of cyclists to enjoy the iconic sights of the capital on traffic-free streets on Sunday 4 September.

The free event will give people of all ages and abilities the chance to take to two wheels in a safe environment and cycle through the heart of central London with friends and family.

The circular route of the capital will bring cyclists closer to the London Eye than ever before, running across Westminster Bridge, before looping back up past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, up the Mall, out onto Trafalgar Square, down through Whitehall and out onto the river views of The Embankment. The route also passes St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and London Bridge.

The route will be traffic-free from 9.30am to 4.30pm, allowing participants to take part in the ride at their own pace and enjoy some of the exciting entertainment en route. More information can be found at: www.goskyride.com/london.

I approved the GLA’s organisation and delivery of the Mayor of London’s Sky Ride mass participation cycling events for:

 80,000 participants in Central London on Sunday 4 September 2011; and  10,000 participants, each in July and August 2011, in two outer London boroughs.

I have approved the commissioning of services and supplies from Limelight Projects Limited, required to produce and manage the Central London Mayor of London’s Sky Ride event and

the two other outer London Sky Ride events under the GLA’s contract with them for the provision of such services (awarded for 4 years in 2008), with an aggregated value of up to £866,503.16.

I have approved the seeking of additional sponsorship from suitable corporate partners for Sky Ride events, bringing both direct and indirect financial contributions and in kind support to the event and the delegation of powers to the Director Marketing (without the need for further Director Decisions) to approve the entry into and execute such sponsorship agreements.

I have approved the procurement of ride management, route planning and engagement services (with a value of up to £35,000) and subsequent award of contract to the bidder(s) submitting the most economically advantageous bid, and entry into an agreement with TfL, under which funding is provided to the GLA as a contribution to its costs of the events.

Finally, I authorised that TfL, under section 38(1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the ‘Act’), exercise my powers under sections 30 and 34 of the Act, to do all things it considers necessary or expedient to undertake marketing and promotional activity in connection with the Sky Ride 2011 events.

Talk London in Bexley

On 21 July, I participated in a public consultation meeting at Bexleyheath School in the London Borough of Bexley, along with a panel that included James Cleverly, Assembly Member for Bromley and Bexley and Teresa O'Neill, the leader of Bexley Council.

The event was attended by around 200 people and provided an opportunity for questions to be asked on a wide range of topics and issues of concern to the local community. On the evening, summary copies of my annual report, and information about Team London, were distributed to everyone that attended.

London Youth Dance

On 9 and 10 July, the London Youth Dance weekend took place in The Scoop at More London. Once again, this highly successful annual event displayed the talents of hundreds of inspiring young dancers from across the capital, performing creative pieces in a range of dance styles to a huge audience.

Outdoor Arts Festival

On 26 July, at City Hall, I hosted ‘The Outdoor Arts Festival Briefing’ for Arts and Events Officers from the London Boroughs. An inspirational creative session was held, with the officers developing the fantastic cultural offers planned for the summer of the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Artist Studios

On 14 July, I hosted the half day seminar '’The Art of Regeneration: Artist studios and their role in the city’, in response to the impact that the 2012 Olympic Games will have on the 996 artist studios in the host boroughs.

This was an oversubscribed event, which was attended by architects, developers, planners and local authority arts officers, interested in knowing more about the economic and social impacts of artists studio provision within new and existing developments.

Canada Day Reception

On 1 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended the Canada Day Reception at Trafalgar Square.

Ronald Reagan Statue

On 4 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended the unveiling of a statue of President Ronald Reagan in Grosvenor Square on my behalf. Also in attendance were the Ambassador of the United States of America, HE Louis Susman, Mrs Ronald Reagan, Ms Condoleezza Rice and William Hague MP, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

7 July Anniversary

On 7 July, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, laid a bouquet of flowers at the 7 July Memorial in Hyde Park on my behalf, in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the London bombings of 7 July 2005.

