Appendix 2

Mayor’s Question Time - Thursday 24 June 2021

Transcript of Item 5 – Questions to the Mayor

2021/2475 - TfL’s Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement AM

Is the 1 June 2021 Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement between Transport for and the Department for Transport a good deal for London?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The 1 June agreement with the Government is clearly not the deal that we wanted, and it presents a number of serious challenges for Transport for London (TfL) and for London. You would have seen, for example, that TfL’s credit rating was downgraded last week, with the lack of clarity from the Government on long-term funding being cited as a cause. This will make it harder to secure much-needed investment in London, but this deal is also the only deal that was on the table so I had to accept it to keep public transport in London moving.

I have been clear that my aim remains to secure a sustainable long-term funding deal for TfL, which can support London’s economic recovery as well as help to achieve the Government’s own aims of a national infrastructure-led recovery, a decarbonised United Kingdom (UK), and the levelling up of our economy. The pandemic has shown that TfL can no longer rely so heavily on fares revenue. The simple fact is that the loss of fares revenue due to the pandemic is the only reason TfL needs emergency funding to keep operating and the Government remains the only source of such funding for some time to come.

We knew these negotiations were going to be extremely tough, and they were. But we saw off the worst of the conditions the Government wanted to impose on London, which would have been equivalent to withdrawing one in five of London’s bus routes, hampering London’s recovery. I am hopeful that as Londoners continue to steadily return to the transport network and as TfL continues to find new ways to reduce costs and become even more efficient, the organisation will return to the level of financial sustainability it had achieved before the pandemic and go even further in the future.

This will not be easy. It will mean making some tough choices; however, TfL’s hard work in the coming months will allow it to continue to play a central role in our recovery and London’s future. Transformative projects like the Elizabeth line, the extension of the Northern line and the rebuilding of Bank station are forging ahead, as are projects to avoid a car-led recovery, improve air quality and encourage active and sustainable travel.

Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Mr Mayor, you may be aware that a fortnight ago the Assembly Labour Group produced a report, The TfL funding settlement: another short-term sticking plaster. In it we made several recommendations, the first of which said the Government should offer TfL an 18-month deal with no strings attached, similar to the deal train operating companies outside London received. Was that ever on the table? Did the Government ever offer you such a deal?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, it did not. One of the things that we asked for was parity of treatment. You mentioned how privatised train operating companies got the blank cheque for 18 months; we asked for something similar. We did not mind the cheque not being blank, but a long-term deal or even a medium-term deal was clearly far better for TfL than the six-month ad hoc deals with draconian strings. We are hoping though that, with the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) this autumn, we will be able to get a

decent deal for a decent length of time after that. We are going to work closely with the Department for Transport (DfT) in advance of the CSR to make sure we have the right arguments to present to Treasury.

Elly Baker AM: One of our other recommendations was that Londoners should have a say on any future deal, on the level of funding offered and the conditions attached. Would you support giving the public a say on that?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I think they had their say on 6 May [2021]. They wanted a Mayor of London standing up for our city rather than the pocket of the Government. That means making sure that we argue the case for London. It is very important for the Government to realise that a national recovery can only happen with a London recovery. When you speak to businesses across our city, that can only happen with TfL firing on all cylinders. But I am more than happy to have the Government listen to Londoners who will be crucial in our nations’ recovery.

Elly Baker AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor.

2021/2299 - Silvertown Road Tunnel scrutiny AM

Do you feel that the Silvertown Road Tunnel has had enough public and democratic scrutiny?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Silvertown Tunnel has been one of the most heavily scrutinised projects in the history of the mayoralty, and rightly so. All in all, it has been consulted on in one form or another on ten separate occasions. It was first proposed in the previous Mayor’s Transport Strategy and also his London Plan, which were consulted on separately in 2009. TfL then held three separate consultations: two on a package of river crossings in East London, which included proposals for the Silvertown Tunnel in 2012 and 2013; then one on the specific proposal for the Silvertown Tunnel in 2014. All these consultations helped TfL develop its proposals with the benefit of feedback from the public and other stakeholders.

Statutory consultation on the Silvertown Tunnel scheme was then held in October and November 2015. Following that consultation, TfL applied to the [then] Secretary of State [for Transport] for the Development Consent Order. This process involved a six-month examination during which key issues were raised and examined in detail. All the documents and recordings of the hearings remain available for Assembly Members and anyone else to see. The Planning Inspectorate was satisfied with TfL’s work and recommended the scheme for approval. The Secretary of State agreed and granted the Development Consent Order.

My own Transport Strategy, my London Plan and London Environment Strategy all included the proposal and were each consulted on separately in my first term as Mayor. TfL has also held extensive discussions with stakeholder groups outside of these consultations, including the affected boroughs, businesses, residents associations and other groups. The scheme has also been reviewed by auditors Ernst & Young, the report of which is in the public domain, and by the TfL board, most notably again when its Programmes and Investment Committee granted the approvals to enter into the agreement with RiverLinx. This looked at the whole case for the scheme and was supported by assurance within TfL, an external expert, and the Independent Investment Programme Advisory Group. Ongoing scrutiny by the boroughs and the Greater London Authority (GLA) comes via the Silvertown Tunnel Implementation Group and reports, meeting papers and decisions are all also available online.

As a result of this extensive consultation and engagement and my own review of the project, the scheme is very different to the one originally envisaged, with better public transport, walking and cycling provision, concessions and discounts for local people, support for local businesses and stronger environmental controls for construction. We have long needed a new river crossing in that part of London and I am confident we have the right scheme for Londoners.

Zack Polanski AM: Mr Mayor, last month I promised that I would push you further and faster when I believe there are gaps in your plans for the climate emergency. This tunnel is a pretty huge gap. Londoners are rightly very concerned about it and I think more will be as awareness grows. I do not want to ask you today about the merits of the tunnel, I want to ask you about the process. We can talk about the merits another time when you have decided to pause and review.

You gave me an extensive timeline there and you said that it has been consulted on in one form or another. Can I confirm my understanding that the last time there was a consultation on this, which involved the public, was the statutory consultation in 2015 opened under the previous Mayor, which was over half a decade ago?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No.

Zack Polanski AM: When was the public last involved?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): They have been involved on three more recent occasions at least. One was my Transport Strategy, which included details of the Silvertown Tunnel. Second was my Environment Strategy, which included the details. Third was my London Plan. Separately, there have been extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including with residents’ groups, including --

Zack Polanski AM: Sorry to interrupt you, Mr Mayor.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You cannot suppress and interrupt when I am giving an answer. This is how it works; you ask the question and I give you the answer. Sometimes you do not like it and we will have a discussion about it.

Zack Polanski AM: Those packages involved a walking and cycling bridge, two new railway lines and a ferry crossing, and all of those have been cancelled from those consultations. All we are left with is this motorway tunnel and Londoners are furious. On local representation, three Members of Parliament (MPs) plus the directly elected Mayor of Newham all disagree with this and wanted a comprehensive review, which was not delivered in any of those extra consultations. Opposition to this is growing by the day. How loud does this opposition need to be for you to pause, reflect and speak to those Labour MPs? These are your own colleagues, Mr Mayor.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The other example of huge consultation I did not mention was the Mayoral elections where the two main candidates - and the second candidate got far more votes than the candidate who came third - both were in favour of the Silvertown Tunnel. On every occasion where the Green candidate had the chance to speak, and there were many debates, she raised the issue of the Silvertown Tunnel. Another example of the response from Londoners that you claim to care about was the overwhelming return of votes for both the Conservative candidate and the Labour candidate. We can talk about the various occasions we have consulted Londoners over the last number of years, not least the last five years while I have been Mayor, and the previous --

Zack Polanski AM: How many times did you bring it up proactively, Mr Mayor?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): -- four years, being the second term of the previous Mayor of London. What we have done since I was elected Mayor is to improve the scheme. For example, the most unreliable --

Zack Polanski AM: Can I go back to the question. Are you proud of this tunnel, Mr Mayor? How many times did you bring it up?

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Polanski, you must allow the Mayor to answer the question.

Zack Polanski AM: They are quite long answers, Chair.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Perhaps the Mayor can answer concisely.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Conservative candidate and the Labour candidate did far better than the Green candidate.

Zack Polanski AM: But the Green candidate mentioned the Silvertown Tunnel proactively and that was agreed with. I do not think you mentioned this tunnel once unless it was defensively. Why do you not listen to these Londoners and pause and reflect? Will you even meet the campaigners? They have not been met since 2019 by Heidi Alexander [Deputy Mayor for Transport] for about 40 minutes, and there were five of them in the room. My final question, will you accept or decline an invitation with local residents who want to meet you to talk about this?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, the way it works, as you know as somebody who is an experienced Assembly Member, you do not get to frame the answer when you ask the question. I have been quite clear in the answer I gave to the question asked by the new Assembly Member, about the copious amounts of consultation both the previous Mayor and myself have done over the last number of years, the last eight years in fact, there have been regular consultations. We have taken on board many of the issues raised by Londoners, which is why the scheme that is now being constructed is far better than the original scheme envisaged in 2009. I am keen to make sure we continue to listen to those Londoners, which is why we are having, although it is not --

Zack Polanski AM: Chair, I note the Mayor has not accepted the invitation and I am out of time, so no further questions, thank you.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Mr Mayor, you are answering another question. The Assembly Member specifically asked you one question about whether or not you would meet with residents about the Silvertown Tunnel.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Deputy Mayor and I regularly meet with residents in that part of London, including the MPs that the Member seems to care quite passionately about, and the councils as well. I will continue to meet with representatives from the community, including the MPs and leaders.

2021/2411 - ULEZ AM

What plans do you have to reopen TfL’s suspended ULEZ scrappage schemes?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): At the time of announcing our plans for the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), I asked the Government for support towards a vehicle scrappage scheme. This was not provided, though I introduced a series of TfL scrappage schemes to support Londoners to make the switch to greener vehicles. I initially allocated £48 million from the TfL budget to three schemes to support low-income and disabled Londoners, small businesses and charities, and heavy vehicles. Due to unprecedented demand for the scrappage scheme for vans, the funding was all allocated and so the scheme was suspended on 20 August 2020. We have paid out over £33 million from this scheme and over 5,000 vans have been scrapped.

Similarly, the funds were all allocated in the heavy vehicle scheme and it was suspended at the end of September 2020. We have paid out around £1.5 million through this scheme and over 100 heavy vehicles have been scrapped or retrofitted. The car and motorcycle scheme for low-income and disabled Londoners is the scheme for which the highest number of Londoners are eligible and this remains open. As of this month, we have paid out over £9 million to Londoners through this scheme with more than 4,500 vehicles already scrapped. In total, we have made payments of over £44 million across the three schemes, helping to scrap or retrofit nearly 10,000 older, more polluting vehicles. Charities can still continue to access funding to scrap minibuses given their vital role in our communities and the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The scrappage schemes have played a vital role in providing financial support to vulnerable Londoners. That is why I have added a further £8.5 million in additional funding for scrappage this year, topping up the total funds to over £56 million. We have still had no support from the Government. Part of the remaining TfL funding will be allocated to previous applicants of the van scrappage scheme whose applications TfL was unable to process due to oversubscription to the hugely popular scheme. It is clear the Government will not be able to achieve its own net zero target by 2050 if it does not invest to deliver net zero in London. The Government has provided funding for scrappage in Birmingham and Bath to support their clean air zones, but not for London to support the ULEZ.

Peter Fortune AM: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. What we are talking about here is your expansion of the ULEZ scheme right across London. It is your expansion, so we would like to talk about that rather than the Government. Our concern is that this is going to hit the poorest in our communities the hardest. I just want to dig into some of these numbers. What is TfL’s latest estimate for how many non-compliant vehicles are driving into the expanded area?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): By the way, the schemes in Bath and Birmingham are also the Bath scheme and the Birmingham scheme, which the Government has given support to. So to coin a phrase, did you say you cannot speak for the Government?

Peter Fortune AM: I said I am not at Birmingham Question Time; it is London Question Time.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): So I would hope you will lobby the Government on behalf of Londoners, which you can do.

Peter Fortune AM: We can swap jobs if you like, Mr Mayor?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You have to stand for election and we know how it turned out for the last candidate from your party who stood for election on 6 May.

In relation to the Central London scheme, for which we have figures that are accurate, the number of compliant vehicles is now 87%. In relation to the wider scheme, the expanded scheme, six out of ten Londoners in the expanded area do not own a car. In some boroughs like Hackney it is even more than six out of ten. The figures we have in relation to vehicles that are non-compliant for the expanded scheme - I can write to you with exact details - the number may be a bit dated because over the last period there have been more people converting to compliant vehicles, but I am happy to write to you. We do have the figure in TfL and I will drop you a note.

Peter Fortune AM: That will be fantastic, thank you, Mr Mayor. An approximate number would be great. Building on that, how much is left in the car and motorcycle scrappage scheme? The concern is that there is enough in that scheme so that is not suspended as well. How much is left?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Good question. In relation to both the car and motorcycle scheme, and also the charities scheme, we think we will be using up the monies pretty soon. If you remember, I mentioned that the van scrappage scheme, we allocated more money, we have reopened that for those who had applied previously but we had run out of money. So at the moment our estimates are we do not think we will run out of money, if you see what I mean.

Peter Fortune AM: I understand. That is the root of a lot of what I am asking today, because our concern is that this is going to hit the poorest in our communities. Earlier in the year, the GLA Conservatives proposed that we use £50 million from City Hall’s business rates reserves to invest in TfL scrappage schemes. That money could help remove over 7,000 non-compliant vehicles. Is that something that you can look at again to help those underprivileged Londoners?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I would love to. The challenge is, pursuant to the most recent deal done with the Government, TfL is required to find an additional £300 million savings in the year 2021/22 and £730 million savings by 2022/23. Any additional monies we put into TfL would be directed towards the savings requirement from the Government and/or new income revenues required later on. Therefore the challenge is, we put more money into TfL, we will not be able to direct it towards the people that you care about because of the requirements from the Government. But if you are able to lobby the Government to remove some of those strings, I am sure we can do more.

Peter Fortune AM: So just so I am clear, what you are saying is you cannot use that reserve to fund any kind of TfL vehicle?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): What I am saying is that, because of the deal with the Government, any monies that go into TfL will be directed towards the savings and/or the revenues in the future rather than those Londoners, unless we can find savings elsewhere.

Peter Fortune AM: Turning to an interview you gave yesterday where you spoke to the Evening Standard, you said that Londoners do not need to buy a brand-new vehicle, they can buy a second-hand vehicle, which is a little bit confusing. That is suggesting that we take money out of the hands of the poor and send it to used car salesmen. You went on to say that the good news is that, for a vehicle to be ULEZ-compliant, it is not that expensive. You do not need to buy a new car; all you need to do is have a petrol car that is newer than 2005 or a diesel car more recent than 2015. Mr Mayor, would you not agree that good news would be providing some extra support for Londoners?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I think that is a point you should make to the Chancellor [of the Exchequer] and to the Secretary of State for Transport, who appear to be wanting to punish Londoners who are crucial to our country’s recovery. These are points I have made regularly to the Government. You are right, we should not be punishing the poorest Londoners. That is one of the reasons why we are keen to fix the issue of poor quality air here in London. It is an issue of social justice. It is the poorest Londoners, least likely to own cars, who suffer the worst consequences of poor-quality air. It is the poorest children who have the stunted lungs and the poorest adults who have asthma.

