Item 5 Appendix E GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY London Assembly 17 December 2003 Report No: 5 Subject: Mayor’s Questions Report of: Director Of Secretariat

2154 / 2003 - Bio -fuels Darren Johnson Will you allow bio-fuel vehicles to qualify for exemption from the congestion charge? The 100% discount applies to cleaner fuel vehicles approved and listed in the appropriate band on the TransportEnergy PowerShift Register, which is maintained by the Energy Saving Trust.

At the moment certain LPG, natural gas, hybrid and electric vehicles are listed on the PowerShift Register. No bio-diesel vehicles are on the Register so far because, as far as TfL and I know, manufacturers are not yet marketing any vehicle to run solely on bio- diesel. However if a bio-diesel vehicle was developed and was decided by the Energy Savings Trust to meet the emissions criteria for the PowerShift Register, it would then be eligible for the congestion charge discount. 2156 / 2003 - Tramlink Andrew Pelling What prospects are there for ticket inspectors on Tramlink to be provided with more visible uniforms that will heighten the profile of their activities so discouraging fare evasion and instilling public confidence in fare enforcement? Croydon Tramlink is a system run by a private company, Tramtrack Croydon Limited, (TCL), under the PFI initiative. TCL receive all revenue generated by travel on Tramlink and are responsible for fares collection and revenue protection. It is a matter for TCL to determine the level of ticket inspection required and the style of uniform worn. 2157 / 2003 - TfL, PPP & the maintenance of London Underground track Andrew Pelling Network Rail has recently seen fit to cancel the contracts of their private maintenance contractors. What means are provided to TfL take to ensure that safety and public confidence in the maintenance of the track infrastructure on the London Underground are maintained at a high standard? What measures are available to TfL and London Underground Limited, under

1 Item 5 Appendix E PPP, to take action should safety and maintenance standards slip below an acceptable standard?

London Underground track infrastructure is maintained by the private infrastructure companies, Metronet and Tube Lines. TfL does not have the same contractual controls as Network Rail, which allowed Network Rail to cancel maintenance contracts with the private companies.

The PPP contract establishes self assurance obligations on Metronet and Tube Lines to maintain the track structure to standards dictated by London Underground. London Underground may challenge the performance of the private companies and issue instructions, called corrective action notices, to improve safety performance so as to meet standards. If Tube Lines or Metronet fail to comply with a safety instruction, London Underground may take assets out of service or, in emergency situations, step- in to remedy a specific problem. TfL is taking steps to augment this PPP structure with an increased inspection and surveillance regime. 2158 / 2003 - Legislation to evict travellers Andrew Pelling What can the GLA do to lobby for increased legislative powers to expedite eviction of travellers who trespass on public and on private land? The procedures under which trespassers are removed from land are governed by generally applicable primary legislation and the procedural rules of court relating to possession proceedings. Travellers may be moved on by court order or under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 but the speed with which this can be affected depends on getting before a court, being able to demonstrate compliance with legal requirements and then enforcement of the order if it is obtained. Under S.77 of the GLA Act 1999 the GLA may promote a bill in Parliament, which could include provisions about travellers rights in London or may lobby for legislative change. However the real issue is whether there are enough sites established specifically for occupation by travelling people. In the London Plan I have suggested that neighbouring boroughs might coordinate their planning and take steps to protect existing sites, bring forward new ones and identify gaps in provision thereby reducing trespass and I believe that some boroughs are already doing this. Travelling people have rights under the Race Relations Act 1976 and they are recognised as an ethnic minority within the legislation. As a result local authorities must ensure that they address the needs of travelers in the development of their Race Equality Schemes and any strategies or policies, particularly spatial development plans. These communities also have rights under the Human Rights Act 1998 and these rights must be respected and complied with when managing traveller issues and the GLA must have regard to its equalities duties under S.404. 2159 / 2003 - Congestion Jenny Jones With TfL's identification of a thousand pinch points on the London road network, will you guarantee that traffic reduction measures will be automatically included as part of the package of solutions? How many of these congestion pinch points are within a half mile radius of the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge? Would the opening of the bridge make

2 Item 5 Appendix E these pinch points better or worse? The pinch-points identified on London’s busy main roads are not just a consequence of traffic demand but can also reflect network configuration. Even relatively minor adjustments to kerb lines can make a significant difference in particular circumstances. The more critical pinch-points are a focus for real-time management action at the London Traffic Control Centre, supported by the congestion intervention teams now being established by the joint TfL/Police Transport Operational Command Unit. Traffic reduction will generally be on a individual area basis rather than at individual locations.

Only one pinch point is identified within a half-mile radius of the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge, at Beckton Roundabout. Appropriate measures will be developed to mitigate any undue impacts arising from the bridge.

2160 / 2003 - Whistle blowing Jenny Jones Does the mayor support a code of conduct which allows elected representatives to reveal 'exempt' information where the representative believes this is in the public interest and/or where the information in question relates to an unlawful decision taken in private? Legislation allows for categories of public and private (exempt) information in respect of the activities of public bodies and by January 2003 will allow access to information by the press and public under the Freedom of Information legislation. Personal Information may also be sought by subjects under the Data Protection Act. Under the Greater London Authority (Protected Information) Order 2000 express provision is made for the GLA to conduct sensitive business in private and the Organisation is also subject to legal provisions governing local authorities. Other processes exist to deal with decisions which are unlawful, in particular the statutory appointment of the monitoring officer which is designed to safeguard the interests of the Authority and the public in relation to potentially unlawful decisions and also the existence of the Standards Committee and the Standards Board for England to which the activities of individual members may be referred. Under the Code of Conduct members are required to respect the confidentiality of documents in their possession and any breach might result in a referral to the Standards Board. If members choose to disclose exempt information then having done so it is for them to make a case for the disclosure being in the public interest.

2161 / 2003 - Train and tram/bus interchange at West Croydon Andrew Pelling The interchange between train and tram/bus at West Croydon remains very poor. What is the GLA doing to help secure the improvement of this interchange? A Phase 1 Feasibility Study in August 2002 identified two long-term options and one short-term option for improving West Croydon station. LB Croydon, with assistance from TfL, will appoint consultants soon to undertake Phase 2 to work up those three options in greater detail so a decision can be taken. The Phase 2 study is to be completed by Summer 2004.

3 Item 5 Appendix E The short-term option involves local integration improvements, such as an additional rail station entrance, bus stop relocation and improved pedestrian crossings.

The long-term options will investigate expanding or relocating the current bus station, as part of the proposed large-scale redevelopment of the area 2162 / 2003 - Pavements Jenny Jones Has the condition of pavements on the TLRN got better or worse in the last three years according to the UKPMS surveys? Has TfL paid out any money in legal compensation for injuries to pedestrians during this time?

The Government required highway authorities to publish in 2003 a performance indicator for the condition of pavements (footways) using the UKPMS method of measurement. It covers the most important and heavily used hierarchy of pavements and for the TLRN this means all the pavement network. The indicator is the percentage length of the pavement network with a ‘Condition Index’ greater than 20.0. This threshold indicates the need for investigation to determine whether maintenance is needed to preserve the footway service ability. The TLRN indicator for 2003 is 27.6.

2003 is the base year against which future pavement surveys will be used to measure the performance of the TLRN and the effect of year-on-year maintenance investment. However, the network is also in a continuous state of deterioration, due to normal wear and tear, continual excavation by utilities, weather conditions, age of the assets etc. It will need a number of years of data collection to establish the trends you have enquired about.