Babaji Celebrations

On 21 August, my Statutory Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, attended the Babaji Celebrations at Harrow Leisure Centre.

GLA Organisation

Transfer of the European Programmes Management Unit

I have approved the transfer of the European Programmes Management Unit (EPMU) from the LDA to the GLA.

I have approved the delegation to the Executive Director of Resources of the authority to exercise any function of the GLA in relation to EPMU and approved the delegation limits for the administration of previously approved European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund (ESF) spend.

Transfer of LDA’s Youth and Volunteering Activities

I have directed the LDA to transfer to the GLA the academies programme, including £400,000 programme budget for 2011/12, and, the 2011/13 ESF programme under development, including £886,514 programme budget for 2011/12.

I have agreed to delegate the power to approve all further recommendations and spend relating to academies and youth ESF to Jeff Jacobs, Executive Director Communities and Intelligence.

Finally, I have responded to the Head of Paid Service consultation and confirm that I am satisfied with the creation of four posts.

Transfer of the Climate Change programme from LDA to GLA

I have directed the LDA, pursuant to section 121 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the GLA Act), and in the terms set out, to transfer £3,795,000 of LDA revenue funds for the 2011-12 Climate Change programme, less any sums properly incurred by the LDA against each budget prior to transfer. I have also directed the LDA, subject to each individual’s consent and, to compliance with all legal requirements, to assist with the transfer of the employment of the 8 staff to the GLA, in order to resource the management, administration and delivery of the programme from the date of transfer.

I have approved the delegation to the Executive Director of Development and Environment, the authority to exercise any function of the GLA in relation to LDA Climate Change programme, including all further recommendations and spend relating to the incoming Climate Change programme and its allocated budget.

Finally, I have responded to the Head of Paid Service consultation and confirm that I am satisfied with the creation of eight posts.

LDA Annual Report 2010/11

I have directed the LDA to prepare an annual report covering 2010-11 and to submit the report to me at least four weeks before the proposed publication date.

I have agreed to delegate publication of the LDA’s 2010-11 annual report to the LDA.

Finally, I have directed the LDA to publish the report no later than two weeks after my approval and that the LDA holds its annual public meeting at least three working days, and not more than six weeks, after the publication of the annual report.

Variation of Directions MD388 and MD673 – Food Programme

I have agreed to vary the terms of Mayoral Directions MD388 and MD673 to cancel the transfer of £1,000,000 from the LDA to the GLA for the funding of the London Food Programme for the financial year 2011-12.

Employment and Skills Programme

I have directed the LDA, using section 27 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, to transfer £530,000 revenue grant to the GLA, which will be invested in the promotion and delivery of my priorities in skills and employment outcomes across London.

GLA Finance and Performance Report Quarter Four 2011

I have noted the transfers to and from reserves as detailed in the body of the report and the GLA’s financial outturn for the year 2010/11.

London Housing and Property Company

I have directed the LDA to transfer to the GLA the total sum of £740,000, earmarked currently for the London Housing and Property Company (less any defrayed expenditure), in one single payment and as soon as reasonably practicable, to assist with the development of the GLA land strategy and procurement arrangements in preparation for new GLA housing powers commencing in April 2012.

Business Competitiveness and Engagement Programme

I have directed the LDA, using section 27 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, to transfer £200,000 revenue grant to the GLA, which will be invested in the delivery of my priorities in business competitiveness, growth and engagement.

Recent Audit Reports

I have noted the recent internal audit reports, the Internal Audit’s assurance report for 2010-11 and, the progress report from Internal Audit for quarter 1 of 2011-12.

GLA costs in 2011/ 12 of LDA transferred staff

I have authorised the GLA’s Executive Director of Resources to agree with the LDA, the level of LDA funding required to cover the direct staffing costs for the financial year 2011/12 of:

 those LDA staff who have become GLA employees following the transfer of the Climate Change, Youth & Volunteering , Olympic Skills and International Promotion of London Programmes from the LDA to the GLA; and  such other LDA staff transferred to the GLA on an individual basis, as may be agreed.