Peter Fortune AM: Absolutely, we understand that. It is not that we are talking about. We are talking about the charge for the poorest people in London. It seems that they have two options: their option is to pay the daily charge or to pay a sort of Arthur Daley [fictional character of television series] charge, where they go and buy a new car. We do not think this is a great thing for Londoners to do, to suggest that they go down to some sort of second-hand car showroom. Would you please look again at our proposals to help those Londoners because they really do need that support?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, I am always happy to look at good suggestions and I am more than happy to look at any recommendations you have to try to address the issue of poor quality air in London at the same time as helping the poorest Londoners.

Peter Fortune AM: Thank you, Chair.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Baker.

Elly Baker AM: Mr Mayor, your submission to the October 2020 spending review included the creation of a national £1.5 billion clean air fund to enable cities to fairly implement clean air zones and tackle emissions, including through vehicle scrappage and retrofit schemes. In terms of funding for London, it is proposed that this should at the very least match the existing £52 million scrappage scheme in the capital. What response have you received from the Government on this, and would it be better for the funding to come from central government instead of using the GLA’s business rate reserves?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Absolutely. What we are doing is using finite resources that are very limited to do a job that really the Government should be doing, with a targeted national diesel scrappage scheme. It begs the question; how can you be a Member of this Assembly and not be arguing this case, be happy for Bath and Birmingham to get preferential treatment and not think it is an issue? A national diesel scrappage scheme would not only help with our objectives of decarbonising our economy, of fixing the air in our city and our country, but also address the climate emergency that we face. In the year of COP26, I am hoping the Government reconsiders and gives support across the country for all cities and towns to clean up their air.

2021/2211 - Metropolitan Police Service Recruitment and Conduct MBE AM

Do you have confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service’s recruitment processes for police officers?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is vital that the public can have confidence in the integrity and professional standards of their police. Policing is a rewarding but extraordinarily challenging occupation. Our officers must be skilled professionals and embody the very highest of standards. The public expects and

deserves no less. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is working hard to attract and recruit a diverse range of candidates with the aptitude and skills to police our global city. I want police officers to join the MPS out of a passion to serve their community and with the drive to perform an outstanding job.

To help achieve this, the MPS operates robust recruitment procedures that have been developed with the College of Policing. Potential candidates must meet academic standards and complete a variety of online and in-person assessments, including interviews, roleplays and situational judgement tests. Candidates are also subject to rigorous security vetting, the guidelines of which are established nationally for all police forces to operate within. Both the Commissioner [of the Police of the Metropolis] and I expect the very best of officers and the highest levels of conduct and personal integrity.

Unfortunately, we know in some cases officers fall short of the standards we expect of them. The Commissioner is committed to rooting out and addressing any failure in professional standards and recognises that it is only with the support of the public that the police can prevent and solve crime. The MPS has assured me that the responsibility to stand up for the values of integrity, compassion and courage, is made clear to every officer and member of staff. This is reinforced through training and during promotion courses. The MPS Department of Professional Standards also proactively engages with groups across the MPS to reinforce the principles officers must uphold.

This is a really important issue, and neither the Commissioner nor I take the professional standards of the MPS for granted. We are both aware that this is something that has to be worked at every day to maintain the confidence of the public. I will continue to challenge and support the MPS to develop recruitment processes to ensure London has skilled, professional officers who properly support the communities they serve.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Lovely, thank you for your answer. The MPS is filled with committed and dedicated officers. But I am concerned that in recent months we have seen increasing reports of serious misconduct. We have seen officers involved in such things as taking pictures of murder victims, attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, stealing drug money, assault and rape. Of course, we have also had the tragic events surrounding Sarah Everard and the report into the Daniel Morgan case. Do you share my concern over this pattern of incidents, and what are you doing to understand why we are seeing such serious misconduct within the MPS?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Not only do I share those concerns, but I am sure I speak for the senior management of the MPS in saying that they share those concerns as well. I have talked about some of the steps the police are taking in relation to recruitment, but also the steps they are taking when officers join the police service. It is really important when failings are revealed that action is taken. The MPS does take the failings you have highlighted very seriously and is addressing them.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: I understand there will always be cases of officers breaking the law or acting improperly, a very small number I am sure. But the scale and the seriousness of some of the more recent reports and cases has given me huge cause for concern. It will undoubtedly, as you mentioned earlier, be contributing to the fall we see in public confidence in the MPS. Will you work with the MPS to review the application and recruitment process and the companies that are used, to assure yourself that it is sufficiently robust?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, I have checked the issue of how police officers are vetted in relation to the vetting code of practice; in relation to the approved professional practice, which is a national vetting process; in relation to the MPS having their own vetting unit and their own vetting board. There are always improvements that can be made and what I am willing to do, Chair, is to contact the Assembly Member to let

her know all the steps we are taking, have taken, and will continue to take going forward. Just to reassure you, the MPS is not happy to mark its own homework; it is also very keen to work with the College of Policing, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and, indeed, the Home Secretary is also looking into these issues with us. All of us want to make sure that the right checks and balances take place, because I think the core of your question is about trust and confidence.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Exactly.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Also your appetite, like mine, is to make sure more Londoners have more trust and confidence. The police get that as well.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Thank you. I look forward to receiving that. We have also seen the well-publicised case of a young MPS recruit being sacked and facing criminal proceedings due to his membership of a prohibited neo-Nazi group. I think this raises serious concerns around the checks and the vetting undertaken within the MPS into new recruits. The Daniel Morgan [Independent Panel] Report recommends better vetting of officers and that the MPS should implement a requirement for police officers to register their membership of any organisation, including the Freemasons. Considering the large number of new officers currently being recruited, will you support the implementation of these recommendations in the MPS?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Firstly, for the sake of convenience, it is important to remind colleagues that it was the police themselves who discovered this officer had lied about his membership of the proscribed organisation. The police are looking at what more work they can do to proactively catch people who lie when they apply to join the police service. They will carry on doing that. In saying that, I know it is a source of concern to those who head the counter-terrorism unit. The Police Regulations are quite clear,

“A member of a police force shall at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of his duties or which is likely to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere”.

That goes, of course, towards the issue raised about Freemasons as well.

In relation to the Daniel Morgan Panel, which did an exhaustive piece of work over a number of years, we are looking very carefully at the 1,200-page report. The Home Secretary has asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) to look into the report and has asked the MPS for a response. We are also waiting for a response from the MPS in relation to that.

We will make this one point in relation to Morgan: it was a horrible murder of Daniel Morgan, and our sympathies go to the family. The main criticisms of the police in the Morgan case go back a number of years; the police service in 1987 was very different to the police service in 2021.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: I look forward to picking up these recommendations going forward and I hope you will support them. Thank you, Mr Mayor.

2021/2339 - Deputy Mayor’s Views AM

In October 2020 your Deputy Mayor for Transport stated that she could not “see how it’s right to charge people £15 to drive a mile from Wandsworth to Clapham, or Catford to Lewisham from October next year.” Do you agree with your Deputy Mayor?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): My Deputy Mayor [for Transport] made the remarks that have been referred to in response to the Government’s proposal to extend the Congestion Charge to the North and South Circular Roads to address the funding shortfall at TfL. This proposal would have increased the size of the Congestion Charge Zone by 18 times to cover all of inner London and would have brought an additional 4 million Londoners into the Congestion Charge area. A £15 charge for every journey by car in this area would not have been appropriate or proportionate. My Deputy Mayor was rightly pointing out that trips in Catford or Clapham should not be treated in the same way as trips in the busiest parts of central London. The Government wanted to introduce this expansion on top of the planned expansion of the ULEZ. That would have led to some Londoners paying £27.50 for short journeys at a time when household and business finances were under serious strain. I agreed with my Deputy Mayor and I am pleased that we were able to see off this crude and punitive proposal.

This episode was sadly indicative of the approach the Government has taken in the TfL funding discussions. I really hope that when we come to the CSR, we can have a more constructive discussion about the long-term funding deal London needs. I am committed to extending the ULEZ to inner London this October [2021]. This is a charge for only the most polluting vehicles. ULEZ-compliant vehicles will pay no charge. The ULEZ is a fundamentally different scheme to the Congestion Charge, tackling the pollution that has blighted many parts of our city for so long. Four out of five cars regularly driving in the expanded ULEZ are now compliant and therefore will not pay.

I am pleased to have set up a vehicle scrappage scheme to help those on low incomes, charities and disabled Londoners to purchase a compliant vehicle and to have previously offered a scheme to help small businesses. It is disappointing that the Government has not yet supported London’s scrappage scheme in the same way it has for similar schemes in Birmingham and Bath. However, I hope the Government will match my commitment and fund a targeted national scrappage scheme soon.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): It seems a little bit strange that £15 is too much, but £12.50 is just right. Do you agree, Mr Mayor, that that £12.50 will probably hit those least able to afford it? How do you make that add up?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is quite simple, really. The Congestion Charge applies to all vehicles, basically, with some very minor exceptions. The ULEZ applies to a minority of vehicles, those that are not compliant; in other words, Euro VI or Euro IV depending on what sort of fuel is being used. At the moment we know from the latest figures we have that 87% of vehicles that come into the central London ULEZ are compliant. Of the Congestion Charge vehicles that come into central London, many of them pay the charge because very few of them are exempt. That is the big difference.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): You have acknowledged - in fact even yesterday you acknowledged - that it is going to be those people who are less able to afford the charge who are going to be the ones who are hit by the charge. How do you square that with your socialist beliefs?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is one of the reasons why we have been lobbying the Government for some time for a national diesel scrappage scheme. It begs the question: why do poor people living in Birmingham get support from the Government but not poor people in London? Why do poor people in Bath get support from the Government but not poor people in London? I am quite clear that the issue of air quality is an issue of social justice. The reality is that the poorest Londoners, least likely to own a car, suffer the worst-quality air. In the expanded ULEZ - in other words, in inner London - six out of 10 Londoners do not own a car because they are poorer Londoners, but they suffer the consequences of the poor air quality, generated largely by polluting vehicles.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): As you have been reminded before, it is not for us to answer questions from you, but I will happily answer the question as to why people in Bath and Birmingham get a better deal from the Government: perhaps they have a Mayor who is better at negotiating than you are. All I would say, though, Mr Mayor, is that you are going to hit poor people. You have identified that your solution, of course, is for them to go out and buy another car. Do you honestly think that people who cannot afford to pay £12.50 are going to be able to afford to buy a new car? Or is it perhaps, Mr Mayor, a case of, as there is no bread, let them eat cake.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The points you are making are the reasons we have been lobbying the Government for a national diesel scrappage scheme: to help those who still need their car and cannot afford to make the conversion required, and cannot for good reasons give up their vehicle altogether. We are working to encourage more people to not have polluting vehicles. The ‘polluter pays’ principle is one I subscribe to. If you have a vehicle that is emitting nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and carbon emissions, and you are causing children to have stunted lungs and adults to have a whole host of health issues from asthma to cancer to heart disease, you should be aware of the consequences of what you are doing. If you are unwilling to change your car or give up your car, pay extra.

What we are saying to the Government is that we recognise there are some poorer Londoners, some disabled Londoners, some small businesses and micro businesses and some charities who may need assistance. In the absence of Government support, we have managed to find £56 million. We could find even more if there were not big strings attached to the deal with the Government.

If you are saying that the reason the Government has done a better deal with Bath and Birmingham is because their respective Mayors are better negotiators than us, then I am more than happy to take up your advice and ask them how they negotiated. What I am not willing to do is to join the Conservative party to get a better deal for London.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): Mr Mayor, we would not have you, but thank you very much indeed.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Duvall.

Len Duvall AM: Mr Mayor, I get more and more confused whenever Assembly Member Keith Prince, the Tory transport spokesman --

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chair): I am not a Tory.

Len Duvall AM: -- speaks about issues on transport and the issues relating to the ULEZ or even issues relating to the Government’s deal. On the ULEZ, I think it was the Member to my side who said, “History will come to be told by those who are on the side of the ULEZ”. I am still confused about whether the

Conservatives support ULEZ in its form as a public health measure that will make the most impact in reducing poor air quality. Are you clear which position they take on the ULEZ?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It depends which Conservative you speak to on which day of the week and who they have on speed dial. I am quite clear, from the meetings I have had with members of the Cabinet, that many of them are in favour of policies like the ULEZ that are helping clean up the air in London. That is one of the reasons why they are supportive of Clean Air Zones across our country.

The issue is that unfortunately in the Assembly you do not have cross-party support to lobby the Conservative Government to fund a national diesel scrappage scheme. To hide their embarrassment, we have all these silly political questions at Mayor’s Question Time (MQT).

The issue is the one you and Léonie Cooper [AM] have raised over the last five years. The Conservatives need to answer the question: what are their policies to clean up our air in London? We saw during the last few weeks, during the campaign, policies like over the course of 100 days having all 9,000 of our buses electric - clearly not realistic, although if you give me the cash I am more than happy to do so - or other policies that are simply fantastical and not deliverable. We have shown over the last five years - you heard the words of Dr Gary Fuller [Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, Imperial College London] yesterday, who is a leading public health expert. He said that in his 28 years of practice he has never seen policies that have cleaned up the air as quickly as our policies have over the last few years.

Len Duvall AM: Of course, the silence is deafening from the Assembly Member, but he gave an interview on 2 June 2021.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): This is not Keith Prince Question Time, is it?

Len Duvall AM: It was on BBC London Drivetime, appropriately. I can only describe it, if Members want to listen to it, as an anti-Londoner rant. If only more Londoners could listen to it. He talks about paying for extras. Over-18s concessions and over-60s concessions are ‘extras’, in his view. He does not say whether he supports them, but he says Londoners should pay for them. Do you think he should clarify the position for the Conservative Group and whether they support concessions for under-18s or for over-60s, which is a privilege of reaching that age --

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): Chair, questions are to the Mayor, not to me.

Len Duvall AM: -- and thank you for finding a solution that protects those services from the Conservative Government that it wanted to change and give us the bare minimum compared to the rest of the country that Assembly Member Prince thinks it is OK for us to have?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): If you claim to care about poor Londoners affected by a policy to clean up the air, it begs the question: why do you not care about poor parents having to pay the fares of their children, which would happen if their free bus travel was taken away? Similarly, poor Londoners over the age of 60 would have to pay for their free travel as well. It is, quite clearly, posturing. What I would ask our friends on the Assembly to do from --

Tony Devenish AM: There is posturing going on at the moment.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Order, please. Can I intervene?

Len Duvall AM: Protecting families from paying more? You are doing a good job on this issue, Mr Mayor, and more people should come on and be on board with it. Tell us what they really believe, because you [Keith Prince AM] do not believe in concessions, do you?

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Duvall, this is MQT. It is not --

Len Duvall AM: Sorry, I was interrupted, Chair. You could have intervened and stopped that interruption, but thank you, Mr Mayor, for the way you have answered the question.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): This is MQT. Can I remind Members? This is not the opportunity for questioning other Members. We have Plenary meetings for that kind of thing.

Len Duvall AM: Chair, I asked for clarification as to what the Mayor’s view is of the positions of people in this Assembly. It is right that we should seek the Mayor’s views. That is what questions do. I hope the clock is not running on this because your intervention - thank you - around that should come off your time, not my time.

Andrew Boff AM (Chairman): Assembly Member Cooper?

Léonie Cooper AM: Mr Mayor, thank you very much for your answer to Assembly Member Duvall. I am still very unclear, though, as to the position of the Conservative Members, Assembly Member Prince and Assembly Member Fortune. You mentioned Government support and they replied with some nonsense about small amounts from business rates, which would just go towards the TfL deficit, as you described.