Pedestrians and other road users can claim against TfL for compensation for personal loss resulting from certain incidents which occur on the TLRN. These are fully investigated by TfL and its insurers, and compensation has been made to individuals on the established facts. 2163 / 2003 - Pavements Jenny Jones Has the condition of pavements next to borough roads got better, or worse during the last three years? What is the estimated cost of bringing all the borough pavements up to an acceptable level and will the coming year's allocation of TfL funds meet this challenge?

Such data on trends in pavement conditions are not yet available, as explained in the answer to question 2162/2003.

TfL funds capital maintenance covering the Borough’s principal road network only and not local roads. Funding is targeted at carriageways in the poorest condition and the adjacent footway if warranted. It will take many years of effort by TfL and the boroughs to bring all footways to the condition described by the government’s performance indicator for footways.

4 Item 5 Appendix E 2164 / 2003 - Translation costs for The Londoner newspaper Andrew Pelling Thank you for your Mayoral Answer 1985/2003 where you state that regarding 'The Londoner' for the 2 issues published in 2002/03 and the first six issues published in 2003/04 we have received 351 requests for translations. Each translation costs approximately £285. Does this mean that the total cost of translations was £100,035? The total cost for translating the first eight editions of The Londoner is £100,256. 2165 / 2003 - Entente Cordiale centenary Andrew Pelling What should the GLA do to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale in 2004?

There are no plans at present for the GLA to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. Any proposals will be given careful consideration. 2166 / 2003 - Battle of Trafalgar centenary Andrew Pelling What should the GLA do to mark the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005?

There are no plans at present for the GLA to mark the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Any proposals will be given careful consideration. 2167 / 2003 - Crystal Palace Oral answer Darren Johnson Should the top site at Crystal Palace Park be built on? 2168 / 2003 - Planning considerations for Crystal Palace top site Andrew Pelling What cognisance should be given to the accommodation of additional road traffic in any work that is undertaken in putting together commercial development projects for planning consideration at the top end of Crystal Palace Park?

No serious development proposal has been put forward for the Top Site, to my knowledge, since I became Mayor. Should such a proposal be made it should be subject to a Transport Impact Assessment appropriate to all applications of strategic importance across London. 2169 / 2003 - Planning considerations for Crystal Palace top site Andrew Pelling

5 Item 5 Appendix E What cognisance should be given to the limited ability of the Upper Norwood one-way system and surrounding roads to accommodate additional road traffic? No serious development proposal has been put forward for the Top Site, to my knowledge, since I became Mayor. Should such a proposal be made it should be subject to a Transport Impact Assessment appropriate to all applications of strategic importance across London. 2170 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham?

In my draft Energy Strategy, I proposed that each borough should seek to establish at least one well-founded ‘showcase’ renewable energy project in their area, to raise the profile of renewable energy best practice. I have now consulted on my draft strategy and I am glad to say that there was considerable support for this proposal. The strategy will be published early next year following the publication of the London Plan and at that time I will urge boroughs to take action to implement this proposal. However, I can assure you that action is already being taken by officers to promote this initiative with a number of boroughs through on-going planning applications.

Other initiatives already underway which support this proposal include:

- The London Plan, containing renewable energy planning policies along with the Supplementary Planning Guidance on Sustainable Design and Construction, will be published early next year, setting out what is expected in strategic developments

- The Hydrogen Partnership is working to install a major renewable hydrogen fuel cell project in London.

- The London Energy Partnership will be launched in January, which will work to deliver major sustainable energy projects, with a range of partners including the boroughs, across London.

- The London Renewables programme will, from next year, provide support to planners, the boroughs and developers to install more renewable energy, particularly in new development. 2171 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Barnet? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2172 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase 6 Item 5 Appendix E renewable energy project in the London Borough of Bexley? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2173 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Brent? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

2174 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Bromley? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

2175 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Camden? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2176 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Croydon? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2177 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Ealing? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2178 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Enfield? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

7 Item 5 Appendix E 2179 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Greenwich? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2180 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Hackney? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2181 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2182 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Haringey? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2183 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Havering? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2184 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Hillingdon? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

2185 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase 8 Item 5 Appendix E renewable energy project in the London Borough of Hounslow? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2186 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Islington? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2187 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2188 / 2003 - Renewable Energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Kingston? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

2189 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Lambeth? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2190 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Lewisham? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2191 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Newham? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2192 / 2003 - Renewable energy

9 Item 5 Appendix E Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Redbridge? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2193 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Richmond? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2194 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Southwark? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2195 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2196 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Waltham Forest? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2197 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Wandsworth? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003 2198 / 2003 - Renewable energy Darren Johnson What are you doing to encourage at least one well-founded showcase renewable energy project in the London Borough of Westminster? I refer you to the response to 2170/2003

10 Item 5 Appendix E 2199 / 2003 - TfL Borough Spending Plans Andrew Pelling You recently announced a record investment into transport improvements for London’s Boroughs yet the direct funding allocation for Croydon dropped £443,000 between 2003/04 and 2004/05 whilst Sutton’s direct allocation dropped by £837,000 over the same period. How do you defend such a large and significant reduction in direct funding as being good news for my Boroughs? In 2003/4 Sutton received £1.857m as an initial allocation, with a further £80,000 later on. For 2004/5 Sutton have been allocated £2.69m. This is actually £837,000 more than the first allocation in 03/04 plus £757,000 greater than the overall allocation for 03/04.

While it is true that Croydon received a reduced allowance from 2003/04, their 2003/04 allocation included significant one-off amounts for specific bus priority schemes. It should also be noted that as members of both SWETLTRAC and SELTRANS, Croydon will benefit from the increased allocations to these groups of £466,000 and £187,000 respectively. 2200 / 2003 - Urban pests Angie Bray What is the difference between using a hawk to chase those urban pests, pigeons out of Trafalgar Square and using hounds to chase those rural, but also increasingly urban pests, foxes? Unlike those who take great enjoyment in the pursuit of killing animals for pleasure, as outlined by the Master of Portman Hunt, Edward Lycett-Green who stated that “We are in the entertainment and leisure business”, the use of the hawk at Trafalgar Square encourages the pigeons to leave the Square and search for food elsewhere.

The hawk is not being used specifically to kill the birds but merely as a deterrent. It is part of a raft of measures to reduce the number of birds visiting the Square. 2201 / 2003 - TfL franchises and contracts Jenny Jones Do all TfL franchises and contracts now contain clauses on improving the design of buses, railway stations, and the underground network for better accessibility for disabled people?

I am committed to improving accessibility for disabled people and have made this constantly clear to TfL.

New contracts for London’s bus routes generally specify the provision of fully accessible, low floor buses that are of benefit to disabled people. The vehicle tender specification included within the tenders is currently being updated but aims to ensure a consistent approach to many vehicle features e.g. the position of the wheelchair ramp and bay. By 2006, with the exception of Routemaster, all buses will be wheelchair accessible.

11 Item 5 Appendix E

In relation to the tube, TfL partners, (Tube Lines and Metronet) have a contractual duty to bring all stations up to agreed standards when they undertake modernisation. Although this does not extend to step free access for all stations, PPP contracts will deliver 15 step free stations by 2010.

