Subject: Questions to the Mayor Report Number: 4 Report To: London Assembly Date: 23/05/07 Report Of: Director of Secretariat
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Subject: Questions to the Mayor Report number: 4 Report to: London Assembly Date: 23/05/07 Report of: Director Of Secretariat Renewable Energy at the Olympics Question No: 856 / 2007 Darren Johnson Is it correct to conclude from your answer to MQT 656/2007 that 20% of the energy demand during the Olympic Games in 2012 will be provided from on-site renewable energy, and that London Array and other off-site renewables will not count towards this 20%? Response from the Mayor The ODA Sustainable Development Strategy sets out the objective for providing 20 per cent of immediate post Games Park and Village energy demand from on-site renewable sources. This will be achieved through on-site renewable sources. The London Array and other off site renewable sources will not count towards that target. Annual CO2 Reduction Targets Question No: 857 / 2007 Darren Johnson Following your Climate Change Action Plan, will you set annual targets for CO2 reductions in London? Response from the Mayor My Climate Change Action Plan set an overall carbon reduction target of 60% by 2025. As I set out when launching the Plan, this implies a reduction of 4% a year. Clearly we will not achieve emissions reductions in a totally linear fashion, but we will aim to reach this leve of cuts each year. I have also undertaken to report annually on progress with the Plan, and will include within this information about CO2 emissions as well as details of implementation programmes. ODA Sustainability Policies Oral Question No: 858 / 2007 answer Darren Johnson In response to question 374/2007 you expressed concern regarding ODA sustainability policies “particularly on waste, water, timber and procurement issues”. Please outline the substance of your concern in each of these four areas. Carbon Footprint Question No: 859 / 2007 Darren Johnson What assessment have you conducted of the carbon footprints of different sectors of London’s population, as part of the background for your Climate Change Action Plan? Response from the Mayor The focus of the Climate Change Action Plan was on overall carbon reduction targets, and designing a programme of measures to meet them. The Plan contains some analysis of carbon emissions from aviation by different socio-economic groups (page 169 of the report), some analysis of social housing and the fuel poor (page 53) and of the linakages between London and other global communities (page 11). Additional work is ongoing to raise awareness of climate change issues amongst London’s diverse population. Carbon Accounting Question No: 860 / 2007 Darren Johnson Are all GLA Group organisations now using the carbon accounting software developed by the Toronto Atmospheric Fund and London Climate Change Agency? Response from the Mayor The carbon accounting software tool has been issued to the GLA and the functional bodies. The LCCA purchased the software and gave each functional body, including the GLA, a copy, provided training and ran the software tool for the whole GLA Group in 2005. Loss of Nature Conservation Sites Question No: 861 / 2007 Darren Johnson Why has London suffered a net loss to development of protected nature conservation sites (according to information in the last two London Plan Monitoring Reports), given its rising population and your objective of protecting and enhancing biodiversity and access to it? Response from the Mayor While any loss of wildlife habitat is regrettable, small losses of protected sites are inevitable with the amount of new development required to meet the demands for housing and employment. The loss you refer to was less than two hectares, or 0.01 per cent of the total area of designated wildlife sites. Monitoring through the London Development Database only gives part of the whole picture, as it more readily records losses than gains. Figures soon to be published in my State of the Environment Report indicate that my open space and habitat survey has identified around 1000 hectares of additional sites of importance for nature conservation since 2003. While some of this is land that has never been surveyed before, much of it reflects real improvements in London’s wildlife habitats. TfL Travel Demand Management budget Question No: 862 / 2007 Darren Johnson What was TfL’s budget for Travel Demand Management in 2004/05 and 2007/08? Response from the Mayor The Travel Demand Management budget in 2004/05 was £8.65m and has increased to £30m in 2007/08. This significant increase in resources has enabled a major uplift in the numbers of travel plans being delivered for workplaces, schools, colleges, hospitals and residents (through personalised travel planning), together with travel awareness campaigns and support for car clubs. TfL Cycling Budget Question No: 863 / 2007 Darren Johnson What was TfL’s budget for cycling