It is actually not really Government support, though, is it? Londoners pay £500 million a year in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). I am very surprised that Assembly Member Prince, as their transport spokesperson, allegedly, does not fully support the repatriation of our VED, paid by us as Londoners, to help us deal with these issues. Do you agree that they are just playing politics with this issue?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The poorest Londoners who own vehicles and who pay VED are subsidising people across the country. We get no money back in relation to fixing our roads. In fact, it is farepayers in London using the Tube, buses, trams and the Overground who have to pay for the repairs on our roads.

All we are saying to the Government is: if you are asking us to find more revenues, if you are asking us to make more savings and to find additional revenues going forward, the very least you can do is allow us to keep the money you raise from London car drivers.

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Prince.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman): As a point of personal explanation, I do not know where Assembly Member Cooper has been over the last few meetings, but I am sure you will recall, because we agreed to work together, Mr Mayor, that I actually asked you to do a joint letter with me and other leads to the Secretary of State [for Transport] in order to repatriate that £500 million. I do not know how you can say, Assembly Member Cooper, that I did not. However, it was quite interesting that when the letter went out, my name was not included on it, but, hey, there you go. Thank you.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Points of personal explanation should be nice and concise. Assembly Member Hall?

Susan Hall AM: Thank you, Chair. I will just say that we do not make comments on what Labour Members say. We do not comment when they throw easy questions constantly to the Mayor. It is quite outrageous to question our position on things when you know we are on a clock, and the purpose of this meeting is to ask the Mayor questions. Can we go back to doing that? That is what we are here for today.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Yes. Assembly Members, we have --

Len Duvall AM: Sorry, a point of explanation, I thought, should not have come off the clock. I sought clarity for that. The intervention from the Conservatives should have come off. That was not a point of explanation. That was following on. That should have come off their time.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): That was a contribution. I am sure it did.

Rebecca Arnold (Assistant Director, Committee and Member Services, Greater London Authority): My understanding of the timing is that questions to the Mayor and answers come off the clock.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Members, we have a Bureau [of Leaders meeting] tomorrow. We can probably thrash this out then, but I will once again --

Len Duvall AM: Chair, there is nothing to be thrashed out. I am entitled to ask the questions that I am entitled to ask the Mayor and I stand by that.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): You are entirely entitled to ask them.

Len Duvall AM: I stand by that. I just wanted to clarify about the rule of points of explanation not coming off time. I accept the advice of the clerk. I am not sure. Do we have a point of explanation in response to Keith Prince naming Léonie Cooper?

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): I get that but, really, can we refocus on questioning the Mayor, if that is possible?

Léonie Cooper AM: I am happy to move on, Chair, but I do not agree the point that Assembly Member Hall made should also not be on the clock.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): I am sure you do not, but that has come off your time now. Let us move on.

2021/2538 - London’s retail and hospitality sector AM

How are you supporting London’s retail and hospitality sectors this summer?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): London’s retail and hospitality sectors have been hit hard by the pandemic, forced closed for many months, and even now they are being squeezed by the need for social distancing and a significant loss of footfall, particularly in central London. Pre-pandemic, these sectors were a big part of what made London so special and I am determined that that will be true for years to come.

While we are not out of the woods yet, we are now able to enjoy retail and hospitality safely and I am urging Londoners and visitors from across the country to experience all our city has to offer this summer. That is why

I launched Let’s Do London, the capital’s largest ever domestic tourism campaign, designed to drive footfall and spending across our city. London Eats, the first phase of Let’s Do London, focused on the city’s diverse food and drink offer and there is more to come, including a summer of family fun and London Lates events at London tourist destinations.

As restaurants and other hospitality venues start to reopen, many businesses are struggling to recruit chefs and other key roles, in part because of European Union (EU) workers having returned to their countries of origin during the pandemic. I have backed the hospitality sector’s calls for a COVID recovery visa and I will be using my Skills Academy programme to train up more Londoners with the skills they need to take up jobs in hospitality, among other sectors. I will continue to lobby the Government on behalf of the retail and hospitality sectors, advised by the COVID-19 Business Forum, which I chair.

In light of the recent extension of COVID restrictions, I am urging the Government to extend the vital financial support that our businesses need until the final lifting of restrictions. It is right that the Government has now confirmed that it will extend protections from business evictions to next March [2022], as the forum and I asked, but it is not enough. Businesses need further extensions to the 100% business rates holiday and the continuation of the existing furlough scheme at current rates.

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor, and I welcome the Let’s Do London campaign, a really stark contrast to the Government’s ‘Let’s Do London Over’ efforts as well.

You have long called for business rates reform, which has been delayed with the findings of the review to be published this autumn. What engagement have you had with the review and are you confident that specific business rates issues affecting London in particular will be addressed by the Government’s review?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): This is a good example of cross-party support. I was really pleased to see the comments from , the MP for Westminster, yesterday in relation to her experience as the Leader of Westminster Council and a Londoner about how the business rates model is broken, particularly because many of our businesses pay a significant business rates level and do not qualify for the various thresholds the Government has. It is really important for the Government to fix business rates, particularly for retail, because we have seen people shopping more online. Overheads are less, business rates are less and the tax regime is different. I am hopeful that the Treasury understands the real concerns raised, amplified by the pandemic. I am really happy to work cross-party with other parties across London to make the case for our city that business rates are broken and need fixing.

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you. You will be aware of the business rates holiday extension, and I am aware of your efforts to lobby the Government on this matter as well. I am wondering if you have a sense of how businesses are feeling at the moment and whether you are jointly working with London’s businesses to lobby that point to the Government as well. Put yourself in the shoes of restaurant owners; if they have to distance their tables, even after the four-week delay if COVID restrictions need to be in place, it is going to be very difficult for many businesses and venues to be at full capacity. What efforts have you been making alongside businesses to the Government on this matter?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Like you, I spend lots of time speaking to businesses and the reality is that one out of five businesses in hospitality have not reopened. Unless they are allowed to remove restrictions and reopen properly on 19 July [2021], some may never open again. That is why it is so important for all of us to do what we can to help us reopen on 19 July, get the first jab and the second jab, follow the rules, and also ensure that the Government understands the needs of our businesses. The fact that business rates relief has gone from 100% relief to 66% means businesses have to find the additional 34% without some of them having

reopened, or with some of them having reopened but making a loss. Similarly, to contribute an additional 10% to the furlough scheme is often more than they can afford. That is why we have been lobbying the Government with businesses on a cross-party basis to continue the business support as there has been an extension of the current lockdown. We are hopeful to reopen on 19 July and we will continue to lobby the Government with businesses to give our businesses support.

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you. No further questions.

2021/2451 - EU Londoners AM

Has the Government listened to your concerns regarding the backlog in applications for the EU Settlement Scheme and the evidence indicating that the most vulnerable in society are in the greatest danger of slipping through the cracks meaning that tens of thousands of EU citizens could become undocumented and vulnerable to discrimination?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): EU Londoners are part of the fabric of this city and we must do everything we can to help them feel welcome and valued. London remains open to them all, despite Brexit. I am proud of the efforts my team has made, working with lawyers and community and civil society groups as well as ordinary Londoners to help European Londoners apply ahead of the 30 June [2021] EU Settlement Scheme deadline.

Disappointingly, the Home Office has not yet addressed our concerns about the number of outstanding applications, nor listened to calls to extend the application deadline. This remains my number one call on the Government on this matter. With the deadline fast approaching, it is increasingly clear that a significant number of people risk losing their entitlements and becoming undocumented and subject to hostile environment immigration policies. The latest Home Office stats show that over 330,000 people are still waiting for the outcome of their applications, with more than 100,000 of these in London. Many are already at risk of discrimination from an employer, landlord or other essential service.

I am working proactively with the Government to prevent miscommunication and misinformation about the rights and entitlements of European Londoners. Through the European Londoners Hub, we have ensured that comprehensive guidance and information about the EU Settlement Scheme and EU citizens’ rights is available to European Londoners and their families in 28 community languages. We have also invested in specialist support to reach out to those most at risk of losing out. Home Office funding for organisations supporting vulnerable EU citizens to apply to the scheme has been essential to ensure those most at risk are not left behind. I am therefore urging the Government to commit to extending that funding beyond September [2021].

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. As you know, during the Windrush scandal, the UK Government deported or threatened to deport the children of Commonwealth citizens who, despite living and working in the UK for decades, were told that they were here illegally because of a lack of official papers. You spoke about working with the Home Office. Have you had any kind of response from the Government in your calls to extend the EU Settlement Scheme deadline or at the very least attempt to avoid another Windrush scandal, which would leave EU Londoners undocumented and cut off from seeking NHS treatment?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Government this week on the floor of the House of Commons confirmed it would not be giving an extension beyond 30 June [2021]. Just to underline the point you are making, these are people who are undocumented or have had their status unregularised, even though they are

entitled to be here, stay here and so forth. That is why we have said to the Government that we know there is a backlog and we know some people who have applied and have not yet had their status processed. You are right to give the example. It is possible from 1 July [2021] that in the provision of services or the provision of a landlord or an employer, you could be treated in a less advantageous way because of the uncertainty caused through no fault of your own. That is why we will continue to ask the Government to extend the deadline but, in the meantime, it is really important that anybody who is not registered registers before 30 June and we can later on persuade the Government to process the applications quicker.

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Has the Government at least responded to your call for a cast- iron guarantee that any delays in processing the applications of applicants will not lead to EU Londoners or their families losing their status or being discriminated against from next week?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, it has not. Let me tell you why it is important. From next week, if you are employer, you will be concerned, “Am I breaking the law? Will I face a fine if the person I take on has a status that is not commensurate with what the law requires?” Similarly, when it comes to the provision of services and so forth. That is why we are saying to the Government that it is really important it gives some certainty to those Londoners who are EU citizens about what their status is after 30 June, and also to avoid a situation where somebody may be not intentionally discriminating but, because they do not want to be guilty of breaking the law, treats somebody less favourably because of their status. It is really important for the Government to learn the lessons from the Windrush scandal, as you talked about.

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor.

2021/2389 - TfL - Financial Sustainability Plan Nicholas Rogers AM

When will you publish a new plan, outlining a path for TfL to reach financial sustainability?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): TfL has worked magnificently to keep London moving during the past 15 months, but the pandemic has highlighted very clearly the problems with its financial model. It cannot be right that the capital’s transport network, which is vital in supporting the national recovery, is so reliant on fares revenue and so vulnerable to the kind of shock we have seen over the past year.

Before the pandemic, we made good progress in fixing the mess that had been left by the previous Mayor. TfL’s deficit had reduced by 71% and reserves increased by 13%. The latest funding and financing agreement with the Government provides core funding of £1.08 billion from 31 May to 11 December [2021] and means TfL can continue to operate the services to support London’s recovery and progress planned improvements like the Elizabeth line, the Northern line extension and the extension of the London Overground to Barking Riverside.

The agreement requires TfL to achieve sustainability a year earlier than set out in its Financial Sustainability Plan. This means that by April 2023 TfL would cover the costs of day-to-day operations, maintenance, renewals and financing. The agreement also requires TfL to find very substantial savings this financial year compared to the budget agreed in March [2021]. This is a challenge that TfL will be working through in the coming months.

The first step is for TfL to produce a revised budget for consideration by the TfL Board in July [2021]. That revised budget will constitute TfL’s latest financial plan and so there is no need - and indeed no requirement

from the Government - to develop another separate Financial Sustainability Plan. The revised budget and the revised long-term capital plan, which is also now being updated, will then determine what funding TfL will need to lobby the Government for in the CSR this autumn.

In the meantime, TfL is working hard to rebuild revenue by enabling people to return to public transport safely. TfL’s commitment to operating safe, frequent, clean, well-managed and welcoming services is key to rebuilding ridership. It remains very clear that sustainable long-term funding support for TfL will be essential. Even the Government has acknowledged that London cannot be expected to meet all of its transport investment requirements alone.

Nicholas Rogers AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. Thank you very much for your answer there. A number of options have been proposed to put TfL on the path to financial sustainability. I wonder if perhaps you can say what progress you have made on some of those options, for example, reforming TfL pensions.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Government has asked us to do a business plan about what we can do about pensions going forward. We are working closely with the Government and our trade unions there. It is something that is being looked at and, in due course, TfL will be responding to the Government. There is a timeline by which they have been asked to give the Government a response and we are working towards that.

Nicholas Rogers AM: How much work has been done so far? How much progress have you made?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): A lot. To give TfL credit, even before the issue of the pandemic, TfL was looking into the future of the pension scheme. Clearly, we need to do lots of work in relation to reassuring the Government. That work is ongoing.

Nicholas Rogers AM: Thank you. Another option that has been raised a number of times is commercial sponsorship on the Tube. What work has been done on that as part of financial sustainability?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): TfL’s advertising estate, which is an example of revenue, is one of the most successful in the world. Similarly, our property portfolio as well. However, you will appreciate that with the reduction in the footfall, if you are an advertiser, not unreasonably, you are less keen to advertise in an area less seen by customers. What we are trying to do at the same time as increasing commercial opportunities and commercial revenue - and sponsorship is one of them - is to increase footfall. Both are things we are working on at the same time.

Nicholas Rogers AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Baker?

Elly Baker AM: Mr Mayor, the Secretary of State for Transport has said that TfL’s January 2021 Financial Sustainability Plan does not appear to engage with the majority of the recommendations made in the TfL independent review. Can I ask you about the Government’s engagement? The review says, “We do not recommend significant service reductions”, so why is the Government forcing TfL to conduct a review that requires TfL to be in a position to reduce service levels?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): We have explained to the Government that it has to be a bit careful in relation to trying to make savings by reducing services, because what you are doing is making it less attractive for people to return to public transport, which means less chance to increase fares revenue, which is what we need in the short to medium term as well as the long term.

One of the options we had was to reduce bus services. In relation to one of the conditions that the Government was keen to attach about savings in perpetuity, that would have meant one in five buses being lost or indeed one of our 12 Tube lines being closed down permanently. That is not the right way to go, in my view. What we want to do is encourage people back to public transport. That is one way to avoid a car-led recovery.

We are pleased that the Government has listened in relation to that particular condition. We think it is not a good idea to reduce services for the reasons you alluded to. We are hoping that we can persuade the Government when it comes to the CSR this autumn that the way to make TfL financially sustainable is not to reduce services but to make sure that we can find other ways to diversify how we fund TfL.

Elly Baker AM: Thank you.

2021/2431 - Manifesto Delivery AM

How confident are you about delivering on your manifesto over the next three years?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): For the second time, I was humbled by the massive faith Londoners put in me at the ballot box with a record-breaking vote. This gives me a clear mandate again to get on and deliver for them and I am confident that we will do just that.

This has meant hitting the ground running with our priorities for London in these challenging times. Top of the list is getting London back on its feet as we recover from the effects of the pandemic. Whilst we are not out of the woods yet, if we all continue to follow the rules, we are close to restrictions being fully lifted, enabling us to head to a type of normality. London’s businesses need our support now more than ever and so I have launched the biggest domestic tourism campaign London has ever seen and I am encouraging Londoners to enjoy their city safely this summer. With Euro 2020 in full swing, there is a real feeling of positivity about the city and I want to keep that feeling going this summer and beyond. TfL is running a clean, safe and efficient service to support that and the Waterloo & City line has reopened ahead of schedule.