All new extensions to the existing accessible infrastructure and rail cars on Docklands Light Railway will be designed to comply with up to date accessibility standards.

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) set the franchaise contracts with the train operating companies (TOCs). The SRA sets the requirement for train operators to comply with the duties outlined within the Disability Discrimination Act and have set as a benchmark code of practice for compliance.

2202 / 2003 - SRA- evening staff at stations Jenny Jones What advice have you given to the SRA to ensure that there are more staff at railway stations in the evenings?

Transport for London is actively lobbying, with SRA and all stakeholders, for improved safety and security measures at all stations in the London area. The presence of staff at stations is a prime factor in making stations safer and more welcoming. TfL would wish to see staffing for all the period of the train service, or, as a minimum standard, at least 15 hours per day, 7 days per week.

TfL has also worked with train companies to fund other measures to improve the security of passengers. These measures include the provision of CCTV and Help Points. On the North London Line, TfL has recently authorised funding for the installation of on-train CCTV for the protection of passengers. This work will commence in early 2004. 2203 / 2003 - Royal Mail Contribution to Olympics Darren Johnson Were you consulted on Royal Mail's decision to make a £1 million contribution towards the Olympic bid? At a time when post offices are closing all over London, do you not think it would have been more appropriate for them to plough this money into saving local services?

I was not consulted on the Royal Mail’s decision, and would not expect to have been. While I am concerned about the closure of London Post Offices, London 2012 has a crucial task to carry out and needs active participation of all London’s agencies in order to deliver the huge benefits of a London Olympic Games. 2204 / 2003 - GLA call centre Eric Ollerenshaw Where is the GLA out of hours call centre based?

12 Item 5 Appendix E The current centre is based in Hammersmith.

2205 / 2003 - Step Change Eric Ollerenshaw What impact would the Met polices current shift patterns have on Step Change?

As is currently the case, decisions regarding local shift patterns will be made by individual BOCU Commanders according to local needs and resources. 2206 / 2003 - GLA vacancies Eric Ollerenshaw What is the average cost of advertising a post at the GLA?

The average cost is £1,780. 2207 / 2003 - LDA recruitment Eric Ollerenshaw How many people have been recruited by the LDA this year to newly created posts and what were they?

Administrative Support Project Manager (Diversity) Senior Strategy Development Advisor Senior Strategy Development Advisor Head of Communications SIPD (Projects) Secretary Assistant Regeneration Manager x 5 Skills & Employment Manager Senior Skills & Employment Manager FRESA Co-ordinator Strategy Development Advisor (Europe) Higher Education Liaison Manager Administration Officer (Dev & Sustainability) Administrative Support (London Project) Project Manager (Life Sciences) Project Manager (Tourism) Business Development Manager – Urban Renaissance Project Officer – Team London Planning & Regeneration Officer Performance Assistant Performance Advisor x 3 Team Administrator Commissioning Manager Assistant Business Retention Manager Administrative Office (BV/Coordination) Personal Assistant (OLS)

13 Item 5 Appendix E Public Enquiry Officer Secretary – Projects Head of European & International Initiatives Director of Regeneration Business Manager of Deputy Chief Executive’s Office Head of Chief Executive’s Head of Development and Policy Head of Government Relations Head of Strategy & Economics Business Manager: Business & Skills Business Manager: Regeneration & Development

Some of these posts have been temporarily filled with temps and individuals on fixed term contracts. 2208 / 2003 - TfL recruitment Eric Ollerenshaw How many people have been recruited by TfL this year to newly created posts and what were they?

In light of TfL’s integration review, encompassing the transfer of LU and rationalisation of other TfL functions, and the amalgamation of TfL’s Surface Transport and Street Management Directorates, it will take time to compile the information you request. TfL will write to you with the information as soon as it is available. 2209 / 2003 - GLA recruitment Eric Ollerenshaw How many people have been recruited by the GLA this year to newly created posts and what were they? 51 people have been recruited to newly created posts since 1 April 2003. The list is attached as Appendix A. 2210 / 2003 - TfL free travel passes Eric Ollerenshaw How many free travel passes in total do TfL hand out?

As of November 2003, the total number of current free travel passes issued by TfL was 109,946, although such figures can alter daily as people leave or join.

This benefit, the original concept of which goes as far back as the 1930s, is intended to act as an incentive for both recruitment and retention. TfL also believes that it is appropriate that our retired staff continue to benefit from free travel. 2211 / 2003 - TfL free travel passes Eric Ollerenshaw Further to my previous questions on this issue, exactly how many people who

14 Item 5 Appendix E are not direct employees of TfL receive free travel passes? 93083 passes have been issued to people not currently directly employed by TfL 2212 / 2003 - TfL Public Affairs office Eric Ollerenshaw How many people are employed in the public affairs office at TfL? 14 people. 2213 / 2003 - TfL Public Affairs office Eric Ollerenshaw What is the running cost of the public affairs office at TfL? The running cost is approximately £1m 2214 / 2003 - LDA Public Affairs office Eric Ollerenshaw What is the running cost of the public affairs office at the LDA? £349,517 2215 / 2003 - LDA public Affairs office Repeat of question Eric Ollerenshaw 2214 What is the running cost of the public affairs office at the LDA?

2216 / 2003 - Crossrail Eric Ollerenshaw How many people are employed by Crossrail? Cross London Rail Links Ltd directly employs 32 staff as at 9 December 2003. The company also has 4 secondees from the Strategic Rail Authority, and 41 secondees from Transport for London. 2217 / 2003 - Crossrail employee's Eric Ollerenshaw How many consultants have been employed by Crossrail since the company's inception?

In its work to develop the engineering, environmental and planning recommendations for the Crossrail Line 1 scheme, CLRL has employed a number of professional companies to act as its advisors in highly specialised professional areas.

To date, the company has entered into approximately 150 contractual agreements for work to assist in the scheme’s development.

15 Item 5 Appendix E The work has been instrumental in bringing forward the robust business case currently being assessed by the Department for Transport. 2218 / 2003 - Crossrail press office Eric Ollerenshaw How many people are employed in the press office of Crossrail? One. CLRL employs one person, with the title of Media Manager, to deal with press enquiries on behalf of the project. 2219 / 2003 - Crossrail Public Affairs unit Eric Ollerenshaw How many people are employed in the public affairs unit of Crossrail?

Twenty-four. The team comprises specialists in the areas of Parliamentary Bill Preparation, Consultation, Safeguarding and Land Referencing, along with support staff dealing with public enquiries and budgetary management. The remainder (3) work in PR & Communications. 2220 / 2003 - Crossrail Eric Ollerenshaw What is the wage bill of Crossrail?

Within the ‘ring-fenced’ Government grant paid (via Transport for London and the Strategic Rail Authority), for Cross London Rail Links Ltd’s current development work, CLRL has a budget of £3.6m in the 2003/2004 financial year for salaries, salary oncosts, pensions, and employers’ National Insurance contributions.

These payments include direct CLRL employees, seconded staff from TfL and SRA, and any other contract/temporary staff. 2221 / 2003 - Crossrail Eric Ollerenshaw How much does the rent of the Crossrail office cost?

Cross London Rail Links Ltd occupies office accommodation at 1 Butler Place, London SW1. This space is sublet from Transport for London at a cost of £750,000 per annum.