Finally, I have given consent to the transfer of funding from the LDA to the GLA in respect of such direct staffing costs as agreed by the Executive Director of Resources by means of a revenue grant under section 121 of the GLA Act.

Shared Payroll & HR Services – GLA and LFEPA

I have approved the GLA entering into an arrangement with LFEPA for LFEPA’s discharge of the GLA’s payroll function and provision of HR systems, as set out under section 401A of the Greater London Authority Act 1999.

I have delegated to the Executive Director of Resources, authority to approve all necessary actions and documentation in order to put the arrangements under s 401A in place between the GLA and LFEPA and to execute such documentation on behalf of the GLA.

Office Cleaning and Porterage Services at City Hall

I have approved to extend further the office cleaning contract to 31 December 2011, under the option to extend in the contract and have approved, with the the agreement of OCS, to Terminate the porterage contract early and vary the extended office cleaning contract to include a provision for porterage.

I have agreed to commence an EU compliant tender for the supply of combined Office Cleaning and Porterage services and award a contract to the most economically advantageous

bidder for a 5 year period, with options to extend the contract for a further 2 years in 1 year lots.

Finally, I have agreed to delegate to the Executive Director of Resources, the capacity to sign any documents required to terminate the porterage contract early, the option to extend any documents required to amend the office cleaning services contract to include the porterage services and, to include and award the contract for the provision of porterage and office cleaning services following a competitive tendering exercise, subject to the Executive Director of Resources ensuring that all procurements and funding be awarded in accordance with the GLA Contracts & Funding Code.

Appointments

Mayoral Appointments

I have approved the increase in accountabilities of the Mayoral Advisor for Culture , Munira Mirza, and to change her job title to Mayoral Advisor, Culture and Youth, with effect from 21 June 2011. The salary for the new role will be £127,784. I have also agreed to change the accountabilities and job title of the Mayoral Advisor, Health and Youth Opportunities, Pam Chesters, to Mayoral Advisor, Health and Families, with effect from 21 June 2011.

Finally, I have approved the increase in salary of the Mayoral Advisor, Housing, Richard Blakeway, with effect from 21 June 2011, to £110,000, to ensure it is at a level commensurate with role and in line with other posts at that salary.

Harvey McGrath to co-chair the London Enterprise Partnership

On 21 July, I confirmed Harvey McGrath, Chairman of Prudential plc, as the first appointment and Co-Chair of the London Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Board. The LEP is a business-led Board, focused on investment in the capital, business and growth and securing training and employment opportunities for Londoners.

I have approved the terms of appointment for the Interim Co-Chair and interim members of the shadow LEP Board and, approved the appointment of Harvey McGrath as Interim Co-Chair upon these terms of appointment.

I have also approved that, in consultation with London Councils and other relevant stakeholders, the Interim Co-Chair is asked to formulate proposals for my subsequent consideration as to the LEP’s permanent basis, including the establishment, remit, composition and legal basis/structure, together with proposals for any secretariat and other professional support.

I have authorised GLA officers to draft a work plan for the LEP and to undertake recruitment to the shadow and permanent LEP Boards. I will subsequently confirm appointments to the shadow and permanent LEP Boards.

London and Partners Board

I have approved the appointment of Stuart Fraser as Non Executive Director of the London & Partners Board, until 30 September 2012, with the option to extend up to 30 September 2016.

Planning and Development Control

New London Plan Published

On 22 July, I published my new London Plan which establishes my blueprint for boosting the capital’s status as the best place in the world to live or do business and improving the quality of life for all Londoners.

The Plan also has a key part to play in achieving a successful legacy for the 2012 Games and delivers on my commitment to strengthen the protection of London’s World Heritage Sites and views across the city of key London landmarks. The Plan also reflects the recommendations of the Outer London Commission to support growth in London’s outer boroughs.