As we begin to reopen, it is important that we create opportunities that will help us to build back better. The Green New Deal, in which we are investing £50 million over the next three years, will create sustainable jobs to help move our economy towards our zero-carbon goal. Our Good Work for All Fund, in which we are investing £32 million over the next three years, will create Skills Academies in key sectors to provide opportunities for the young Londoners who have been hit so hard by the pandemic. We are on track to hit our target for affordable housing delivery with over 13,000 affordable homes started last year, despite the pandemic and Brexit.

Working with the MPS and the Violence Reduction Unit, we will continue to bear down on violence, being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. This summer, Londoners will see MPS Violence Suppression Units on the streets in areas known for serious violence and gang activity. We have already put more money into the DIVERT and London Gang Exit programmes than ever before.

There is nothing I take more seriously, Chair, than my commitment to Londoners. I am determined to deliver for them in this second term, just as I was when I was first elected five years ago.

Susan Hall AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Your Chief of Staff told the Budget and Performance Committee on 15 June [2021] that an internal analysis was underway to group your commitments into three broad categories: those that are already in the budget, those that are broadly in the budget but which need to change focus, and those that are not in the budget. When do you expect this work to conclude?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It will take some time, because some of them are over three years and so they will happen in years 2022/23. Some will happen in 2023/24. You will appreciate that the manifesto is a political document and now we are asking GLA civil servants to turn the manifesto into a workstream over the next three years.

Susan Hall AM: Yes. Somewhat concerningly, your Chief of Staff did not recognise the more than 280 pledges that the Budget and Performance Committee had discovered. He also did tell us that he is happy to work with the Committee as we baseline your commitments for monitoring or tracking purposes. He said, “I can see great merit to having, if you like, a single version of the truth there”. Is that something you would welcome, us establishing a set of benchmarks against your manifesto progress so that we can monitor and assess it?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That would even maybe help us. I am more than happy to.

Susan Hall AM: Excellent. I look forward to holding you to that.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I am always happy to work with you.

Susan Hall AM: Yes, I have noticed, Mr Mayor. I have noticed. The Chief of Staff told us that the manifesto was written by the Mayor with the financial situation in mind. Is that correct?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes. Unlike some other manifestos, mine was realistic and deliverable.

Susan Hall AM: We are talking about yours, Mr Mayor, because it is MQT, as we keep reminding you. Was there any engagement with the GLA officers in the creation of your manifesto? My understanding is that there are broad discussions here and there between political parties and the civil service before a general election.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I am not clear on what you are asking.

Susan Hall AM: Have you had some conversations with GLA staff about your manifesto in order to make sure that what you are promising is deliverable?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, I did not ask officers to advise me on the manifesto, if that is what is being suggested.

Susan Hall AM: If there is not money for your pledges, that is absolutely down to you?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, the way it works is a manifesto is a political document and when you are elected --

Susan Hall AM: Yes, I know. I understand. I also understand that if you get elected in on a manifesto, you have to do your level best to make sure you can deliver that manifesto. Having established that it is nothing to do with the GLA officers and you have done it on your own, if you do not deliver your manifesto, is it on your head?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Well, most manifestos are on the head of the politician who stands on the manifesto.

Susan Hall AM: Good. You accept that. All right. On that note, we can end. Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Bailey?

Shaun Bailey AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. In your manifesto, you pledged to increase the number of employers accredited to the Good Work Standard. The number of employers is very low. When will we see an ambition to raise this? How are you going to go about raising the number of employers who are signed up to this scheme?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Good morning. The Good Work Standard is something that was not around until I became Mayor. I do not have the numbers with me but I can send you the details of how many employers are on the Good Work Standard. There are different levels of accreditation: excellence, achievement and others. We have managed to persuade record numbers of employers to be Good Work Standard employers and we are working with more employers going forward. There is a big appetite, but that came to a halt during the pandemic. For the last 15 or 16 months, there has been less work done to attract more employers to the Good Work Standard than previously we had hoped for. The good news is, because we have so many Good Work Standard employers, they are our best advocates for encouraging others to become Good Work Standard employers.

Shaun Bailey AM: Is that correct? At the Economy Committee, we recommended that you have a plan to boost the number of businesses signing up because at that point there were only 95. Of course there are 1.1 million businesses in London and you have only 95 on this.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You are looking at the wrong stats. It is not --

Shaun Bailey AM: Hold on, Mr Mayor. I will give you the question and you can come in.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Sure.

Shaun Bailey AM: At the time - and we asked you - the Committee recommended that you have a plan to boost the numbers. You at the time said you do not need a plan and the best advocates, as you have just repeated now, are the businesses themselves. That has clearly failed. I am asking you: would you now do the work to provide a plan to boost those numbers?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Let me know when you have finished.

Shaun Bailey AM: I have finished.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The number of employers is not the right measure. The issue is the number of staff they employ. As you are on the Economy Committee, you will be able to share with us how many employees work for the 90 employers.

Shaun Bailey AM: It is a very small number. That is why I am asking you these questions.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You do not know the number, do you?

Shaun Bailey AM: You tell me the number, then, Mr Mayor.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The point I am making to you is that is the wrong metric. The metric is how many Londoners work for the employers --

Shaun Bailey AM: No, Mr Mayor. Excuse me. If you have asked me a question, you should be able to provide me with the answer because, if you cannot, I could have told you anything. The point here is the number of Londoners who are seeing the Good Work Standard affect them is very low. I am asking you. Do you have a plan, as the Economy Committee asked you? When Assembly Member Cooper was the Chair, she asked if you could develop a plan to increase that number. Do you have a plan?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): This reminds me, Chair, of the election campaign and we know how that movie ended. I am more than happy to explain the progress we are making on the Good Work Standard in relation to more employers signing up to this. The focus this summer has been on Let’s Do London and the recovery, but we are using the opportunity to persuade more employers to sign up to the Good Work Standard. Over the course of the next three years, you will see record numbers of Londoners working for employers who are Good Work Standard employers. That is the objective of the Good Work Standard.

Shaun Bailey AM: How many employers will we see sign up? How many employees will be covered by this? Where are the key performance indicators (KPIs)? Where is the route map?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): These are some of the things that we will talk about at the Budget and Performance Committee going forward and at the Oversight Committee. I am more than happy, if there are specific issues you have about a particular part of the Good Work Standard, to respond to you directly. The reality is that the Good Work Standard was not there before I became Mayor. It is there only because I was elected Mayor in 2016 and because it was in my manifesto. We are delivering on that.

Shaun Bailey AM: Mr Mayor, that is not in dispute. We know it is there. We are asking you: what is your plan to deliver companies to actually sign up?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I have just explained it. What we are trying to do is encourage more employers, particularly the bigger employers who in numerical terms may be a small number of employers but they employ a large number of people, to sign up to the Good Work Standard. We are making good progress, better progress than we had planned, and over the course of the next few months, as we come out of the recovery, we will be encouraging more employers to sign up to the Good Work Standard, in particular those employers who employ a large number of staff. There are some employers that employ three people. We could have a system where we could say there are loads of employers signing up to the Good Work Standard but they employ a very low number of staff, or we could try to encourage those who employ large numbers of staff to sign up to the Good Work Standard, which means more Londoners will benefit from the Good Work Standard.

Shaun Bailey AM: We all understand that. How many employers, large or small, take your pick, do you have an ambition to get signed up to this plan? We need a number.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): As many as possible.

Shaun Bailey AM: “As many as possible” is not a number, Mr Mayor.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is like asking the question: how many Living Wage employers do you want to have? As many as possible. The same goes for the Good Work Standard.

Shaun Bailey AM: No, I am asking you for a plan. You have sat here and told us “record levels”. We need something to scrutinise that against. You should be able to tell us if you are going to have a plan to boost the numbers - the numbers are very low - and also you need to tell how many you would like to sign up. “As many as possible” is not a number.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, we want as many Londoners to be beneficiaries of working for an employer who is a Good Work Standard employer. We have made good progress in the first five years. We are going to continue to make good progress. Clearly, the pandemic has caused some challenges in relation to as many Londoners benefiting from the Good Work Standard as we would like. Of course, over the next three years, we will continue to make progress on getting more Londoners working for a Good Work Standard --

Shaun Bailey AM: Mr Mayor, if you are unprepared to give us a number, then you should just say you cannot give us a number.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Hold on. You did not like being interrupted when you were asking a question.

Shaun Bailey AM: Chair, that is enough. The Mayor is not going to answer the question.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Similarly, Chair, it cannot be right that when I am answering the question, you have rude hectoring from a Member of the Assembly. That is why what I am trying to do, Chair, to answer the question I am asked.

Shaun Bailey AM: Mr Mayor, you are not answering the question and we all know that. I asked you a simple question for a number, how many employers, and you could not answer the question.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Shall we get back on track with this? The Mayor has finished and you have finished and so we will move on to the next question.

2021/2592 - London Plan and Community Engagement AM

How does your London Plan ensure Londoners have a say in regeneration plans for the capital, and ensure they have a role in shaping their neighbourhood?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): My London Plan sets out a new tone, an expectation for communities’ role in shaping the policies that are important to them. It opens with Objective GG1 [Good Growth], requiring those involved in planning and development to encourage early and inclusive engagement with local communities in the development of proposals, policies and area-based strategies.

My London Plan also requires engagement and collaboration with communities to inform the development of planning frameworks that guide development in Opportunity Areas, capable of accommodating significant numbers of new homes and jobs. These should start at an early stage and continue throughout the formulation. The Plan requires this high-quality engagement for all of London’s strategic and local areas for regeneration. Through the Plan’s design policy framework, we have moved from the numbers-focused density

matrix in previous plans to a design-led approach to make the best use of sites. This uses tools such as character studies and local design codes to ensure development enhances the local area. The Plan and emerging guidance are clear that this work must be informed by meaningful engagement and collaboration with local communities. The new approach to tall buildings clearly aligns with this, empowering local authorities, in discussion with their communities, to establish the location and maximum heights of tall buildings at the plan-making stage.

Where housing estates are proposed for redevelopment, my London Plan requires engagement with residents to establish the objectives of the estate regeneration before any options are considered, implementing my Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration. This includes a requirement for balance wherever City Hall funding is to be used to support demolition and rebuild as the chosen option. The Plan also strongly focuses on inclusive placemaking, incorporating a range of homes, tenures and land uses to make sure development and change benefit all Londoners.

I am confident that the policies in the Plan, guided by the Good Growth objectives, will ensure that communities have a stronger voice in regeneration plans across London and that the growth delivered is inclusive growth.

Sakina Sheikh AM: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. I could not agree more that inclusive placemaking and engagement of our communities should be absolutely central to our plans going forward, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure that happens.

We were discussing regeneration and, absolutely, regeneration can give London the keys to unlock its potential, but it is also important to highlight there are examples of regeneration being termed ‘gentrification’, where, for instance, developments have led to poor doors, which embeds a sense of inequality in our city and social segregation by design.

The question I want to follow up with you on is about a recent example. Many of us saw headlines with the swimming pool suspended between two tower blocks in Nine Elms, Battersea. Those in the building who had bought into shared ownership of homes for up to £800,000 could not access that swimming pool. What it did is it gave Londoners an insight into what that social segregation can look like. Of course, we know that there are much uglier manifestations of that kind of social segregation, such as social tenants being forced to use back-door entrances by bins.

My question to you is: how can your London Plan mitigate against aggressive regeneration such as this and avoid social segregation?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, it is a really important issue. What we are trying to do with the London Plan and the other strategies we have is to make sure that we are helping to build communities. What we are talking about is not growth for growth’s sake but good growth, which means we want to make sure that places are inclusive and high-quality as well. What we have done is to learn from the mistakes made previously and not chase crude targets.

There is a separate issue, though, which is illustrated by the example you have given of the housing model in relation to cross-subsidy. That is one of the things that does need looking into. The only way you are going to get around the problem of cross-subsidy is to get more support from central government to be able to build genuinely affordable homes. We are working closely with key partners to make sure we can have communities that help all of us to benefit from living in this great city rather than just some of us.

Sakina Sheikh AM: Absolutely. Thank you for that answer. Just to finish up, whilst we are discussing the Nine Elms example, I really want to encourage Londoners to go away and look at this case as what I believe to be a wider example of the Government’s mismanagement of the planning system but also the attacks on genuinely affordable homes.

I wanted to ask on that point you have made about lessons that we can learn in this example of using Section 106 money and how we balance its use, whether it is used for Tube stations or, again, the desperately needed affordable housing in the area.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is a good example, whether it is Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), whether it is the Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) or whether it is Section 106, of the gains to the community by developments. I am really concerned that we are seeing a situation where we could lose that going forward by, for example, permitted development rights, which takes away the opportunity for a local council, which knows the community best, to negotiate with a developer to get the best deal for the community. It has led to some real improvements in communities because there are negotiations between councils and developers. The Government should think very carefully about its plans for permitted development.

Sakina Sheikh AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Thank you, Chair.

2021/2325 - Development in London AM

How will the Mayor look to improve large development and regeneration projects this term?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): My London Plan is now in place, and all its policies are underpinned by the principle of good growth: growth that is socially and economically inclusive and environmentally sustainable. This means creating quality places that work for all Londoners. It does not mean growth at any cost, which is too often what we have seen in the past, leaving us with a legacy of sites that provide hardly any affordable housing and create soulless spaces. We are doing things differently.

In my first term, we drove up the number of genuinely affordable home schemes of all sizes were providing. Last year, we secured an average of 40% affordable units on schemes that were referred to me. We also made sure that referrable schemes were subject to a design review early on so that quality design was baked in at the start rather than being a token gesture tacked on at the end. Via the London Review Panel, my Mayor’s Design Advocates reviewed over 140 schemes, leading to higher-quality housing, employment spaces and infrastructure.

This approach is part of my Good Growth by Design programme, which seeks to enhance the design of the built environment and make the sector itself more inclusive, to help create a city that works for all Londoners. I am committed to working with London boroughs and local stakeholders to bring about the right sort of change on both small and large-scale developments. This means change that benefits existing communities, welcomes new people, provides employment and genuinely affordable housing, protects cultural and heritage assets, secures community facilities and social infrastructure, and ensures development is properly integrated into the wider area.

Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks are a great example of this. We have put public engagement at the heart of their development, working with local groups on planning frameworks, for example, Thamesmead and

Abbey Wood and the Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside. Having now adopted the London Plan, we can really press on with delivering good growth, both in the formulation of area-based policy, strategies and masterplans and in the implementation of the Plan at planning application stage. Where they undermine our efforts to do so, such as the extension of permitted development rights, we will continue to lobby for change in the Government’s planning reforms.

Emma Best AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. I would like to dip down more into your answer there on respecting character of local areas and ask you if you do respect the suburban character of outer London and whether there is a place for suburban London within your mayoralty. I ask this because you have accepted, in your time as Mayor, 19 applications refused by local authorities and opposed by local residents in many suburban areas.

Would you then accept that it does appear that there is a certain war on the suburbs here and do you recognise there is a need to change your approach and listen more carefully to the concerns of local residents and local authorities?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Often councils lobby me to take over a scheme because they understand the importance of that scheme and there have been concerns raised by local interests which make it difficult to do. We take over a scheme when there is a strategic interest to do so, where, for example, a decision by the council is in contravention of the London Plan or the Draft London Plan as it was then. Our interventions led to huge improvements in schemes to the benefit of our city.

We need to be making sure that placemaking is better in our city. That means the London Plan considers where people live, work, play and study. As a consequence of our intervention, we have led to not just improved numbers of genuinely affordable homes, but to improved workspaces. We have also managed to protect cultural and heritage assets by the work we have done with developers, and helped fund investment in community facilities and social infrastructure through the work we have done after I have taken over a scheme.