This amount includes landlord’s rent and service charges, national non-domestic rates, internal TfL service charges for cleaning, etc, and also all telephone costs (Inclusive of calls and hardware) 2222 / 2003 - TfL and Crossrail Eric Ollerenshaw Is anyone employed solely by TfL to work on the Crossrail project?

16 Item 5 Appendix E

Twenty-three staff have been recruited by Transport for London since Jan 2002, to work specifically on the Crossrail project. Eighteen secondees were staff that joined Transport for London from London Underground under ‘transfer of undertakings’ legislation (TUPE), when Cross London Rail Links was formed. 2223 / 2003 - Crossrail - bonus systems Eric Ollerenshaw Does Crossrail have a bonus system for staff wages? If yes, how are bonuses earned?

No, Crossrail does not have a bonus system for its staff. The only individual that could qualify for a bonus is the Chief Executive, and any such payment would be based upon performance criteria, which are agreed by the Remuneration Committee. 2224 / 2003 - Press Officers at City Hall Eric Ollerenshaw How many press officers does the Mayor currently have at City Hall?

Fourteen, including the head of service; in addition eight staff handle the press for the Assembly, including the head of service.

2225 / 2003 - TfL Press Officers Eric Ollerenshaw How many press officers are there at TfL?

TfL employs 12 press officers and the 6 members of the London Underground press team, which moved over after integration took place on 15 July this year.

Immediately prior to integration the total number was 21, with 13 press officers employed at TfL and 8 employed at London Underground.

2226 / 2003 - LDA Press Officers Eric Ollerenshaw How many press officers are there at the LDA? There are five press officer posts at the LDA. 2227 / 2003 - LDA Press Office Eric Ollerenshaw What is the running cost of the press office at the LDA? £285,886 17 Item 5 Appendix E

2228 / 2003 - Outsourcing Eric Ollerenshaw How much does each functional body spend on outsourcing public affairs work? Unless some specialist skills are required none of the functional bodies outsource public affairs work.

2229 / 2003 - Royal Parks Darren Johnson Should the running of the Royal Parks be brought within democratically accountable structures? The Royal Parks provide not only Londoners but also national and international visitors with accessible public open space in the capital.

Generally these parks are well maintained and resourced and compare favourably with the quality of other parks.

While the set up of the Royal Parks as an agency of the government is not democratic it removes the burden of providing and maintaining these open spaces from Londoners. This is appropriate given the fact that the Royal Parks are important London, national and international attractions. 2230 / 2003 - Tobin Tax Darren Johnson Do you support the introduction of a "Tobin Tax" on currency speculation? Yes.

2231 / 2003 - Ethical Register Darren Johnson Given London's heavily reliance on the financial services sector would you support the establishment of an Ethical Register to ensure there is greater public awareness of which companies are behaving ethically and which not? The financial services sector is already heavily regulated in respect of its specifically financial activities and there is a raft of legislation regulating the activities of companies in many other respects. That London’s economy is heavily dependant on the financial services sector should not influence the central issue which is that the sector should behave responsibly and ethically in all its activities and dealings, and that the public should be informed and should take steps to inform themselves about a company before they decide whether or not to do business with it. 2232 / 2003 - Cycling Budget

18 Item 5 Appendix E Darren Johnson As a Mayor who likes to consider himself as a friend of the cyclist and pedestrian, can you explain why the cycling and walking budgets are being held back at around £17m in the coming year and good local projects are not being continued? Do you think that you are giving any sort of priority to human scale schemes, given that next year you intend to spend: £15.6m constructing a new by-pass in Coulsdon; £9.1m on contracted improvements to the A13; £3.9m preparation costs for the Thames Gateway motorway Bridge; £3m preparation costs for widening North Circular, Bounds Green; £2.4m preparation costs for widening North Circular, Regents Park; £0.8m preparation costs for widening North Circular, Golders Green; £10.8m replacing one road bridge at Hanger Lane; £12.9m replacing one road bridge at A40 Western Avenue; £2.2m refurbishment of the Blackwall Tunnel; £1m refurbishment of the Rotherhithe Tunnel and £6.2m Strengthening Westminster bridge?

I am committed to making London a safer, more convenient and attractive place for cycling and walking. The allocation of £17.1m for cycling and walking schemes will allow a variety of measures (such as safer crossings, LCN+, cycle parking and other engineering and promotional measures) to be progressed by TfL and the London Boroughs which will greatly benefit these users.

In addition, cyclists and pedestrians will benefit from many of the other programmes of work which you mention, such as the Coulsdon project which will allow considerable improvements for cyclists and pedestrians to take place within the town centre, as well providing specific measures along the new route. There are also a range of other programmes within TfL's business plan which will further improve conditions for these users, such as 20mph zones, safer routes to school, travel awareness and area based schemes.

Future allocations will have to reflect available resources, and I hope you will be pressing to support additional investment. 2233 / 2003 - Wildlife along transport corridors Noel Lynch What progress has been made in implementing proposal 37 of your Biodiversity Strategy the Mayor will work with Transport for London and will encourage the Highways Agency, Railtrack, the borough councils and other transport bodies to ensure that the potential for wildlife habitat on the verges of roads, footpaths, cycle ways and railways is realised wherever possible? My biodiversity staff have met with the environment managers of Network Rail, Transport for London, London Underground and the three Infracos to explore how best to ensure that this proposal is implemented. Transport for London has already begun a programme of habitat surveys along its road network, and is setting up an environmental database. London Underground and the Infracos are discussing how best to ensure that the biodiversity survey data they already hold is used, improved and kept up to date. 2234 / 2003 - Circuses with animals Noel Lynch

19 Item 5 Appendix E Do you agree that using animals in circuses can cause animal suffering? Will you use your powers and influence to seek a ban on circuses with animals from publicly owned land in London?

Yes, using animals in circuses can cause animal suffering. In addition, very often they do not provide a suitable environment to guarantee high standards of care and welfare that the public have now come to expect.

Many local authorities in London now ban circuses with animals from public owned land and I would be happy use my influence to pursue a London wide ban.

In addition officers will also be outlining my opposition to the use of animals in circuses during the DEFRA consultation on the Animal Welfare Bill in the New Year. 2235 / 2003 - London Thames Gateway UDC Noel Lynch Do you agree that decisions on land assembly, planning and development in the London Thames Gateway should be taken by democratically elected borough councils and the GLA, and not by an unelected Urban Development Corporation? As this Government has established a Mayor of London, with oversight of a London Development Agency which has Thames Gateway as a major priority, I am not convinced of the need for a UDC. However, the East London boroughs have been broadly supportive of Government’s UDC proposal on the basis that it could bring additional resources and enhanced delivery capacity to London Thames Gateway, and in the belief that democratic accountability will be maintained through councillors’ membership of the Board. I am working closely in partnership with the Thames Gateway boroughs, and it does not seem appropriate to take a different view from them on a matter that primarily affects their powers and resources. My understanding is that neither the Mayor of London’s planning powers, nor the LDA’s land assembly powers, will be affected by the UDC.

2236 / 2003 - Industrial land capacity Noel Lynch Following the publication of your draft SPG on Industrial Capacity, can you clarify the basis on which boroughs in their UDPs are expected to identify an oversupply of industrial sites? What level of supply over demand do you consider to be excessive?

National guidance requires boroughs to identify industrial demand in order to justify retention of industrial sites in industrial use. The draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) on Industrial Capacity provides a sensitive and coordinated pan London framework for interpreting this national policy in London’s unique circumstances.