in 2004/05 and 2007/08? Response from the Mayor This is set out in the table below, which contains figures for all cycling related activity; i.e. research, marketing, cycle training, cycle parking and local access improvement measures on borough roads and the Transport for London Road Network (all figures in £M). Cycling 2004/05 2007/08 Borough schemes 8.5 20.4 TfL schemes 4.6 15.6 Total 13.1 36.0 TfL Walking Budget Question No: 864 / 2007 Darren Johnson What was TfL’s budget for walking in 2004/05 and 2007/08? Response from the Mayor This is set out in the table below, which contains figures covering all walking related activity; i.e. research, marketing, Strategic Walks Network, new and upgraded crossing facilities and local access improvement measures on borough roads and the Transport for London Road Network (all figures in £M). Walking 2004/05 2007/08 Borough schemes 3.5 9.2 TfL schemes 3.3 5.5 Total 6.8 14.7 LDA Climate Change Budget Question No: 865 / 2007 Darren Johnson What was the approximate total LDA budget for climate change work in 2004/05 and 2007/08? Response from the Mayor The budget identified for climate change work in 2004/05 financial year was £105 thousand. The LDA budget for climate change work in 2007/08 financial year is £12.1 million. Biofuels Question No: 866 / 2007 Darren Johnson Following rising concerns (including in a recent UN report) about the impact of biofuels on rainforests, climate change, biodiversity, food prices and food security, will you support a freeze on crop-based biofuels in TfL vehicles until a sustainable source can be identified? Response from the Mayor I share your concerns with some of the reports about some biofuels. TfL must ensure that any ethanol purchased for its fleets comes from sustainable supplies, and has therefore urged the DfT to mandate that any fuels supplied through the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation from spring 2008 only come from sustainable sources. My office, along with TfL, is continuing to develop our policy on biofuels. Used Cooking Oil Question No: 867 / 2007 Darren Johnson What proportion of used cooking oil in London is currently recycled into biodiesel, and what steps will your Business Waste Strategy take to increase this proportion? Response from the Mayor There is no accurate data on the quantity of used cooking oil currently recycled in London because very minimal data was reported by waste authorities (through WasteDataFlow) in 2005/06. Projects that collect commercial vegetable oil in London, such as BISTRO, fall outside the waste authority reporting requirements and are not required to report data elsewhere. The Mayor’s draft Business Waste Strategy: * Promotes the collection of wastes that can be made into a range of transport fuels, such as bio-diesel, * Uses Transport for London’s Freight Plan to increase the take-up of waste- derived fuels amongst vehicle operators, creating a market for these alternative fuels, and * Puts pressure on Defra and the Environment Agency, through their data strategy, to improve business waste data. Housing Need Question No: 868 / 2007 Darren Johnson Given London’s current population and social make-up, how many (both existing and new) social rented, affordable, and market homes does the capital currently need? Please give separate figures for each category of housing. How will these figures have changed by 2016? Response from the Mayor I published in December 2004 the Greater London Housing Requirements Study, which is on the GLA website: (http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/housing/docs/housing_reqs_2004.pdf) The 2004 Housing Requirements Study did not cover the period as far as 2016, but I intend to publish within the next year a new report building on the 2004 study and meeting the requirements of the Government’s new guidance on carrying out Housing Market Assessments. This next study should cover the period up to 2016. Of course the actual housing requirements in 2016 will depend on a range of factors, not least whether the supply of affordable housing has risen to meet the targets set out in the London Plan. In addition, setting targets for new housing has to take into account housing capacity and market conditions as well as theoretical requirements studies, not all of whose assumptions will fully correspond to reality. Low Emission Zone Question No: 869 / 2007 Darren Johnson Do you recall Roger Evans AM spending much of the first term calling on you to implement an LEZ rather than the congestion charge - urging you, for example, on 5/9/01 “the low emission zone actually has widespread support, certainly around the table here and amongst the public. Wouldn’t you be better doing that rather than wasting money on congestion charge?” Do you find it odd that Roger Evans is now pouring scorn on the idea of an LEZ, dismissing it in his 30/4/07 blog as a “stealth tax”? Response from the Mayor I am grateful to you for reminding me of this.