I am very keen to work with councils where we can, but if it is the case that we think a scheme should be taken over, we will take it over to improve it for the benefit of the community and our city.

Emma Best AM: Thanks, Mr Mayor. I am slightly confused by your answer, insofar as last week when you and I spoke in the Plenary meeting about family housing targets, you said that you would not set a target because you believed it was up to boroughs, which know their areas best. Now your answer seems to suggest that on these tall buildings, your teams knows best, and boroughs are not so sure what they are doing, and perhaps need your intervention.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): They are two different issues. In relation to genuinely affordable homes, we do have targets in relation to our expectation that, if you want to get in the fast-track system, we want 35% of the homes to be genuinely affordable and, if it is public land, 50% of the homes to be genuinely affordable. We have explained what we mean by genuinely affordable. That is City Hall saying to councils what the expectation is.

In relation to the density mix of family housing and in relation to what the needs are for an area, what we are not going to do is have a matrix for the 32 boroughs in London saying what the needs are in each area, nor will we have a one-size-fits-all approach for all the 32 boroughs. We want the 32 boroughs - the City of London works a bit differently - to do their own assessment of what the needs are in their areas for family housing.

The point I make about family housing is that if it is market value, it will not be affordable for the vast majority of Londoners, who earn about £30,000 on average and not the £300,000 or £400,000 you would need to be

able to afford a family home at market value. That is not very encouraging for more submarket family housing, whether it is councils, whether it is housing associations or whether it is intermediate, so that those Londoners who need a family home can afford to live in one.

Emma Best AM: Thanks. I hate to interrupt but that was answering a slightly different question. We are talking about protecting the character of suburban areas. I would also suggest that by not building family housing, you are only making that problem worse with the markets exploding and just rising.

Just to finish up, really, on this, you know the Planning and Regeneration Committee advised that you create a Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) for tall buildings. Will you commit to doing that?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): In relation to an SPG for tall buildings?

Emma Best AM: Absolutely.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I do not have the answer to that. Can I write to you on that one? I am not sure what we have said about tall buildings going forward because the London Plan was finalised only two or three months ago. What we are asking local councils to do is to have their own policies. There is a good place in there for tall buildings. I can write back, Chair, with your permission, to the Member, about that.

Emma Best AM: Thanks, Mr Mayor.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Sheikh.

Sakina Sheikh AM: I just wanted to come in on another aspect around regeneration and development that is relevant to Assembly Member Best’s question. Just this weekend, for instance, we saw a number of Conservative backbenchers express real concerns around the Government’s planning reforms, which speaks to Assembly Member Best’s concern around protecting local boroughs’ decision-making powers with regard to this.

We saw London MP Bob Blackman has urged the Prime Minister to ditch the proposals, saying growth zones will be like the Wild West for the developers, and the proposals are not popular with the public, either. We know that, quite clearly. [The Rt Hon] Theresa Villiers MP also stressed the planning reforms were an issue that contributed to the Chesham and Amersham by-election, dare I mention that in this Chamber.

Would you agree that if we really wanted to improve development and regeneration, if we really wanted to protect boroughs’ decision making around the planning system, then one of the most important actions we can take as an Assembly is to come together cross-party and to lobby against the Government’s proposals?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The way you have asked the question and the tenor of it is really important. This is a good example where we can, cross-party, as Members of the Assembly and the Mayor, work together. There is also a coalition to be built with residents across the country, who are also unhappy with the command and control from Whitehall in relation to the issue of permitted development and other concerns. We have to be careful.

You mentioned Section 106 and the CIL. There are some huge benefits that can be gained by people nearer to the coalface negotiating with the developer and working with the developer, rather than civil servants in Whitehall or Ministers in Cabinet, particularly when there have been allegations that some Ministers have been influenced by personal messages sent from developers to get decisions through.

Sakina Sheikh AM: Absolutely. Thank you, Mr Mayor.

2021/2609 - The G7 and decarbonising London Léonie Cooper AM

London’s target to achieve net zero by 2030 represents a large contribution towards UK target for net zero by 2050 and cutting emissions by 78% by 2035. Following the June 2021 G7 summit and the Government’s recent commitment to end all new finance for coal power by the end of 2021, how can London show leadership in: 1) providing innovative solutions for decarbonising of power; 2) in improving its offer to community energy projects and 3) improving its offer to local energy networks? Gov.UK, ‘UK enshrines new target in law to slash emissions by 78% by 2035, ’ 20 April 2021

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Since being elected in 2016, I have ensured that London leads the way in tackling climate change. In 2018, I was the first Mayor of a C40 megacity to declare a climate emergency. In 2020, I went further and declared my ambition for London to be net zero carbon by 2030.

I welcome the recent announcement from the Government on coal power. In this year of the United Nations Climate Change COP26, I want to work productively with the Government to ensure we are ambitious and set the right policies to deliver an end to fossil fuels, like a ban on fracking.

Last year I announced my £6 million Local Energy Accelerator to support the development of local renewable and waste heat sources, such as from the Tube, as well as district energy networks. My Green New Deal funded the supersizing of the Energetik Heat Network at Edmonton so that it is capable of supplying heat to Enfield residents and up to 8,000 more homes in Hackney and Haringey. Under Solar Together London, 1,000 London households have had solar panels installed since 2018. A further 3,000 have signed up in this year alone.

To support London’s recovery, I am working closely with London boroughs on the Green New Deal to maximise London’s contribution to tackling the climate emergency. I am spearheading a retrofit revolution with a framework that supports measures in social housing worth up to £5 billion in London and a retrofit centre of excellence to dramatically increase the pace of projects that upgrade cold, damp houses in London and nationally. Since much of the power consumed in London is generated outside London, I want to make better use of our purchasing power. We will soon begin powering the Tube, London’s biggest energy user, with renewable electricity. Since 2017, my London Community Energy Fund has allocated over £1 million to support 86 innovative community energy projects across 26 boroughs, and I will announce a further round later this year.

Half the carbon savings needed in London require action by the Government and I will continue to work with it to make progress in the areas it controls.

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. There is a lot going on, but a recent report has found that no G20 country is currently on track to meet global climate goals and that we can expect a really turbulent transition as we move ahead. London’s target to hit net zero by 2030, a target you have set, will be an important milestone towards the overall UK Government target. How is the Government’s policy really supporting London’s drive to achieve net zero by 2030? How much funding has the Government given to London to assist us in this process?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Look, we want to work closely with the Government on this issue. The G7 this year, last month, hopefully is a catalyst for a successful COP26. We saw His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness Prince William joining the Prime Minister at the G7, trying to persuade world leaders that this has to be a year when progress is made. The election of President Biden bodes well in relation to progress being made.

It is not a secret that, so far, I have been disappointed by the lack of support from the Government on this issue, but I am optimistic going forward. [The Rt Hon] Alok Sharma [MP] being in charge of COP26 means that there is focus from the Government. Our country will not meet the targets it has signed up to without London playing its part, and London cannot fully play our role unless the Government gives us proper support, not just the Bills going through Parliament having real teeth, but resources as well. We want to play a part. We have a moral responsibility to do more. I am really keen to do more and I am looking forward to a really good relationship this year, good announcements in the CSR and a good COP26, turbocharging - in a sustainable and renewable way - us getting to zero carbon by 2030.

Léonie Cooper AM: People with electric vehicles who put their foot down noticed that electric turbocharging and so I am hoping that that is the kind of direction that you are talking about.

Actually, of course, the Chair asked if we had any declarations at the beginning and I forgot to mention - because I know he is very keen to hear about which ones of us have signed up to London Power - and I just need to rectify that omission, Chair. I have signed up to a very good deal with London Power for two years.

How important do you think it is that all Londoners are able to access those greener energy sources at really affordable prices in order to help all Londoners to move away from fossil fuels and help us meet that overall net zero target by 2030?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, we are trying to address a number of things here with London Power. By the way, thank you for signing up. One is to address the issue of fuel poverty. What can happen is sometimes people sign up to a deal with an energy provider with a very good deal, and when that deal comes to an end after 12 months they automatically go to a poor deal and the consumer does not realise that. The assurances and the promises from London Power mean that you will always be on a really good tariff. Also, you are spot on, the energy you are using is sustainable and good for the environment as well, so it is a virtuous benefit to the consumer and also to London as well. We are working with partners like councils, housing associations and others that will have tenants and customers who could benefit from London Power going forward. We are keen to get as many Londoners as possible to sign up to London Power.

Léonie Cooper AM: You do not need to thank me for signing up, Mr Mayor, because it was actually the best deal that was on offer. I would strongly recommend any other Assembly Members who have not yet switched to do so.

I wanted to congratulate you on the launch of the double-decker hydrogen buses yesterday. It is not just about buildings, is it? It is also about moving ahead with mobility and moving towards that net zero goal. We have to be looking both at domestic heating and at how we move around.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Assembly Member was with me in 2016 when we invited the world’s mayors and transport authorities to City Hall. We got Wrightbus to come outside and show one of their hydrogen double-decker buses, a prototype. How fantastic it is that we now have England’s first double- decker hydrogen-powered buses going through London. This bus is helping to create jobs in Northern Ireland, in Nottingham, in Runcorn and in Oxford. It is now being bought by people across the globe, a good example

of London helping to create jobs around the country but those jobs being amplified because we are having customers around the globe as well. No pollution comes from this bus. The only by-product is water.

Léonie Cooper AM: Water. London’s recovery is the UK’s recovery. London hitting net zero helps the UK hit net zero.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Absolutely.

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you very much.

2021/2528 - Counter terror preparedness AM

You have stated that you are to commission an update of the Harris review into London’s counter terror preparedness. Have all the recommendations of the original review been implemented by the relevant agencies, and have there been any failures that have led you to seek to commission this update?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe. Londoners have a right to expect us to be prepared for any potential attack on our city. That is why on taking office I asked Lord Harris [of Haringey] to undertake a review into London’s preparedness. Now, five years on, given the evolving threat of terrorism, I am commissioning an update to make sure London remains as prepared as it can be.

The Harris Review made more than 100 recommendations, the vast majority of which have been implemented, resulting in numerous improvements to safety for our city. There is now better communication with Londoners during and after an attack. For example, the deployment of the military following an attack has been accompanied by significant communications activity by the military, the police and others to reassure Londoners about their presence. Advice to owners of crowded places and businesses has been improved and updated, including the Cross-sector Safety & Security Communications hub London Protect newsletter. The rollout of Project Servitor, in which specially trained armed officers undertake engagement and prevention work has been crucial in gathering the intelligence to assist counterterrorism units across the UK and disrupting a range of criminal activity.

A refresh of the Harris Review is important at a time when we are due to receive the findings of both the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the Fishmongers Hall Inquests. The review will consider to what extent the MPS, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and other London organisations have acted on the relevant recommendations and what gaps remain. Work on starting the review is underway. As London recovers from the pandemic, our work is more important than ever.

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. You mentioned the Fishmongers Hall attack and the inquiry. The inquest identified the Multi-Agency Public Partnership Arrangements (MAPPA) as having failed in effectively monitoring the offender following his release from prison. The original Harris Review - and I did speak to [Lord] Toby Harris and give him my views back in 2016 - failed to mention MAPPA as an issue. Considering the work of organisations around the country clearly impact on London’s preparedness for a terror attack, will you be advising that the scope of the updated review takes into account the work of the agencies involved in MAPPA meetings, such as the Probation Service?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, good question. Lord Harris will be looking at what the terms of the review are. Just to reassure you, the Government commissioned Jonathan Hall, a very experienced Queen’s Counsel (QC), to review the work and the effectiveness of MAPPA. We will be looking at what Hall says and I am sure Lord Harris will.

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you. Neil Basu [QPM, Assistant Commissioner, MPS] has also said that the pandemic has created a “perfect storm” that has left individuals more vulnerable to radicalisation and online grooming, and there have been concerns around a drop in Prevent referrals due to the closure of schools. How has your Countering Violent Extremism programme been working to address this? Given the heightened sense of risk, will you be investing more in this area over the coming term?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): We are worried, our counterterror information is also that the pandemic has led to more people using the internet and more vulnerable people being radicalised through the internet. It is really important we understand that. As lockdown restrictions are lifted, the concern is that their radicalisation could lead to violent acts. We are doing a number of things to address that in relation to the work we are doing around countering violent extremism. We had a fund, as you know, the Shared Endeavour Fund, working with community groups on 30 projects with more than 25,000 participants. You praised the app we started, the #iREPORTit app. We have had a large number of referrals from the app as well. We are going to continue to occupy this space.

Just a final point. We have launched a second round of funding for the Countering Violent Extremism programme because we are keen to make sure we do work around resilience as well as enforcement.

Unmesh Desai AM: Finally, Mr Mayor, last week marked the fifth anniversary of Jo Cox’s murder at the hands of a far-right terrorist. The charity Hope Not Hate - I know you are familiar with its work - in its State of Hate 2021 report, which was published earlier this year, specifically talks about Nazi terrorism remaining a threat and increasingly involving teenagers. Twelve people were convicted last year, of whom six were teenagers, and 11 are currently awaiting trial. I understand there have been significant arrests as well relating to far-right terrorism made in the past few months across the country. How will your work from City Hall seek to address this issue in particular?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The work we are doing around countering violent extremism also includes the extreme far right. The caseload of the counterterror team in this area is increasing and [Assistant Commissioner] Neil Basu is on record expressing his concern about this. There are also similarities in relation to vulnerable people, radicalisation, charismatic orators and so on. The work we are doing will help, but it is really important that we do not allow a situation that fosters division, which can be a breeding ground for radicalisation.

2021/2435 - Disability Employment Gap AM

81.2% of non-disabled people are in work compared to just 52.6% of disabled people. What have you done to change this worrying statistic over the last 5 years and what are your targets for reducing this over the next 3 years?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The employment rate for disabled Londoners is not as high as it should be. I am committed to working with disabled Londoners, the boroughs and other partners across London to help disabled and other vulnerable Londoners to find and progress in work.

We are also working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on this and we are working with the Government to do more to support us to improve outcomes for all Londoners. Despite very limited statutory powers and resources, over the last five years we have already invested in a number of initiatives to help more disabled Londoners into work. Through the London Economic Action Partnership’s (LEAP) European Social Fund programme, we have used £55 million to match fund the Work and Health programme in London. This borough-led programme will help up to 55,000 disabled Londoners and other long-term unemployed groups to get the support they need to move into work by 2022.

Since taking control of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) in 2019, we have made training more accessible for disabled Londoners, including fully funding British Sign Language courses for Deaf learners. During the 2019/20 academic year, around 30,000 learners with a self-declared learning difficulty, disability or health programme participated in our AEB programme. Working with TfL, we have also supported Steps into Work, a 12-month work placement scheme, which offers people with learning disabilities the chance to gain skills and work experience.

We will continue to support disabled Londoners as we recover from the pandemic. This includes championing the Good Work Standard and promoting the Employment Rights Hub to Londoners, providing information about rights for disabled workers. The Careers Hub we recently launched will build on the London Enterprise Adviser Network, further extending career support to all colleges and secondary schools in London, including special schools, so that young Londoners with special needs can get a better start in life. We are also working with the DWP and London Councils to better coordinate skills and employment programmes for Londoners most in need, including disabled Londoners. This includes establishing a ‘no wrong door’ approach, so that Londoners get the right support at the right time.