As an interim solution to help boroughs assess demand in a coordinated way, the draft 20 Item 5 Appendix E SPG contains broad borough level demand assessments which it acknowledges to be dated. They are currently being updated by a new ‘top down’ assessment which will inform the final SPG. ‘Bottom up’ sub regional and borough level appraisals are also being undertaken with support from the LDA.

The draft London Plan stated that, subject to a careful ‘plan, monitor and manage’ approach to industrial capacity, some 30 ha of land per annum could be released from industry to other uses across London without compromising capacity to meet its industrial needs. In the light of the GLA’s employment forecasts this was revised at the London Plan Examination in Public to 50 ha per annum. Subsequent re-working of these figures by the LDA’s independent consultants suggest that releases of 80 – 120 ha per annum should be released in order to preserve a balance between the supply and demand of industrial land across London and prevent any excessive level of over- supply. 2237 / 2003 - Industrial land capacity Noel Lynch Do you accept that greenfield sites which are allocated for industrial development and subsequently identified as surplus to industrial/ business requirements may warrant redesignation as open space instead of re- allocation for other types of building development? Greenfield industrial sites are very rare in London.

Were one to be re-allocated to other uses this would be in light of the range of strategic and local planning priorities and needs, including any need for open space together with an assessment of the nature and location of the site itself.

Boroughs are required by government (Planning Policy Guidance 17) and the draft London Plan to draw up an open spaces strategy. This will include identifying open space deficiencies and setting priorities for new open space and enhancing existing open space. 2238 / 2003 - Crossrail routes Noel Lynch Are you concerned that the revised Crossrail routes for West London will fail to benefit many less well off parts of Ealing and Hillingdon, which are without fast and frequent services to Central London, and which are in need of regeneration and improved public transport? I am concerned to maximise the scheme’s benefits to West London as well as other areas and I am pressing the case for a stop at Southall. 2239 / 2003 - Local identity Noel Lynch Cheam in Merton has recently had its postcode removed and is now classed as part of Sutton. Would the Mayor back local residents who are seeking the have Cheam’s distinct post code returned, to help preserve a sense of local identity?

21 Item 5 Appendix E Yes 2240 / 2003 - Local identity Noel Lynch Perivale has never had its own distinct postcode despite the fact that local people regard it as an area in its own right. Would the Mayor back residents who are seeking a distinct postcode for Perivale, to foster local identity?

Yes 2241 / 2003 - Peter McBride case Noel Lynch In view of the wide concern amongst London’s Irish community, will the Mayor lobby the government for a review by an independent appeal panel of the decision to retain in the army soldiers convicted of the murder of Peter McBride?

Yes 2242 / 2003 - Road building on Rammey Marsh Noel Lynch Is a new road link across Rammey Marsh in Enfield being actively considered? Has TfL made any contribution towards a new feasibility study? If so, what is the justification given that Rammey Marsh is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and that a similar road scheme was rejected a few years ago following public inquiry? TfL and the LDA are in discussion with Enfield about problems of access to the employment areas of the Upper Lee Valley and the environmental impacts of traffic on residential areas. The aim is to identify the widest possible range of options, these include:

• A short road link to the M25, from Mollison Avenue, across Rammey Marsh (West)

• A link to the A121 across Rammey Marsh (East).

Discussions are on going and the results of the studies undertaken by Enfield are still under consideration.

TfL has committed an allocation of £40,000 during the 2004/05 financial year to be spent on relatively small sustainable transport elements in the Northern Gateway Access Package. Decisions have yet to be made on the precise form this will take but it does not include a commitment to either of these road proposals at this point. The environmental impact of any new road would need to be very carefully considered by the promoting authority before a final decision was made. Support from TfL would follow only if environmental impacts were investigated and addressed to TfL's satisfaction.

22 Item 5 Appendix E 2243 / 2003 - Encouraging local water treatment techniques Andrew Pelling As you know, the BedZED in South London uses a green water treatment plant that treats waste water and turns that water into a non-potable resource. The work on this scheme was put together by the Metropolitan Water Company and Albion Water. The recycled water is used for toilet flushing, garden irrigation and public area cleaning. What elements should we expect within the final London Plan that will encourage the use of such local treatment techniques?

The draft London Plan contained a specific policy addressing water supplies and water quality. These are aimed at protecting and securing a high quality supply for London’s long term needs. A number of techniques are indicated including minimising the use of treated water. More guidance on how these techniques will be included in Supplementary Planning Guidance.

The Sustainable Design and Construction SPG will be published for public consultation shortly after the final London Plan in 2004.

2244 / 2003 - Promotion of ground water extraction and other solutions Andrew Pelling Bearing in mind the warnings that have been made despite the recent heavy rainfall that London faces risks of water shortages, what can the GLA do as a planning authority to promote ground water extraction and sustainable potable and non-potable solutions?

The draft London Plan contained a specific policy addressing the issue of groundwater abstraction (Policy BR8). This was aimed at establishing abstraction of water particularly from inner and central London where the levels of groundwater have been rising.

There is already abstraction of groundwater in London and schemes such as the North London Artificial Recharge Scheme are run by Thames Water.

The draft Sustainable Design and Construction SPG will be published shortly after the final London Plan in 2004 and will contain best practice on water efficiency.

I am aware of the concern about water supplies for next year if there is not enough rainfall during the coming winter and have asked the Environment Agency and Thames Water to keep me informed about the situation. 2245 / 2003 - Tory Opposition to the Olympic Bid Jennette Arnold What is the Mayor's view of the comments of Brian Coleman, the London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, on the 2nd December 2003 as

23 Item 5 Appendix E quoted on http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/headlines/ display.var.438458.0.fasttrack_olympic_lanes_are_fantasy_land.php, where he says London should not bid for the Games because its infrastructure is not up to it? Cllr Coleman’s remarks are directly contrary to the highly supportive early day motion tabled by David Davies and the Tory front bench in the House of Commons. He is also wrong to suggest that London should not bid for the Games because its infrastructure is not up to it.

The Outline Olympic Transport Strategy produced by the Olympic Transport Team (jointly comprising TfL, SRA, Highways Authority and BAA) shows that London can cope with the Games and their associated travel demands, whilst keeping London running.

The Strategy is based on making the best use of existing infrastructure, utilising schemes that are already planned to happen prior to 2012, and some Olympic specific transport enhancements.

London already has a transport infrastructure capacity way above most previous Games cities.

Olympic travel demands can make much use of spare capacity in the transport network, either because it is in a counter-peak direction, or because in August, background demands are reduced anyway.

Where specific Olympic enhancements are deemed necessary, the Strategy will explore how these can be made into lasting legacies that benefit regeneration in East London, and indeed London as a whole.

More specifically, on the issue of Olympic Lanes on major routes, the Olympic Transport Team is looking at the feasibility of various measures for both spectator and Olympic Family travel, and Olympic lanes are part of that consideration. These would give priority to the movement of the Olympic Family at times of travel but their designation and operation are issues which are still to be resolved. 2246 / 2003 - Post Offices Valerie Shawcross Will the Mayor join me in condemning Lambeth Liberal Democrats, who are proposing to levy a £1.30 charge each time a resident pays Council Tax using a Girobank transaction at a post office counter? This is short-sighted and wrong, because it encourages a shift away from post offices to banks and paypoints, threatening the viability of small post offices.