I also announced that I am issuing for consultation an update to the London View Management Framework. I want to ensure that developers across the capital have all the information they need to implement the new policies on views in the London Plan.

I approved publication of the replacement London Plan as my spatial development strategy, in accordance with section 337 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999. I noted publication of the Sustainability Statement on the preparation of the Replacement London Plan and the measures for monitoring its implementation. I approved publication of the required statutory notice of publication and the giving of the required notice to local authorities and others, in accordance with regulation 9 of the Town and Country Planning (London Spatial Development Strategy) Regulations 2000.

I authorised expenditure of not more than £10,000 from the Planning Division budget on placing the statutory advertisement, expenditure of not more than £20,000 on printing 2,000 copies of the new London Plan and approved the setting of a charge of £50 per copy for the new London Plan.

To view the plan online please visit: www.london.gov.uk/priorities/planning/londonplan

Market sees ‚world class‛ opportunity in the Royal Docks

In July, the LDA received a positive response from a range of UK and International developers to its plans to develop its Royal Docks sites at Silvertown Quays and the Royal Albert Dock. This follows the LDA inviting ‘expressions of interest’ from investors and developers around the world in the two sites, which cover 85 acres of prime development land.

Responses have come in from major UK-based developers and from investors as far afield as China, India, Australia and the USA. The responses have shown a good level of consensus about the kind of developments appropriate for each site. Those expressing an interest in the sites have made it clear that they support the vision for a mixed scheme at Silvertown Quays, with business-led, hi-tech proposals dominating on the Royal Albert Dock site.

The LDA aims to reach an agreement with successful development partners in 2012, following completion of the formal procurement process, which was launched in partnership with Newham Council on 22 July.

London Development Agency selects Notting Hill to develop Gallions Quarter

On 25 July, the LDA selected Notting Hill Housing Trust as its preferred developer for Gallions Quarter, a new mixed-use urban centre in the Albert Basin area of the Royal Docks. Notting Hill Housing Trust proposes to build around 700 new homes and 50,000 square feet of retail and community space. Their selection, subject to contract, follows a competitive dialogue process launched in summer 2010, with final tenders received in June 2011.

It is expected that a planning application will be submitted by January 2012, with the aim of completing the construction of the entire scheme by 2018.

Planning application submitted for redevelopment of Chequers Corner

On 9 August, the LDA, jointly with its development partner, Premier Inn, has submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of Chequers Corner in Dagenham. The application follows the exchange of contracts between the LDA and the Premier Inn in March 2011 and is part of the wider regeneration programme for East London.

The LDA has been working closely with the Premier Inn to finalise plans to build an 80 bedroom hotel and 120 cover restaurant on the site, in time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The development on the site of a former shopping parade will create up to 80 new jobs in Dagenham, improving both the social and economic prospects in the area.

Planning Decisions (Stage II referrals)

Saatchi Block, LB Camden I have written to the London Borough of Camden stating that I will act as the local planning authority for the purposes of determining the planning application.

Nash House, LB Ealing I have written to the London Borough of Ealing stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Pembury Circus, LB Hackney I have written to the London Borough of Hackney stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

St Alphage, City of London I have written to the City of London stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Bishops Place, LB Hackney I have written to the London Borough of Hackney stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

89-93 Newington Causeway, LB Southwark I have written to the London Borough of Southwark stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

79-83 Beddington Lane, LB Sutton I have written to the London Borough of Sutton stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

RMC House, LB Hammersmith & Fulham I have written to the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

The West London Academy, LB Ealing I have written to the London Borough of Ealing stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Loughborough Park Estate, LB Lambeth I have written to the London Borough of Lambeth stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

2-12 High Street Stratford, LB Newham I have written to the London Borough of Newham stating that I am content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Delegated stage II decisions

The Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, under powers I delegated to him, has sent letters in response to the following statutory referrals:

45 Hornsey Road, LB Islington The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Islington stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Travis Perkins (11-13 St Pancras Way), LB Camden The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Camden stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

5-13 Roseberry, LB Hackney The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Hackney stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Wyevale Garden Centre, LB Barnet The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Barnet stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Battersea Reach, LB Wandsworth The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Wandsworth stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Thameside Centre, LB Hounslow The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Hounslow stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Former Nicholls & Clarke Site, LB Tower Hamlets The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

King Solomon High School, LB Redbridge The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Redbridge stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Cherry Orchard Road, LB Croydon The Deputy Mayor has written to the London Borough of Croydon stating that he is content to allow the Council to determine the application itself.