Finally, Chair, our £32 million Good Work for All Fund also aims to support the most vulnerable Londoners, including disabled Londoners, get the skills they need to progress and to work in sectors key to London’s recovery.

Tony Devenish AM: Good morning, Mr Mayor. In the last three years, two of my fellow Assembly colleagues and the Economy Committee have all written or asked you questions about this very important subject. The main recommendation of all three - not one, not two, but all three - was that you set up a disability employment taskforce. Will you do so, please?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You will be pleased to know that the [London] Recovery Board has set up a taskforce looking at the issue of structural inequalities, which includes disabled Londoners.

Tony Devenish AM: Would you agree that if you are Mayor for eight years, which you are going to be, if half of disabled Londoners are still without a job, you will have failed?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is one of the reasons we are working with the DWP to make sure that, working with the Government, we address this really important issue. It is really easy - which I know is a temptation for you - to point a finger at the Mayor. This is an example where actually there should be cross- party working and also central, regional and local government working to address this issue.

The gamechanger for us is the fact that we are now in charge of the AEB. You have heard the good news in relation to fully funding the signers, and we are going to continue to make progress.

The Government recognises that this pandemic has both illustrated and also exacerbated some of the inequalities that already existed in our society. Disabled Londoners are one group that has suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. I am keen to make progress on this issue over the next few weeks, let alone the next three years.

Tony Devenish AM: I agree with you that we do need to have cross-party working, including with the Government, but will you set a specific target in terms of what percentage of disabled Londoners will not have a job at the end of your eight years?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I am happy, Chair, to ask the Good Work for All mission to look at whether it is realistic to set targets in relation to this area. Just so you know, one of the factors outside our control is what happens to unemployment. You will know that one of the things we are trying to avoid is the mass unemployment we saw in the 1980s. There are three parts of that: to protect the jobs we have, to support the creation of new jobs, as well as to support those who lose their jobs get back into work as soon as possible. A lot of these things are outside the control of City Hall. Let’s Do London is about a rapid recovery. If we get a rapid recovery, it makes it more likely we can be supporting more disabled Londoners rather than less likely.

Tony Devenish AM: Could you set a target in terms of disabled Londoners who would have jobs with the GLA group organisations?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, I am more than happy for the functional groups’ meeting, which meets regularly, to raise this issue in relation to them. That includes TfL, MPS, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and the Development Corporations (DCs). I can ask them to look into this.

Tony Devenish AM: Thank you very much, Chair.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Hirani.

Krupesh Hirani AM: To really target the Mayor on this particular issue as well, given the track record of the Government over the last decade of austerity and the impact on disabled people, we have had the changes to the Employment Support Allowance and changes to the disability benefits from the Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments, which have left disabled people without support despite not seeing any changes in their circumstances. Also, we have seen people being declared fit for work despite being on their deathbeds, and the changes to social care and the cuts to the NHS as well. It is very difficult to get to work if you cannot get your social care package right in the morning to get to work on time as well

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Is there a question there, Assembly Member?

Krupesh Hirani AM: Will the Mayor also look to raise these issues to the Government and the wider support that is needed for disabled people so that they can get to work, and they can be supported?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): What is disappointing, Assembly Member Hirani, is the hectoring when you were making a really important point leading up to your question, which does not bode well for cross-party working on this issue and will give the impression to those watching this debate that the question was filled with crocodile tears from the Conservative Member. I hope it is not. I hope he is serious about addressing this really important issue. I am serious about it. What I want to do is work with the Government, work with councils and work with key players across London. You have a huge amount of experience as a councillor and have seen the consequences of some of the policies from central government. I am keen to not spend too much time talking about the past, except to say that it is really important now we recognise that there are

Londoners who are vulnerable and who are suffering even more because of the pandemic. We need to do whatever we can to enable them to fulfil their potential. One of the ways to have their potential fulfilled is by working, but it makes it far harder if some of the benefits you have to help you get into work and some of the support you have to give you dignity is reduced.

2021/2369 - Purley Way Master Plan AM

What are you doing from a transport perspective to support the Purley Way Master Plan?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): TfL has been working closely with Croydon Council on the draft Purley Way masterplan. This includes identifying transport improvements to support the delivery of 7,500 new homes and up to 2,200 new jobs, in line with the principles of good growth and healthy streets.

The masterplan seeks to transform the Purley Way corridor into a city street that fully integrates new development with important retail and employment areas and residential neighbourhoods. Placemaking principles have been established to strengthen distinct new centres, each with a clear purpose and character, which will complement Croydon metropolitan town centre, Purley district centre, the Beddington Lane industrial area and other places in nearby Sutton.

The transport improvements needed include walking and cycling infrastructure in the area to support sustainable travel and improve connectivity, enhancements to the public realm and sufficient bus, tram and rail capacity to accommodate predicted future demand. Carparking will also need to be limited to avoid generating new car journeys as far as possible. As with other parts of London, it is vital that we do not end up with a car-led recovery from the pandemic, replacing one public health crisis with another. The masterplan offers a great opportunity to improve the A23 Purley Way corridor itself and make it easier, safer and more welcoming for people walking and cycling. An important part of this work is reviewing the plans for the Five Ways junction to ensure that they are appropriate. Reducing traffic in this area will be challenging, but it will be fundamental to the success of the masterplan.

The next step is to undertake strategic transport modelling to assess the infrastructure requirements in more detail and identify timing and potential phasing. Discussions with the Council are ongoing and the work is planned to start later in the summer. Detailed consideration of how the strategic traffic function of the Purley Way corridor can be fully aligned with the Healthy Streets Approach is also needed.

Neil Garratt AM: Thank you. As you say, it has 7,500 new homes. It has cross-party support. I believe even the Liberal Democrats support those particular new houses. It would mean 15,000 extra people living in that area and currently it is basically a car corridor of large box retailers and big carparks. The concern I have is that you have read some blurb from the masterplan about the aspirations. What I do not see is something tangible.

Can we have a commitment from you that it will not just be lots of people driving around there, as it is currently? If you have 15,000 extra people, we need some plan for how they are going to get around that maybe involves the tram, which is in the area, a modern railway station or more buses. You spoke about the plans over the summer. When will we see something tangible in terms of projects that might receive some funding?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, can I thank the Member for the points he has raised and the way he has raised them? I am more than happy to ask the Deputy Mayor [for Transport] to meet with you as summer begins.

Just to lay out the workstream with us and the Council, TfL is spending a lot of the summer working with the Council. I love the way you described it. We do not want ‘blurb’. We want tangible change for the better for that community. By the way, the air quality improvements are potentially huge if we can resolve the Purley Way corridor, which, as you said, is like a car corridor that causes problems and stuff.

Chair, with your permission, Heidi [Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport] and Neil could sit down and work together to see what we can do to get the Council, residents, businesses and TfL in the same space. In relation to the tram, TfL is concerned about whether the new tram proposed, rather than the improvements, is the right solution, but that is one of the things we can discuss with the Member.

Neil Garratt AM: That sounds very positive. Thank you very much. I look forward to that.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. For the next question, I will be handing over the Chair to Assembly Member Prince.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman in the Chair): Thank you, Chair.

2021/2303 - London’s Green Belt Andrew Boff AM

Will you protect London’s Green Belt?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Green Belt serves multiple important functions for our city, mitigating the impacts of climate change, providing space for food growing, preventing flooding, providing important habitats for wildlife and allowing space for recreation and relaxation for Londoners. I am committed to preserving and enhancing it.

My London Plan clearly states that the Green Belt should be protected from inappropriate development. However, the National Planning Policy Framework does allow development on the Green Belt if very special circumstances can be demonstrated. The same applies to boroughs proposing to remove Green Belt designations in their local plans. The London Plan is clear that Green Belt boundaries should be changed only in exceptional circumstances. London’s Green Belt prevents urban sprawl, driving the reuse and intensification of previously developed land. Prioritising development of brownfield land is a key part of the approach the London Plan takes to meeting London’s substantial housing need. This ensures there is sufficient space for other essential land uses without encroaching on the Green Belt or other designated open spaces, including Metropolitan Open Land.

As well as setting out a strong policy position on protecting the Green Belt, we are also taking a robust approach to implementation, refusing development proposals that would cause harm and not supporting any inappropriate attempts to de-designate the Green Belt. For example, in 2018 GLA officers successfully defended my direction to refuse planning permission for a rail freight facility in the Green Belt, saving 54 hectares of open land from development.

I also want to make sure the Green Belt is enhanced for the benefit of Londoners. We have already supported the creation of two new woodlands in the Green Belt, creating 84 hectares of publicly accessible green space and contributing to the planting of 90,000 trees this year alone. We will be making more funding available this summer through my Green New Deal Fund to help address the climate and ecological emergencies. Rewilding and other landscape improvement projects that can provide improved, more inclusive access to green space will be eligible for funding. This will include projects on sites in the Green Belt that are in areas of high climate risk.

Andrew Boff AM: Do you expect Enfield’s Local Plan to align with the policies in the London Plan in terms of continued protection of London’s Green Belt?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): As you know, I was not happy with the draft Local Plan and I objected in relation to the draft plan having plans to remove the designation. They will respond to the points raised in the consultation and come forward with their latest plan. We will have to wait and look at that and respond. Then it goes to the Inspector. Based on what I have said, I would be surprised if they continue with plans to de-designate; I did continue to express my unhappiness with that.

Andrew Boff AM: I am surprised at their plans to de-designate, as you say, but your Labour colleagues in Enfield have proposed building on some parts of the Green Belt. What message will you send them?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I really do not want to get into Labour/Conservative. This is about something I feel strongly about for our city. The key thing is for me to make my views clear without fear or favour. My London Plan is quite clear. My Environment Strategy is quite clear. This is an area that we agree upon in relation to the importance of the Green Belt.

If it is the case that any council - and we are talking about Enfield now - has plans to de-designate the Green Belt for reasons that I do not agree with, I will not be scared to object. I would hope the Inspector would look at the London Plan and look at our policies and side with our objections, but you will be aware that an inspector can decide to go ahead with the council or the London Plan. This is a good example of me not caring whether the council is Labour or Conservative.

Andrew Boff AM: You will oppose any council coming forward that decides --

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): On a case-by-case basis. Can I reassure you, I will say this to leaders of councils who may be from my party. This is a good example of without fear or favour. These are really important policies. These are the lungs of our city. You would have to have, according to my policies, an exceptional reason to de-designate.

Andrew Boff AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor.

Keith Prince AM (Deputy Chairman in the Chair): Thank you, Mr Mayor. I will hand back to the Chair.

2021/2321 - Prioritising Early Years Programmes Emma Best AM

Are Early Years Programmes a priority for your mayoralty?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is vital that all London’s children get the best start in life, and I will continue to do what I can to help children succeed and thrive.

Despite very limited powers, we achieved a lot in my first term upon which we will continue to build. Our Healthy Years London programme has supported over 2,000 early years providers since 2018 to develop a whole-setting approach to improving children’s outcomes. We also learned from our Early Years Hubs and Early Years Leaders programmes, as well as our 2019 London Early Years campaign.

We know the difference that quality early education can make, especially as we recover from the pandemic. It promotes a healthy start in life, improves social cohesion, narrows the inequality gap and allows parents to work.

In my second term, I have already launched Strong Early Years London, making good on my manifesto pledge to provide essential business support. This brings together sector-specific advice through a one-stop shop hosted on the London Business Hub, as well as offering a personal triage service and more intensive one-to- ones for early years providers that are most at risk of closure.

In April [2021], we launched our £2 million Early Years Sector Skills project, with money from the European Social Fund. This will help unemployed Londoners gain industry-relevant qualifications and pre-apprenticeship skills in the early years sector, addressing the recruitment challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

We have been supporting the development of a quality early years workforce through adult education, too. In 2019/20, £3.4 million was directed from the AEB to support child development and wellbeing courses. As part of the London recovery programme, we have committed funds through the robust safety net mission to encourage uptake of early years entitlements and help parents understand what benefits they are eligible for. I will also continue, Chair, with our Child Obesity Taskforce to drive forward the recommendations made in its Every Child a Healthy Weight report.

Emma Best AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Early years is clearly a priority, then. You have touched on some of the areas that are most pertinent to your mayoralty. Could you provide some specific KPIs and targets that you expect to achieve in those areas?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I am more than happy for the relevant committee to look at what measures they would like us to have measured. I am quite clear in relation to this area of work. I am really proud that we are investing more in this area than the previous Mayor did in his last term, but it is not unreasonable to want to see what value that investment leads to. Susan Hall [AM] chairs the Budget and Performance Committee, but I am more than happy to work with the Assembly to make sure we have the right KPIs in place.

Emma Best AM: Specifically, for example, have you set yourself a target for the percentage decrease you would like to see there in childhood obesity?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, we have. The Taskforce has set targets, which I can send to the Member.

Emma Best AM: Do you know what targets that you are aiming for?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, that answer is not in this question. If you ask an open question, it is difficult to get a specific answer. If you ask a specific question, I can give you a specific answer. I can write to you in relation to the target the Childhood Obesity Taskforce set in 2017. I do not have it in this lever-arch file.

Emma Best AM: Mr Mayor, with all due respect, the question was on early years programmes and you went into detail, for example, on obesity and so I would expect you to perhaps have that information. Much like when Assembly Member Bailey asked you for some information on the employment figures --

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Sure. I will send you clips from when [The Rt Hon] Boris Johnson [MP] was Mayor and we will compare and contrast who has detail and who does not.

Emma Best AM: You might want to try to be Boris Johnson, but perhaps that is your aim and not mine. I do not know. That is the comparison you are looking at --

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, God forbid. My wife would not allow it.

Emma Best AM: I would like to think that perhaps as a Labour Mayor you would not be comparing yourself and wanting to be much like the Conservative Mayor, but perhaps that is your aim.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): God forbid.

Emma Best AM: Apparently that is your aim.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is your dream, maybe, not mine. Maybe next election in three years’ time.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Have you finished, Assembly Member?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I think she has finished.

Emma Best AM: I am finished, yes.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Ahmad.

Marina Ahmad AM: Mr Mayor, as you know, the Government’s own adviser, [Sir] Kevan Collins, who was the education recovery czar and, as you know, resigned his post because he was so appalled at the paltry provision made by the Government for a post-pandemic education recovery for our children. [Sir] Kevan Collins understood that a child’s life chances are best served by investment in her or his early years, as you do, Mr Mayor. In his letter of resignation he singled out early years education as needing further investment and I quote directly, “Not enough is being done” by Government. In London, you are clearly leading by example. Do you believe that the Government should now follow your lead in supporting the sector and increase the Early Years Pupil Premium to give every child the best chance in life and reinvest properly in Sure Start, which is a world-lauded programme?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is very important that we invest in early years. The problem is, Assembly Member Ahmad, that we know the Prime Minister’s track record when it comes to early years investment. In the last four years for which he was Mayor [of London], in the entire four years, he invested £201,000 in this area. In the next year alone, we are investing £2.6 million. That is even though we have no statutory powers to do so, even though the powers lie with central government and local government. Local governments, of course, are being starved of resources from central government. Now, we can appreciate that some Members in this Assembly do not want to talk about the years between 2008 and 2016 but that is the track record of the current Prime Minister, and the idea that the Government’s own czar would resign in shame at the actions of the people he works for demonstrates how out of sync the Government is with this really important area.

Marina Ahmad AM: Thank you.

Andrew Boff AM (Chairman): Assembly Member Best.