In addition the people who don’t transfer to using banks are likely to be those least likely to afford the extra £1.30 and the policy will lead to vulnerable pensioners carrying around pensions cash that they otherwise pay straight away in Council Tax. 2247 / 2003 - Denmark Hill – Parking (written) Valerie Shawcross One of my constituents Dr Driver of Denmark Hill has asked me to ask you the 24 Item 5 Appendix E following question. Commuters’ cars are parked, nose to tail, alongside the pavement at Denmark Hill during the week. This causes difficulties and danger in crossing roads. I am a member of the Ruskin on the Hill Residents’ Association and we have many times brought this up with Lambeth Council. I should be grateful for the opinion of the Mayor. Transport for London Traffic Enforcement has a Service Level Agreement with Lambeth Council for enhanced enforcement along key bus corridors. I have asked them to raise this issue as part of their ongoing discussions with the borough. However, your constituent is right in raising this matter with Lambeth since enforcement on Denmark Hill is their responsibility. 2248 / 2003 - Port of London Authority - Accountability Valerie Shawcross The PLA is apparently not accountable to the NAO or audit commission, its members are not subject to any democratic accountability and it has no independent complaints procedure. Do you believe that this is an appropriate way for a public institution to be run in the 21st century? As I have said before, no, I do not. 2249 / 2003 - Port of London Authority - Performance Valerie Shawcross What in your view as TfL Chair of the performance of the PLA?

TfL and I have no direct responsibility for the Port of London Authority. If you have specific concerns about its performance, I would be happy to look at these in more detail.

2250 / 2003 - Port of London Authority - Equal Opportunities Valerie Shawcross How does the PLA satisfy modern ethical and legal standards of equal opportunities?

I have no direct responsibility for the Port of London Authority. If you have specific concerns about its ethical and legal standards of equal opportunities, I would be happy to look at these in more detail.

2251 / 2003 - Port of London Authority - TfL’s Influence Valerie Shawcross Does TfL have any influence on the policy objectives and service standards of the PLA? TfL has no direct responsibility for the Port of London Authority and has influence only

25 Item 5 Appendix E through dialogue and regular liaison between officers. 2252 / 2003 - Crystal Palace NSC & Park Valerie Shawcross Will the Mayor please update us on the state of play in negotiations with Bromley Council over the future of the National Sports Stadium and Park at Crystal Palace?

I met with the Leader of Bromley Council and his colleagues on 26 November along with Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport, Patrick Carter, Chair of Sport England, and our respective officials.

At that meeting, I pressed Bromley to agree the financial package on offer from Government, Sport England and myself. Bromley indicated that they would be unwilling to accept any risk as an authority and were not minded to accept this offer.

They asked me to consider taking over responsibility from them for the sports facilities and surrounding Park area.

I wrote to Bromley Council on 27 November outlining my willingness to enter into discussions to transfer the Crystal Palace Park to the GLA group as I am committed to retaining the sports facilities there.

The Leader of Bromley Council wrote to me on 1 December 2003 stating that he was committed to pursuing this option.

Since then our officials have met to begin exploratory discussions and these will continue as a matter of urgency. No agreement has yet been reached but I will keep the Assembly, surrounding boroughs and local residents and other stakeholders informed of the issues in a timely way. 2253 / 2003 - SRB Samantha Heath What is the LDA doing to ensure that areas which have been subject to SRB programmes which will shortly end, will continue to receive ongoing economic and social development assistance?

Most of the areas that received SRB funding are in the LDA Single Programme priority areas. Those which are not in priority areas are able to receive assistance from a variety of sources including the LDA. The type of assistance depends on the nature of the key economic and social issues for each area. Examples of assistance available from the LDA includes LDA2, the skills and employment programme and the business retention and growth programmes.

Each SRB scheme must produce an exit strategy and is supported in this by their LDA Regeneration Manager. Some schemes come to a natural end having completed the task they were set up to do. Others have a continuing remit and need to find funding to replace SRB. This involves sourcing funding from the LDA where appropriate but also includes European funding, particularly Objective 3 training and employment funds which is pan London. 26 Item 5 Appendix E

LDA expertise lies in economic development and therefore our priority is to take forward those schemes targeting training, jobs and business support. The SRB schemes funded a wide range of social schemes which fall outside the LDA’s remit. In these cases the LDA encourages SRBs to identify other sources to enable projects to continue including local authorities, lottery and trusts. Additionally, the LDA works with GoL to identify potential assistance from existing and new government streams.

2254 / 2003 - Partnership Register Jennette Arnold What impact will the Government’s legislative proposals have on the Partnership Register? I am delighted that the Government are proposing to introduce civil partnership legislation for same sex couples. However, I would encourage the Government to extend these legal rights to all unmarried couples.

My Management Board agreed on 8 September that should legislation be enacted that:

(a) The London Partnerships Register be discontinued

(b) Proposals for licensed civil registration ceremonies at City Hall be developed

2255 / 2003 - Step Change Diana Johnson What representations has the Mayor received concerning the proposed Step Change Programme? The Step Change Programme is a joint GLA/MPA/MPS initiative and the Mayor’s Office is represented on the Programme Steering Group and Board. 2256 / 2003 - Christmas Shoppers Oral answer John Biggs What measures are TfL taking, in conjunction with the London boroughs, to mange additional traffic across London associated with Christmas shopping? 2257 / 2003 - Education Diana Johnson Does the Mayor believe that Londoners need more access to education or, like Simon Hughes, does he believe that those children judged to be non academic should be sent out to work before age 16? I take the view that by improving flexibility and choice within the 14 – 19 school curriculum, and making it more relevant to today’s young people we can begin to tackle the serious problems of disaffection and disengagement with education, manifesting in widespread truancy and high dropout rates. Too often in the past young people were straitjacketed by choices they made at 14. If we are to promote social inclusion and social justice then a move away from age-related qualification which

27 Item 5 Appendix E brand young people as failures if they do not achieve GCSEs by the age of 16 is essential. And we must raise the esteem of vocational qualifications by removing their negative labelling, and make both general and vocational pathways of equal parity, with well-defined routes into higher education. This implies a huge cultural change on behalf of educational institutions, employers and the wider community. I am pleased that the Government’s 14-19 initiatives are preparing the groundwork for much of this change. And the Business and Education Advisory group, established by the LDA on my behalf, has been working to identify the practical steps for strengthening links between the London business community and our schools. 2258 / 2003 - Police Recruitment Nicky Gavron How many police transfer into the Met each year from other police forces? April – October (2003 and 2002) the numbers of police officers transferring into the MPS are:

2003 2002

Previous MP Service 34 45 No previous MP Service 218 189 From Scotland and N. Ireland 1 3 From other forces 2 7

Total 255 244

Since April 2003 the numbers of police officers transferring out of the MPS:

2003 2002 Transferred to another force 244.87 262.79 2259 / 2003 - Bridges Samantha Heath Does the Mayor support the proposals in the London Local Government Bill, being promoted by the ALG, relating to pigeon netting on bridges?