Planning Decisions (Stage I referrals)

I have asked officers to send letters giving comments about the following stage one referrals:

 Former Essex House Site, LB Croydon  69-71; 76a; 1-73 Dalston Lane and land along Martel, LB Hackney  5-13 Roseberry Place, Dalston, LB Hackney  Land at Chequers Lane, LB Barking & Dagenham  King Solomon High School, LB Redbridge  Sinclair House & Beal High School, LB Redbridge  Land South of Nine Elms Lane, LB Wandsworth  Marco Polo House, LB Wandsworth  Biggin Hill Airport, LB Bromley  Chiswick Roundabout, LB Hounslow  York House & Becket House, LB Lambeth  Land at the Ferrier Estate, LB Greenwich  The O2 Skywalk, LB Greenwich  45 Hornsey Road, LB Islington  Plot M0117, LB Greenwich  Former Parcel Force Depot, LB Barnet  Royal Mail Site, Paddington, LB Westminster  Royal Mail Western District Office, Rathbone Place, LB Westminster  Five Oaks Lane, LB Redbridge  Cuba Street, LB Tower Hamlets  Former Maskell Site, LB Barking & Dagenham  10 Trinity Square, City of London  Marlowe Business Centre, LB Lewisham  Gate Gourmet Site, LB Hounslow  Chelsea Creek, Imperial Wharf, LB Hammersmith & Fulham  Janet Adegoke Leisure Centre, LB Hammersmith & Fulham  Dukes Meadow Golf Club, LB Hounslow  120-124 Victoria Street, City of Westminster  Torquay House, City of Westminster  Oldchurch Hospital, LB Havering

Delegated Planning Decisions (Stage I referrals)

The Deputy Mayor has asked officers to send letters giving comments about the following stage one referrals:

 Sea Containers House, LB Southwark  Tesco Stores Ltd, Station Road, LB Harrow  Virginia Quay, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation  Prices Candles, 100 York Road, LB Wandsworth  Marble Arch, City of Westminster  London Bridge Station, LB Southwark  Reynard Trading Estate, LB Hounslow  134 to 140 Pennington Street, LB Tower Hamlets  4-6 and 16-22 Middlesex Street and 3-11 Goulston Street, LB Tower Hamlets  Long Haul Catering Base, Heathrow, LB Hillingdon

Development Plans

I have written to the following Councils giving a response to their development plan consultations:

 Bexley Core Strategy, Post-submission amendments, LB Bexley  Kingston Core Strategy, Submission, RB Kingston  Barnet Local Development Scheme, LB Barnet  North London Waste Authority Boroughs Waste DPD  Southwark Local Development Scheme, LB Southwark

Decisions made under delegation to Assistant Director - Planning

 Development Management Policies, Harrow and Wealdstone AAP, and Site Allocations DPD, Regulation 25 Consultation, LB Harrow  Drapers Field, Stratford, LB Waltham Forest  33 Jeffreys Road, LB Enfield  St Bartholomew’s Hospital, City of London  Riverside Sewage Treatment Works, LB Havering  Camden Planning Guidance Consultation: Town Centres; Retail and Employment; Amenity; Transport; Planning Obligations, LB Camden  Mildmay Mission Hospital, LB Tower Hamlets  Shubette House, LB Wembley  9-28 Buckler Court & 29-47 Carrondale Court, Eden Grove and 10 Hornsey Street, LB Islington  Redbridge Crossrail Corridor AAP, EiP, LB Redbridge  Loampit Vale, LB Lewisham  St Anne’s Wharf, LB Tower Hamlets  Former Nicholls + Clarke Site, LB Tower Hamlets  Fish Island AAP Engagement Document, LB Tower Hamlets  Tower Hamlets Development Management DPD, LB Tower Hamlets