Emma Best AM: Just to come back there, Assembly Member Ahmad raises a very important point of funding. In the years 2019 to 2020, the funding for early years expenditure was £450,347. For the years 2020 to 2021, it is £233,658. I am sure you can accept that that is quite a drop there. My questions, really - and perhaps in the interest of time you could answer them both at the same time - are: will you commit to not decreasing that fund any more, and would you consider things like your Press Office may be less important than funding early years programmes?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is important, Chair, that I answer the question asked properly and give it the merit it deserves.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Could you do so within one minute, please?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The assertion is that I am investing less in early years education. In 2017/18, in just that one year, Chair, we invested £325,000. In the entire four years between 2012 and 2016, four years, the previous Mayor invested £201,000.

Emma Best AM: Will you answer the question, with respect?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): If you divide £201,000 by four years it is, roughly speaking, £50,000 a year. Just in one year, I invested £325,000. In the following year, 2018/19, £327,000 was invested from this administration, one year, 2018/19. In the following year, 2019/20, in one year alone, this administration invested £450,000. That is not in four years, in one year. Cumulatively, we are investing six times more than the previous Mayor. In this year, which is the question, 2021/22, we are investing not £200,000, not £300,000, not £400,000, not £500,000; we are investing £2.6 million.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Excuse me, Mr Mayor, have you finished?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): No, Chair, I have not finished. Can I talk more about my commitment to this area?

Emma Best AM: Could you do it if you answer the question?

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): The GLA Conservatives are now out of time so we have to move on.

2021/2550 - Delays to Court Cases Joanne McCartney AM

There is a large backlog of court cases in London. What effect is this delay to justice having on criminal cases in London?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Prior to the pandemic, there was already a significant backlog of cases within the criminal courts and victims were waiting too long for justice to be delivered. These delays have been exacerbated by the pandemic, which reduced the capacity of the Courts, increasing backlogs across the criminal justice system (CJS). Whilst this issue is a national one, the impact is felt disproportionately in London with over 14,000 cases outstanding in the Crown Court. The anxiety and trauma victims experience is being prolonged as they wait for justice, placing an increased demand on frontline support services as a result. London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, has heard first-hand from victims and witnesses who have lost faith and withdrawn from the system, or whose trials are listed into 2023. Of course, there has also been an impact on statutory services, with criminal justice agencies having to manage vastly increased workloads and adapt in response to new responsibilities.

I raised this issue with the Justice Secretary last year, and my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and the Victims’ Commissioner have been lobbying for additional resources as well as bringing together statutory partners at a local level to tackle these issues. They welcome the steps that the Government has taken to mitigate against the growing backlog, such as opening Nightingale-style courts, including five additional criminal courts in London, and removing the cap on judicial sitting days, but I am disappointed that our calls for a large-scale secure facility in London to deal with more complex custodial cases has not been addressed.

Joanne McCartney AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. I am most concerned about vulnerable victims such as survivors of rape and domestic abuse. When I questioned the Deputy Commissioner [of the MPS] earlier this year, he said that due to the case backlog, the MPS witness and victim care unit had seen a 90% increase in workload. I know extra resources have been put in, but my concern is for, first of all, the safety of those people - primarily women - where their abusers may often be out on bail, but secondly about the attrition. Can I ask you about those two things? What does this mean for the safety, particularly of women and girls, and do you have any data on the attrition rate that is being caused by the delays?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes. This is something that Claire Waxman has done as the Victims’ Commissioner. We are concerned about both those things, and the concern is that things are getting worse, not better. You will have seen the apology from the Home Secretary and the Justice Secretary in relation to the appalling way victims of rape have been treated and the paucity of successful prosecutions, and I am afraid it is made worse by the pandemic. I am more than happy to write to you with the stats which demonstrate how this has been exacerbated by the pandemic, but we are taking steps to address the backlog and the MPS has secured some additional staff to go into the Witness Care Unit to address this issue.

Joanne McCartney AM: Good, thank you. In your answer you mentioned the much-delayed Rape Review that the Government released last week, but that surprisingly did not make any reference either to the decades of cuts to our CJS or to the backlog of cases in this area. Will you be writing and making further representations to Government about the need for immediate action and funding?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You are right, it did not mention that, but when asked questions by the media I think the Justice Secretary did accept the cuts had an impact on what we are seeing now. I see it, as Mayor of London, in relation to the lack of support for victims and survivors. I see it in relation to fewer police officers, which leads to less of an ability to investigate, and fewer specialist teams in the police service. I see it

in relation to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) having lost between 25% and 30% of their budget, which has an impact on their caseload, and then we see it in the courts as well.

We are lobbying the Government to address the backlog. We do meet regularly with criminal justice partners. We are hoping this CSR sees a significant increase in investment in policing and justice. Without additional responses, we simply are not going to address some of the serious failings in the CJS, which leads to not having as many people arrested, charged, prosecuted and convicted for rape as there should be.

Joanne McCartney AM: Thank you. I think it is the case that you cannot get justice on the cheap, and if you believe in a system of justice that is fair and accessible you have to fund it properly.

My final question is around the Nightingale courts. They have been useful in clearing the backlog, but they are not really set up to deal with those complex cases. You have called for an increased court to deal with that. My concern, though, is that a lot of those venues that are used as these temporary courts will be going back to their normal use shortly. What assurances have you had from Government about replacing that capacity if those venues are no longer available?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): We have explained to the court the reasons why it is important for this to carry on for some time. I mentioned in answer to an earlier question that some of these trials are set for 2023, so it is hardly surprising that the attrition rates are so bad. We continue to work with the Government to find the right venues. You are right, some of these venues are not appropriate for the more complex multi-handers, but we are keen to work with the Government to find venues that can address some of these issues. Longer judicial sittings make a difference, sitting at weekends makes a difference and the Government is looking into the issue of jury sizes. All this addresses the issue of the backlog but, as you said, without additional investment of resources we will not be able to address this issue.

Joanne McCartney AM: Thank you.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Thank you. The next question, 2586, has been withdrawn and will receive a written reply.

2021/2300 - Stop and search based on the smell of cannabis AM

The IOPC recommended against stop and searches based on the smell of cannabis alone, can you confirm that since the MPS accepted this recommendation and that no Londoners have been stopped and searched solely for this reason?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Stop and search is a vital policing tool, particularly in the fight against violence. The MPS has my support in using these powers to keep us safe, provided they are used in a professional, courteous way with appropriate grounds for doing so. However, throughout the engagement with communities from my Action Plan, stop and search was consistently raised as a key issue. Communities raised concerns about racial profiling and young Black men being stopped and searched by MPS police officers solely on the grounds of the smell of cannabis.

I have welcomed the MPS’s acceptance of all of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) recommendations on stop and search, including reaffirming their policy that officers should not rely on the smell of cannabis alone when deciding to stop and search someone, instead using grounds on multiple

objective factors. This position is in accordance with the national Authorised Professional Practice. It is vital that oversight is strengthened to give Londoners confidence that the professional practice is followed.

Through my Action Plan I am determined to ensure London’s Black communities can have trust and confidence in the police. Work is now underway on the overhaul of the MOPAC community monitoring structures to ensure London’s diverse communities are better represented and can have a role in monitoring a wide range of police powers, including stop and search and the use of Tasers as well as the complaints process. The MPS continues to improve stop and search practice through enhanced training, which has included greater community involvement, lived experience sessions and unconscious bias training. The MPS has also strengthened its own supervision of stops with body-worn video footage of stops reviewed by line managers and any learning reflected back to officers.

I also recognise the wider issues around the effectiveness of cannabis enforcement in relation to tackling violence in London. That is why MOPAC has commissioned independent academic research on this subject.

Caroline Russell AM: Mr Mayor, I did not hear you answer my specific question, which is: are you able to tell me if, since the recommendations from the IOPC to the MPS in October 2020, there have been any further stops and searches conducted on the smell of cannabis alone?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, there should not have been any, but we are not able to give a number to confirm it is zero because of the vast numbers involved.

Caroline Russell AM: OK. I can let you know, having spoken to the youth-led social action project, Hackney ACCOUNT, that they confirmed just last week on 15 June [2021] that young people are still being stopped on just the basis of the smell of cannabis alone. What is worrying about this is that we are accepting the IOPC recommendations, but they do not seem to be filtering down to all the officers on the street.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): You are asserting something said by a community group, as important as they are, as a fact. I think we should be a bit careful about that assertion.

Caroline Russell AM: OK, but it still risks undermining your Action Plan. I am sure you are aware more than half the people stopped and searched in the last year were teenagers and young people, and it has a big impact on their lives and, importantly, how they view the police. Just going back to Hackney ACCOUNT, they have worked directly with young people and have released a really powerful report with recommendations for their local council, the local Basic Command Unit (BCU) and the MPS as the whole. I have it here for you. They have some really worthwhile recommendations including, for instance, conducting an independent evaluation of the Territorial Support Group (TSG), who specialise in public order policing. I believe you have been sent their report. Do you know when you are going to be able to respond to their report, with its very clear recommendations for the MPS?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, I receive many reports and I am afraid I cannot give a date when I will be able to respond to this particular report. What I can say is that the Action Plan that we prepared last year after consulting communities across London, which involved not just myself and my Deputy Mayors but the MPS, made a number of recommendations. The Action Plan does have timelines in relation to when those actions are going to be acted upon and some of those timelines address some of the genuine concerns raised by Londoners through the Assembly Member, which are in the report.

Caroline Russell AM: Yes. Mr Mayor, this is the kind of engagement that you are asking for in your Action Plan. It is directly with young people. I am very happy to send a copy of the report to you.

In your policing Action Plan, one of the actions that you said you would take is getting MOPAC to commission independent academic research to assess the effectiveness of cannabis enforcement in relation to tackling violence in London. It was supposed to begin before the end of 2020 and I just wonder how that research is going and when we can expect its conclusions.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is the research I mentioned in my answer and the Action Plan, which I am sure you have a copy of, sets out when it will be done by. It will be done by then.

Caroline Russell AM: Thank you very much, I look forward to seeing the conclusions when they appear but I am out of time now.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Assembly Member Duvall.

Len Duvall AM: This is an extremely complex area, Mr Mayor. One of the tests of smell is what they tell police officers to do when they stop cars for the issue of moving towards breathalysation, which is the smell of alcohol. There is increasing concern about driving under the influence of drugs. What I want to avoid and I think you want to avoid is mixed messages. Even the Assembly Member for the Greens would accept that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is an important issue. If I was a young police officer who stopped a car, there was the smell of cannabis in the car and I had a strong inference, because I had stopped the car because it is driving erratically, would I be right to then do stop and search on the back of that, or breathalyse or do drug tests?

That is why I think there are some issues. We need to be clear about what we are trying to achieve. The IOPC - and the Assembly Member recognises that - said cannabis alone cannot be a determinant for a stop and search. We should keep that in focus in terms of what we are trying to achieve when we are doing the stop and search. I just want to hear your initial comments around the issues relating to cars being driven under whatever influence and the concerns that people have around that.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, and your question allows me to accurately quote what the IOPC said, which is:

“...that the MPS take steps to ensure that their officers are not relying on the smell of cannabis alone when deciding to stop and search someone and use grounds based upon multiple objective factors.”

You referred to one of those in relation to driving. It also allows me to quote accurately what the MPS said, which is that the use of reasonable grounds is a core part of all stop and search training and the smell of cannabis alone being insufficient forms specific learning content within the recruit training Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) material.

I think it is right that the MPS has fully accepted the recommendations and so are working to make the improvements and changes needed to retain the confidence of all our communities.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): Because I think we are going to go over two and a half hours, will the Assembly agree to suspend Standing Order 2.9B, in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 1.1H, in order to allow the remaining business on the Agenda to be completed?

All: Agreed.

2021/2301 - New community plans for London small sites Siân Berry AM

How are you going to involve Londoners from the ground up in making a new strategy for small sites in London?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Getting local communities involved in the development of their local area is central to the approach to growth set out in my London Plan and this includes our small sites strategy. The London Plan places a new emphasis on the importance of developing small sites to help meet London’s significant housing needs. To achieve this, the Small Sites Policy focuses on enabling communities to be at the forefront of their area’s development and provides a number of tools to ensure people are proactively engaged in their local borough’s plan-making processes, helping to ensure change is truly community-led. This includes the development of area-wide design codes by boroughs and neighbourhood planning forums to support incremental development.

The Plan stipulates that local communities must be engaged from the outset in preparing these design codes, ensuring that those who are most impacted by development have a real say in shaping their area. To help meet the aims of our strategy and to help boroughs and communities practically bring forward small sites, we are developing London Plan guidance on small sites development and on these area-wide design codes. Our approach to small sites is also about diversifying the market, opening up opportunities for small and medium-sized builders, and aims to help create well-designed custom build and community-led housing projects, the biggest barrier to which is the lack of small sites.

We have also been enabling delivery on the ground through a number of programmes and interventions, including the £38 million Community Housing Fund. This fund aims to increase the number of homes delivered by London’s community-led housing sector, enabling Londoners to play a leading role in developing new social-rented and other genuinely affordable homes that meet local needs. Approximately £20 million of advance revenue and capital funding has been allocated so far through the fund, to support delivering 203 homes across 11 schemes. We are also supporting the community-led housing London hub, which provides a one-stop shop for community organisations requiring information, capacity-building and technical support to get their community-led housing projects off the ground.

Siân Berry AM: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. You have laid out there some good things you are doing, particularly in relation to individual sites. Now, I want to focus today on the borough by borough targets for small sites in the London Plan and how I do not think it is achievable without having a London-wide strategy, a project from you to support the boroughs. I think you have made it clear that you want the boroughs to do this, but even the reduced small sites target in the London Plan is not going to work without some more support for them.

The Planning Inspectors said this in their criticism of the small sites policy when they cut the targets. In the Inspectors’ report, they say that factors that may inhibit delivery include “the impact on borough resources in identifying and considering the number of sites required”, and they criticise the lack of detailed engagement with the boroughs in deciding on the small sites methodology.

I would like you to put some resources into helping boroughs make plans to find sites in a bottom-up way. What plans do you have to do that, for finding small sites in a bottom-up, strategic London-wide way?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Can I just be clear, is the suggestion that City Hall finds the sites for the boroughs?

Siân Berry AM: It provides a method for boroughs to help find the quantum, the number of sites that we are looking for, and to find that in the right way, in a bottom-up way.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Right. We are giving funding to assist communities in relation to them finding support towards, for example, community housing funds. I have already explained in my answer the £38 million we have for that particular scheme. The original sites targets that we had in the draft London Plan were reduced by the Inspector. We cannot go back to targets for boroughs. The London Plan is a strategy in relation to how we get more small sites being used. Separately, we are doing work with small builders to encourage the small builders to take up some of the small sites that are offered to avoid the usual suspects.

Siân Berry AM: If I can clarify a bit more maybe, I am aware of two boroughs whose small sites estimates proved more robust as they did full surveys of their borough and their land, but even these were very top-down exercises, and I worry that we are starting to see that already with some of the small sites coming forwards. For example, residents in Kilburn Square were quite shocked when Brent Council started to build on their green space, cutting down mature trees. Southwark Council are planning to build on a football pitch in Bermondsey. Did they ask the local community before putting forward plans for this small site? No, they did not. Even your TfL grey sites, the carparks, are getting pushback from local people.