Yes, providing the pigeon netting is erected correctly and the netting is regularly maintained. 2260 / 2003 - London's Sporting Heroes Jennette Arnold Would the Mayor support the holding of a joint Mayoral/Assembly reception to honour London's sporting heroes, including the London based members of the England Rugby squad? Yes. I am hoping to organise such a reception in the New Year. 2261 / 2003 - Borough Funding Oral answer Len Duvall What procedures are in place for ensuring consultation with Assembly 28 Item 5 Appendix E members and local authorities when allocating GLA funds for local services, such as childcare? 2262 / 2003 - Gender Equality Toby Harris Does the Mayor support the Equal Opportunity Commissions campaign to promote gender equality - without which the sex equality will be downgraded in the new single equality commission? Yes, I whole-heartedly support the most recent EOC campaign that calls for the government to introduce a public duty to promote gender equality. This is in response to the Queen’s speech announcement that such a public duty (already in force for race equality) will be extended to cover disability. This leaves a clear gap concerning the promotion of gender equality.

However it should be noted that the EOC responded favourably to the government’s consultation on forming a single equalities commission and are still in favour of such a body. In addition to the campaign on extending the public duty to cover gender the EOC also make the point that a single equality commission without a single equality act will cause difficulties for member of the public, employers and the commission in upholding existing anti discriminatory legislation. Unlike the EOC I am not in favour of a single equality commission, a view I made public at capital woman 2003. 2263 / 2003 - Thames Clippers John Biggs Further to a reply from London River Services to me dated 24 November regarding payments to Thames Clippers can you describe the outputs of this contract and the tests of value for money which were applied?

The award of a subsidy to Thames Clippers was made following a competitive tendering process.

Under the terms of the contract, Thames Clippers are required to operate the current published timetable and to charge the current published fares. Thames Clippers are required to operate at least 98% of scheduled services and at least 95% of services must depart no more than 5 minutes late. Pro-rata deductions are made if journeys are cancelled. Prior to award of the contract, a comprehensive business case was drawn up, submitted to and approved by TfL Finance and Planning following TfL’s normal procedures. 2264 / 2003 - Bob Crow John Biggs Should Bob Crow be encouraged to stand up to his London shop stewards?

That is a question for the RMT.

2265 / 2003 - David Blaine payment

29 Item 5 Appendix E John Biggs Have you taken any steps to assist the MPS in securing payment from David Blaine for policing during his stunt? If so, could similar steps be taken against the crane protester, or the site owners whose laxness presumably enabled his access, particularly as this was the second such protest on the site?

Yes, cost recovery and income generation for policing ‘for profit’ from events is on the agenda for the joint GLA, MPA, MPS Efficiency and Effectiveness Project Board.

The total cost of policing the recent feat by David Blaine is currently estimated at £71,312, (this involved police resources from outside the local Operational Command Unit on the last day of the event). Sky Television has agreed to pay £45,000 towards the cost of policing this event (MPS are to receive £38,000 and the City of London Police £7,000)

No steps have yet been taken to recover the estimated policing cost of the recent six- day crane protest (£93,640), as there has been difficulty in determining against who the claim should be made. My officers are to discuss with the MPA and MPS to establish protocol for future events. 2266 / 2003 - LUL Liabilities John Biggs Can you describe the contents of the side letter LUL signed with Metronet excluding that company from liabilities flowing from the Chancery Lane incident? Have any similar claims or negotiations for exclusion from liabilities occurred following other recent incidents? What penalties have been paid to date by tube lines for the continuing Northern Line service disruption and by what amount is this increasing each day? a) The Chancery Lane incident occurred on 25 January 2003 shortly before completion of the Metronet transaction, which took place on 4 April 2003, and the Chancery Lane Side Letter was signed in the intervening period.

The Side Letter relieves Metronet BCV from many of the direct cost consequences flowing from the incident, including reductions in payments which otherwise would have occurred due to loss of service and the cost of work or modifications necessary to return the Central Line to normal operating performance. Metronet is not, however, paid for work it would have had to undertake in any event - it must also minimise and control its costs. b) No, the Chancery Lane Side Letter was to address a specific incident that occurred before completion of the Metronet transaction, and before the Underground transferred to TfL. c) None to date. The discussions which will take place in order to allocate responsibility and to calculate any reductions in payments, were deferred by agreement between LUL and Tube Lines. This was done in order to allow both organisations to concentrate upon the return of service and also to await the outcome of the formal Investigation 30 Item 5 Appendix E into the incident. Publication of the report is expected at the end of January and when it is complete, LUL will apply the remedies under the PPP contract. 2267 / 2003 - Regional Emphasis Document John Biggs What approach will your office be taking to the submission of a Regional Emphasis Document to the Treasury by the year end and what scrutiny of this will be taking place? The approach adopted is to follow the HM Treasury rules. They have issued guidance and are expecting a co-ordinated input from the Government Office, Regional Development Agency and regional chamber for each region. For London this will be the Government Office for London (GOL), the LDA and myself. The submission will be scrutinised by both the Treasury and the government spending departments who have to have regard to the Regional Emphasis Documents when preparing their spending review submissions. 2268 / 2003 - Muswell Hill - Swiss Cottage Bus Route John Biggs Would you describe Lynne Featherstone's role in encouraging and supporting the Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage bus service as significant and has she lobbied you on any aspect of the proposed route?

Lynne Featherstone has written to London Buses on several occasions over a long period of time to press for the introduction of this service. London Buses recommended that a full service could not be justified. However, at my request a school run time service is being progressed.

Lynne has continued to press for the introduction of a full service, and she has responded to London Buses consultation, offering views on the proposed routeing, hours of operation and vehicle type. I am relying on her support in defending the required subsidy to London Buses, since additional services like this, which are asked for by the public and Assembly Members, are one of the reasons for increased bus costs. 2269 / 2003 - MORI poll- Iraq John Biggs On what grounds did you justify your recent MORI poll of Londoners views on the Iraq conflict? Do you not think that this encourages Londoners to think that this is a matter over which you have influence when you do not? The questions on the war on Iraq were two of a number of questions asked in a larger opinion survey. The regular opinion surveys form part of the GLA’s public consultation programme, which helps to inform policy and decision making by ensuring I am aware of Londoners’ opinions on key issues. As Mayor of London I have a responsibility to do all I can to protect the security and economy of the capital. Before the war on Iraq it was my view that the conflict would escalate security risks in London and damage the economy. My position was informed by a study published by GLA Economics prior to the war on Iraq, which raised concerns that the capital would lose £1 billion from the effect on tourism alone. I also sought the

31 Item 5 Appendix E opinion of Londoners on this issue. At the time of the war on Iraq a GLA poll found that the majority of Londoners were concerned about the economic impact that the war would have on London and opposed Britain’s involvement in the war. Security in the capital as a result of the situation in Iraq continues to be a concern for many Londoners. The questions in the poll in November 2003 revealed that almost half of Londoners now feel that London is less safe as a result of the Iraq war and fifty nine per cent think the military attack on Iraq was unjustified. I will continue to ask Londoners about key issues that affect life in the capital and publicise their answers in order to help to ensure that Londoners’ voices are heard. 2270 / 2003 - Bendy Buses John Biggs Are Bendy buses safe and was therefore the fire in Edgware Road a freak accident or is an urgent safety review required? The operator of the 436 and the manufacturer of the buses used are investigating the causes of the fire. There is no evidence that the buses being articulated contributed to the cause or effect of the fire. There is no reason at this stage for an urgent safety review of their operation. 2271 / 2003 - Routemasters John Biggs How are you going to save Routemasters, other than perhaps as tourist buses? Was any progress made with the design of a successor vehicle?