 Twickenham AAP, LB Richmond Upon Thames  50 Lombard Wall, LB Greenwich  Land West of Fairview Industrial Park, LB Havering (Stage II)  UCL Windeyer Building, LB Camden (Stage II)  Former Harold Wood Hospital, LB Havering  Mill Hill Golf Club, LB Barnet  Barking Station Masterplan, LB Barking & Dagenham

Key Engagements

Among my additional engagements since my last report were the following:

 I launched Team London on 30 June  I held an ‚Ask Boris‛ Twitter session on 30 June  I attended a lunch to celebrate the launch of Team London on 30 June  I had my regular meeting with Transport for London on 30 June  I met with RIBA on 30 June to talk about architecture and London's place as a world leader in architecture and design  I met with Gensler project staff on 30 June  I attended the London pilot, at Crystal Palace, of the new National School Games on 1 July  I had lunch with Anita Zabludowicz on 1 July  I attended a meeting with the Olympic Host Boroughs in Greenwich on 4 July  I attended the Westfield Apprentices event on 4 July  I attended the Japanese Olympic team announcement photo at Stratford Circus Theatre in Newham on 4 July  I chaired a meeting of an informal Economic Advisory Group on 4 July  I met with Cllr Keith Prince, Leader of the London Borough of Redbridge, on 4 July to discuss borough issues  I took part in a photo op to send off a group of riders who were cycling from London to Lisbon in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research on 5 July  I attended a series of events on 5 July to celebrate beating our target of creating 20,000 apprenticeship opportunities in the capital, three months ahead of schedule, and encourage businesses to take on even more apprentices  I met with Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, and Andy Altman , Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, on 5 July to discuss preparations for the 2012 Games and their legacy  I met with Venus AM on 5 July to discuss the London Riverpark  I met with The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Minister for Housing, on 5 July to discuss housing in London  I met with Ray Lewis on 6 July to discuss youth opportunities  I had my regular meeting with the Mayor’s Fund on 6 July  I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 6 July  I attended the opening of the new M&M store in Leicester Square on 6 July  I addressed LU Staff on 7 July  I chaired a meeting of the Homes & Communities Agency Board on 7 July  I had my regular meeting with Transport for London on 7 July

 I had my regular meeting with Helen Alexander, Port of London Authority, on 7 July  I had my regular discussion on policing in London with Sir Paul Stephenson 7 July  I had my photo taken with GLA apprentices on 8 July  I addressed the ISBC Conference on 11 July  I had my photo taken to promote the Lord Mayor Michael Bear's charity event ‘City Cycle Style’ on 11 July  I met with Roger Evans AM and representatives of the mosques in Redbridge on 11 July  I met with Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of LOCOG, on 11 July to discuss preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games  I chaired a meeting of the London Health Improvement Board on 11 July  I met with Deborah Glass, IPCC on 11 July to discuss ongoing IPCC investigations  I attended the London Assembly Conservative Group Summer Reception on 11 July  I attended the Arab Festival business reception on 11 July  I visited the Ealing Ambassador Recruitment Centre on 12 July  I met with Lord Hall, Chair Cultural Olympiad Board, on 12 July to discuss the Cultural Olympiad  I met with the Mayor of Jerusalem on 12 July  I hosted a community reception for Bexley & Bromley on 12 July  I attended Mayor’s Question Time on 13 July  I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 13 July  I chaired the Olympic Park Regeneration Steering Group on 13 July  I had my regular meeting with Margaret Ford and Andrew Altman from the Olympic Park Legacy Company on 13 July  I visited a new BMX track in Waltham Forest on 14 July  I met with The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for the Department for Culture Media & Sport , Bob Neill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government and representatives from the Wellcome Trust on 14 July to discuss the Olympic Park  I met with Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, on 14 July  I opened the new Jewish Care Campus in Golders Green on 15 July  I addressed the Older People’s Assembly on 18 July  I held a press conference with Kit Malthouse about policing in London on 18 July  I attended the HA (OPG) Cabinet Committee on 18 July  I met with the Conservative Group on the Assembly on 19 July  I had my regular monthly catch up with James Cleverly AM, Leader of the Conservative Group on the Assembly, on 19 July  I chaired my regular planning decisions meeting on 19 July  I met Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Stuart Osborne, on 19 July to discuss policing and security  I attended a morning of workshops for mentors & mentees in Waltham Forest to mark the mentoring project going live 20 July  I met with Stephen Greenhalgh, Leader of Hammersmith & Fulham, and Terry Farrell on 20 July to discuss Old Oak Common  I attended the Bureau of Leaders on 20 July  I visited Lycamobile on 21 July  I attended the opening of the refurbished Bexley Medical Group surgery in Bexleyheath on 21 July