You and I have a good track record of constructive taking up of new ideas, for which I give you credit, and the project I would most like you to take up from my Manifesto is the idea of a London-wide People’s Land Commission, something that is really a mission for the whole city, involving people in bottom-up small site identification. Now, it is MQT so I do not have time for the full pitch, but I think if I had a meeting with you, I could convince you this would solve a lot of your problems. Can I get a slot to talk to you about this specifically?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Always happy, Chair, to talk to Assembly Member Berry.

Siân Berry AM: I will very much look forward to that meeting. The last time the two of us had a meeting was in 2019 so I think it is time we talked again, and I think I could convince you of this.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): That is my loss, not yours.

Siân Berry AM: It definitely is. Thank you very much, we will speak again.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): I hate to stop the love-in, really.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, you can join as well.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): It would not then be a love-in.

2021/2222 - London Disability Employment Taskforce AM

In 2018 the Social Market Foundation and the Trust for London recommended that you should constitute and lead a London Disability Employment Taskforce. What progress has been made on this since then?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I am fully committed to supporting disabled Londoners to find and progress in work through the London Recovery Programme. As part of the London Recovery Programme the Good Work for All Londoners mission is delivering programmes that will help focus attention on promoting labour market equality for disabled Londoners. For example, the mission is developing a ‘no wrong door’ approach to ensure groups, including disabled Londoners, get the right employment support at the right time. This work is being guided by a task and finish group involving members with specific expertise on disability employment.

I have also helped establish a Joint Employment Working Group with the DWP and London Councils to better coordinate skills and employment programmes for Londoners most in need of support, including disabled Londoners. I am grateful to members of the GLA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, who bring expertise and lived experience of disability. These members have helped the Good Work mission understand how to place inclusion at the heart of the Good Work for All Fund, but I am absolutely determined to explore every avenue available so this month the London Recovery Board agreed to set up a dedicated subgroup to address structural inequality through the Recovery Programme. The scope of this group’s work is currently being finalised, but I fully anticipate that the labour market inequalities experienced by disabled Londoners will be within scope.

As I do what I can at City Hall to support disabled Londoners into employment, I am also reaching out to the Government to play its part. I hope the long-awaited Disability Strategy which the Government has promised to publish this summer will be ambitious in identifying actions to narrow the disability employment gap. It is critical that this work seeks to address the barriers that disabled people experience in the labour market as well as delivering fit-for-purpose social care and welfare benefit systems that allow disabled people to live independently and participate in the labour market.

Hina Bokhari AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor, for your answer. This is obviously a subject that I think is a concern for many Members here in the Assembly. It has been three years since the Social Market Foundation and Trust for London recommended that you set up a Disability Employment Taskforce, and two years since the Economy Committee recommended the same. London needs a targeted and focused task group on getting Londoners with disabilities into work. It is clear that including disabled Londoners in a general employment programme has not worked, yet that is all you are doing, more of the same. I agree that we need skills for all Londoners. Will you now agree clearly that there is a need for a specialised and targeted intervention to get Londoners with disabilities into work?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, I am sorry that Tony Devenish [AM] stole Hina Bokhari’s thunder, but the problem with that is she failed to listen to the answer I gave to the Member, who asked a very good question in relation to how we can work together. The answer I gave is that we have only now set up the group doing the work on the Recovery Programme, so I find it hard to accept criticisms of the work done by the group when it has only just been set up. I am more than happy to arrange, Chair, for one of the officers to brief the Member about the work the group is doing.

Hina Bokhari AM: I am pleased that we have cross-party support here. Recently I met the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and their London Revival Plan was also saying that we need to make sure that employers get guidance and support. I would like to know whether you are going to be ambitious enough to set a really clear target in this term to increase disability employment in the capital and give us some facts and figures and set some dates here now.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Sure. Again, Chair, one of the problems when you read a question you have written in advance, when you have not heard the answer, is that you sometimes repeat the question. The answer I gave to a similar question, again asked by Tony Devenish [AM], was that it is very difficult to set targets in relation to an issue like this when we are really concerned about a return to the mass unemployment in the 2020s that we saw in the 1980s. I can set a target for saying I would like to have X number of disabled Londoners in work, but it is meaningless if we have, this summer, this autumn, next year, mass unemployment.

The key focus in the short term is to protect the jobs we have, which will help disabled Londoners, those who are working; to support the creation of new jobs, which will help disabled Londoners if we can get disabled Londoners to work in these jobs, which is what the allocated budget is doing; and, for those who lose their jobs, to get them back into work as soon as possible. I set out - and I am happy to read it again - in answer to Tony Devenish’s question some of the work I am doing in relation to adult education, work we are doing with the DWP, collegiately with central government, and the work the Recovery Programme is doing. As part of the Recovery Programme’s work there is now a subgroup looking at issues in relation to structural inequalities and that includes, of course, the issue of disabled Londoners, who are suffering in relation to lack of opportunities, in relation to lack of the right skills, and in relation to not fulfilling their potential with the right jobs, starting from school, which is why we are improving careers advice with the Careers Hub, but also the work we are doing into the Enterprise Adviser Network, to get more and more people going into schools to inspire children who are disabled to be ambitious in relation to what they can achieve.

Hina Bokhari AM: Great. Thank you very much for your answer, Mayor..

2021/2551 - End of the Eviction Ban AM

With the Government ending the ban on evictions, how do we stop Londoners being forced out of their homes? You have said, “my team continues to talk to government officials about how best to respond to this situation [the end of the eviction ban]. This should include a financial support package for those who have built up arrears during the pandemic, improved access to welfare benefits and a two-year rent freeze in London. The Government must also now act on its promise to ban Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, to provide far greater security for renters.” Can you provide an update on the talks with the Government and whether they will be taking the steps you have suggested?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated the precarious situation faced by London’s 2.4 million private renters. The Government’s own data reveals that over a fifth of private renters have seen their income fall by at least £100 per month nationally. It also shows that 17%, equivalent to more than 400,000 renters in London, have fallen behind on their rent or are expecting to do so soon. I welcome the emergency measures put in place by the Government to protect renters, including the pause on the enforcement of evictions by court bailiffs. Now that the pause on evictions is being lifted and other protections are being wound down, the Government needs to bring in measures to prevent an increase in evictions, something that renters and landlords alike agree should urgently happen.

First, I am calling for the Government to make grants available to renters where they cannot afford to pay their rent or have accumulated arrears due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic. This should be part of a wider financial package that includes improved access to welfare benefits and more funding for councils and other organisations to prevent and mitigate homelessness.

Second, the Government should grant me powers to implement a two-year rent freeze in London as a first step towards delivering rent controls that would make renting more affordable. Post-pandemic rent increases would further compound the hardships many Londoners are experiencing. Finally, the Government must act swiftly on its long-promised commitment to ban Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, alongside measures that would bring more security for renters.

Sem Moema AM: Thank you, Mayor Khan. A survey by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that 215,000 renting London households are worried about being evicted in the next three months, and another almost half million, 400,000, are worried about paying their rent. I just want to contrast this with the very welcome support that has been offered to tenants who are commercial tenants and are being supported by the Government’s remediation to recover from the pandemic. No such support is being offered to private tenants, and as people on all sides of this Chamber can understand, the termination of a Section 21 is the number one cause of homelessness across our capital in all constituencies. I am just wondering what your views are on whether or not the Government is aware of the magnitude of the situation facing London specifically, and what further steps they can take, in addition to what you have outlined, to support Londoners in not seeing a massive boost in homelessness in the next few months.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The moratorium on business tenants being evicted that was going to end this month has been extended by a year and, like you, I welcomed that. We lobbied for that and the Government deserves credit for that U-turn. I think they should be levelling up in relation to allowing private tenants to also benefit from that moratorium by a year, for the reasons you mentioned. If they do not, we can guarantee there will be more and more tenants being evicted, either leaving their premises in advance of the court hearing where the eviction notice takes place, or some landlords unlawfully asking their tenants to leave in advance of the date. I think what the Government should do is give some respite to those tenants and landlords who are in that situation, and also support help in relation to the arrears that have built up.

By the way - you will know this from your work in Hackney - more and more tenants are now families with children, and the consequences of being evicted if you are a family are far more serious, particularly if the children are going to school, than they otherwise would be for adults. That is why it is so important for the Government to look into more assistance for private tenants.

Sem Moema AM: Thank you. I would really appreciate your views on whether or not you agree with me that this is the calm before the storm and we are going to see, sadly, a massive increase in the number of people who are worried about paying their rents, but also mortgages too. In relation to some of the points raised earlier about family homes, the Local Housing Allowance, an increase in the £20 Universal Credit uplift, would be a welcome permanent addition to those families who are struggling to afford the family-sized housing that is available in the capital. I am just wondering if you could also agree with me - we have had lots of calls for targets - whether it is a welcome thing to make sure that the Government continues to target a date for the ending of Section 21 so that those families can remain in their homes.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It seems targets are only a topic of discussion when it is a Labour politician being asked to make a target rather than a Conservative one.

I am concerned that if you think it is bad now - you are spot on - this is the calm before the storm. Well, it is not really a calm; it is a storm before a bigger storm. The real crisis point will be a combination of the temporary uplift in Universal Credit ending and the furlough scheme ending with no date for ‘no fault’ evictions to be taken away. I worry this September [2021] we could see a significant number of families who are renting privately evicted unless the Government steps in. The Government has agreed to bring in [a ban on] ‘no fault’ evictions. A lot of people have lobbied for that, including myself, housing charities, councils and

others. They have agreed to it and we are unclear why they are delaying. What I would say to the Government is, particularly in the absence of a moratorium on evictions in the private rented sector, they should bring in, as soon as possible, the end of ‘no fault’ evictions and Section 21.

Sem Moema AM: Thank you. My final point is, again, on the point that you have talked about, that during the pandemic there have been unlawful evictions of occupiers and that has doubled between 2019 and 2020. Just whether or not you are surprised by that figure and that increase in unlawful evictions.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I would just say - and I know you are not doing this - we must not make sweeping generalisations against landlords. Most landlords are pretty good, but a small number are evicting tenants unlawfully. What makes that easier to happen is the lack of availability of affordable legal advice and the absence of Legal Aid. That is why it is really important that tenants receive good advice. There is still some free advice available from the Citizens Advice Bureau and with law centres. My message to tenants is: please make sure you try to get legal advice. Sometimes you may feel you have no choice but to leave in advance of a court hearing, and it is best not to do so because once you are out of your home you are homeless and it is very difficult to support you, particularly if you have children.

Sem Moema AM: Thank you very much. I wanted to add that I completely agree with the fact that the vast majority of landlords are very positive and support their tenants. We want to make sure that the system works for everybody but clearly we have a broken system that is putting landlords and tenants in a really invidious position here in London.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I agree with that, yes.

2021/2267 - Toilets at TfL stations Caroline Russell AM

Could you tell me how many public toilets will be opened at TfL stations (including Crossrail) in the next three years, and provide details by station of the number and types of facility?

Andrew Boff AM (Chairman): Before I ask the clock to start on the next question, you have 26 seconds for the Mayor to reply and a follow-up.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I will give you a very short answer. Public toilets are a vital provision for everyone and increased provision across London is key to making sure all Londoners can move around with dignity.

Caroline Russell AM: Thank you. It is really important for London to be a trans, non-binary and parent-friendly city so I welcome your support for that.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): A good example, Chair, of us working closely together and a continuation of the love-in that you are welcome to join, Chair, at any time.

2021/2497 - Waking Watches AM

What representations have you made to Government for them to pay upfront the costs of remediation for those living with flammable cladding, and in the meantime, what could they do to support those leaseholders paying extortionate Waking Watches costs?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The recent fourth anniversary of the Grenfell tragedy was an unfortunate reminder that too many people in London and across the country are still living in unsafe buildings. I have always been clear that upfront Government funding should cover the cost of remediating buildings of all heights and with all types of safety defect, not just cladding, as well as interim fire safety measures. In December 2020, I also called for the Government to introduce a levy on major private developers that would raise at least £3 billion to fund this work.

While the additional funding for cladding remediation announced by Ministers in February [2021] was welcome, I am disappointed that the Government refused on no less than five occasions to accept amendments to the Fire Safety Bill that would have protected all leaseholders from life-altering bills. Although I welcome the Waking Watch Relief Fund, it has significant limitations. It fails to reimburse leaseholders who have already paid out for waking watch costs, it does not consider those who continue to need a waking watch as well as a fire alarm, and it fails to address buildings under 80 metres. I will continue to call on the Government to take action to protect leaseholders caught up in this building safety crisis and I stand ready to work collaboratively to achieve the systemic change needed.

Anne Clarke AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Waking watches, as you know, are a relatively new phenomenon. The Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick [MP], previously told local authority trading standards departments to, quote, “use their powers to investigate” waking watches, even though they have no powers to do so. Do you agree with the Local Government Association (LGA) that local authority trading standards departments do not have the powers to regulate and oversee the costs of waking watches?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes, the LGA is right. There is a number of misunderstandings relating to waking watches and, although they are quite recent, you are right, unfortunately they are quite common. It is the building owner who is responsible for the waking watch, rather than fire and rescue services. There are some regulations in relation to some of this. It is putting additional pressure, as you said, on local authorities, but also on the LFB, and some clarity and support in terms of resources from the Government would be well-received by both councils and the LFB as well.

Anne Clarke AM: Thank you. I share your concern about the pressure this is putting on the LFB. What actions should Ministers take to support the LFB and local councils to address poor regulation and to show that they understand the outrageous costs faced by those in buildings with waking watches?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): A number of things that need to happen as soon as possible. First, to implement the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Inquiry. Second, to reimburse those leaseholders who have paid for a waking watch and are still paying for it even though there are fire alarms in place. Thirdly and most importantly, to remove the things that are causing their building to be potentially dangerous as soon as possible, whether it is cladding or another form of remediation work required, and then, later on, there can be an argument or discussion about how the Government is reimbursed from the building owner, the managers and so forth. The more they delay in remediating buildings, the more this cloud will be hanging over the heads of leaseholders and others and the more there will be this uncertainty. Just imagine

the costs we could save in not needing to have the inspections from local authorities and from the fire service if this stuff was sorted out.

Anne Clarke AM: Yes, absolutely. Finally, how has monitoring building safety when simultaneous evacuation advice has been put in place impacted upon the work of the LFB and has the Government recognised this change in workload through funding for additional resources to support this necessary and important work to keep London’s built environment safe?

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): It is just worth reminding those watching - you know this very well - that for a long time the fire service’s strategy of dealing with fires was built upon a premise that the built environment was safe, the so-called ‘stay put’ advice. That has been completely destroyed by the evidence from the awful fire at Grenfell four years ago. Firefighters going to a fire cannot have the confidence that the units are secure and ‘stay put’ can work. That has led to a huge number of challenges for the fire service. We are investing what we can with limited resources but we need support from the Government.

The good news is the Government has given some financial support and we should thank them for the support they are giving us in relation to the Building Risk Review Programme and in relation to the protection programme. We welcome the support they have given us. We are trying to work with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to make sure they understand what our needs are going to be going forward, to make sure we can get a decent settlement from the Government in relation to the CSR. The worry is that we will use our reserves in relation to this year and next year and MHCLG will give us what they can afford to give us, but they will not have the resource to give us further funding going forward. For the foreseeable future, we are going to need more funding from the Government to the LFB to make sure we can address the concerns that have been demonstrated in the built environment by Grenfell.

Anne Clarke AM: OK. Thank you very much.

Andrew Boff AM (Chair): That being the last question, I would like to thank you, Mr Mayor. You are now free from your obligations so you may leave. Thank you very much.

Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Thank you, Chair.