 I attended the Talk London Public Consultation meeting in Bexleyheath on 21 July  I had my regular meeting with Lord Coe and Paul Deighton, LOCOG, and Justin King on 22 July, to discuss preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games  I visited the Gensler offices on 22 July  I had an introductory meeting with Bernard Hogan Howe as Acting Deputy Commissioner on 25 July  I attended the Jeremy Vine Olympic Debate on BBC London on 25 July  I hosted the Nick Ferrari radio show on 26 July  I had my regular meeting with Transport for London on 26 July  I had a meeting with representatives from the Taxi Trade on 26 July  I hosted my summer drinks with senior GLA Group staff on 26 July  I attended the One Year to Go events at the Olympic Park and also at Trafalgar Square on 27 July  I attended the One Year to Go dinner hosted by Jacques Rogge on 27 July  I attended an event at Westfield to mark the anniversary of the Bike Hire Scheme on 28 July  I had my regular discussion on policing in London with the Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin on 28 July  I met with Live Nation on 28 July, to discuss the London 2012 City Live site proposals  I visited Lavender Hill on 9 August  I visited Croydon on 9 August  I had dinner with the Prime Minister on 9 August  I attended COBR on 10 August  I visited Enfield on 10 August  I visited Tottenham on 10 August  I hosted a conference call with all borough leaders on 10 August  I attended COBR on 11 August  I met with London MPs on 11 August  I visited Ealing on 11 August  I met with the London Business Advisory Council on 11 August  I attended COBR on 12 August  I visited Stoke Newington on 12 August  I visited West Croydon on 12 August  I attended the Badminton World Championship Final at Wembley Arena on 14 August  I attended COBR on 15 August  I visited the MET CCTV Monitoring Centre on 15 August  I attended the Bureau of Leaders on 15 August  I visited Peckham on 16 August  I met with AC Lynn Owens on 16 August to discuss the Notting Hill Carnival  I visited Hackney on 17 August  I visited Tottenham with Eric Pickles to announce The London Recovery Fund on 17 August  I visited Lewisham on 18 August  I visited central Woolwich on 23 August  I visited Walworth Road on 23 August  I met with AC Dick on 23 August to discuss policing and security  I launched the High Street Fund with Sir William Castell on 24 August  I took part in a photo for the Notting Hill Carnival on 24 August

 I met with Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth, to discuss borough issues on 24 August  I had my regular discussion on policing in London with the Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin on 24 August  I visited Walthamstow High Street on 25 August  I visited High Street North, Newham on 25 August  I took part in a photo to promote Skyride on 25 August  I chaired a meeting of the London Crime Reduction Board on 25 August  I chaired my regular planning meeting on 25 August  I attended the Notting Hill Carnival on 29 August

Ends