I have asked TfL to look at the potential for appropriate ongoing uses for Routemasters - as you say tourist buses would be an obvious area to look at. There are no specific plans to design a successor vehicle for the Routemaster. TfL is in constant discussion with the vehicle manufacturers regarding design of new vehicles, and is actively encouraging manufacturers to look at designs which will make vehicles even more accessible and attractive to all our passengers. They will not, however, have an open platform as product liability prohibits design or manufacture of these. 2272 / 2003 - Oliver Letwin John Biggs Do you welcome Oliver Letwin’s resignation from NM Rothschild, and does this set a helpful guideline for politicians? What for you is that guideline, given that some would argue that it is helpful for politicians to have a 'hinterland', including even some paid activities outside of politics, if they are to avoid becoming members of an obscure and remote sect?

It is clearly in the public interest that those who hold public office should take steps to demonstrate propriety in respect of their public and private roles and in particular to avoid conflicts of interest which might give rise to any impression of unfair advantage.

The GLA Code of Conduct for members and the requirement for members to publicly declare their interests clearly reflects that and is something I would endorse. Again it is in the interests of the public and incumbent upon those who hold public office to 32 Item 5 Appendix E ensure, by appropriate means, that they remain aware of and in touch with the community they serve. 2273 / 2003 - Herne Hill Velodrome Valerie Shawcross The friends of Herne Hill Velodrome greatly appreciated your presence, Mayor, at their launch event at City Hall. What progress has been made in discussion between the LDA offices and the regeneration project promoters?

Discussions are on-going on the development of the Herne Hill Velodrome. The LDA has been approached regarding contributing to the scheme. At the present time it does not fit into any of the LDA’s priority areas or themes nor is it in any national sporting priorities.

Any scheme that emerges will need to have a very strong regeneration case to be considered favourably. 2274 / 2003 - Horn of Africa Community Valerie Shawcross The Horn of Africa Health and Education Network report that 85% of adults in their communities in Southwark are currently unemployed. What assistance can the GLA/LDA offer to improve these communities access to training and employment prospects? I am well aware that the unemployment rate of ethnic minorities in London has been consistently below that of the population as a whole and that there are large disparities between ethnic groups success in accessing the labour market. For example nationally the Bangladeshi community have an employment rate of 39%, as low as 16% for women. In contrast the Indian community have an employment rate of 69% and Black Caribbean groups an employment rate of 65%.

My main direct remit is through the work of the LDA and research undertaken by the GLA Economics Group. One of the LDA’s priority areas for support is South Central London, which includes the borough of Southwark as well as the borough of Lambeth. The LDA in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, London Central LSC, New Deal for Communities and the Local Authorities are developing a Skills and Employment strategy and action plan to ensure access to support the employment opportunities for the most marginalized people in the local community.

The action plan will be informed by research around barriers to employment in the South Central London area which will include investigation into particular barriers faced by different BME communities.

Areas of support we will look at providing and enhancing with partners include education (particularly sector employment focused) and active labour market support. Consultation around the strategy and action plan will include community, voluntary and BME communities.

The LDA is committed to acknowledging the ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of London’s people as an asset and to plug gaps in mainstream funding to support BME communities. The LDA have built in a 25% BME beneficiary support target for providers they fund to support the delivery of this commitment. This target has been 33 Item 5 Appendix E increased to 29% in 2004/2005 and the LDA is confident of meeting this target.

2275 / 2003 - Herne Hill Junction safety and bus improvements (LBI) Valerie Shawcross I was delighted to see that TfL have agreed to grant aid Lambeth Council to the tune of £150,000 to improve the functioning and safety of Herne Hill Junction -what timescales are envisaged for progress on this project? The Herne Hill project is being led by the London Borough of Lambeth, rather than TfL, and the borough should be the first point of contact. Queries should be directed to the Transport & Highways Deparment, tel 020 7926 9000.

LB Lambeth have advised TfL that a meeting is being arranged between the borough, their consultants (Atkins) and the Herne Hill Forum on 17 December 2003. This meeting will discuss how the local community will be engaged in the consultation process for the outline proposals, which is likely to commence in 2004 now that funding has been approved. However, TfL are unable to advise on a timetable for a firm programme of physical changes to the junction as Public Consultation and LB Lambeth Member approvals are required. 2276 / 2003 - Croydon Tramlink Extension - Streatham Valerie Shawcross Will the Mayor provide an update on progress on this proposed extension to the Croydon Tram scheme for local residents and business? TfL is currently investigating the case for extending Croydon Tramlink. This includes the potential conversion of existing National Rail lines to enable links between Sutton & Wimbledon and Crystal Palace to Beckenham and the on-road schemes between Streatham & Putney and Sutton to Tooting.

With respect to the on-road schemes, TfL and its consultants are hosting a series of technical workshops with the Boroughs in order to identify key issues associated with the alignments and to work through potential solutions.

Both workstreams will be considered by the TfL Board next summer. 2277 / 2003 - Potential closure of Rotherhite Station Valerie Shawcross How much money would be provided within the East London Line Project for improving access to Canada Water Station from the north of the peninsula, should Rotherhithe Station be closed. Would this work be completed before the station closure? A cost has been included in the ELLX Business Case for amelioration works should Rotherhithe and/or Wapping stations be closed. However, the specific works required usually result from the recommendations arising from the statutory closure hearing. The whole of the central section of the East London Line would be closed for a period of 12 months or more to allow construction works to take place. It is during this time that permanent amelioration works would take place. Thus these particular works 34 Item 5 Appendix E would not be completed before Rotherhithe was closed but they would be completed before the new, extended East London Line came into operation. 2278 / 2003 - Rotherhithe Station Valerie Shawcross If current research reveals there is a satisfactory case to be made on the grounds of safety for keeping Rotherhithe open will the SRA/TfL change the core proposition for the ELLX? If a safe and affordable means can be found to keep Rotherhithe Station open then I would expect the ELLX project core proposal to be amended to take it on board. 2279 / 2003 - London Tram Scheme Valerie Shawcross What are the findings of the study on potential depot sites for the London Tram Scheme?

A report on potential Depot sites for Cross River Tram will be produced in the first quarter of 2004.

This study will produce a shortlist of sites for more detailed investigation and discussion with Boroughs.

2280 / 2003 - Brixton Hill – Pedestrian Crossing near Water Lane Valerie Shawcross Will you please thank TfL for their rapid response in investigating complaints of parents and teachers at Corpus Christi Primary regarding the poor functioning of the pelican crossing near Water Lane on the A23? When will the necessary adjustments be completed?

Your appreciation for the swift response has been passed to the staff involved. TfL staff are liasing with a view to implementing improvements at the earliest opportunity, which due to work programme constraints is expected to be by the end of May 2004. 2281 / 2003 - Brixton Tube Station Valerie Shawcross What steps have TfL offices taken to try to reduce the impact of temporary closure of the tube station on shops and market businesses over the Christmas holiday period?

During the closure of Brixton station, London Underground will run a frequent replacement bus service from Stockwell to Brixton. Additionally tickets can be used on all bus routes that serve Brixton station and on South East train services between Brixton/Herne Hill/Denmark Hill and Victoria, on Thameslink services between Loughborough Junction and Elephant & Castle and Blackfriars and also on South Central train services between Clapham High Road and Victoria. 35 Item 5 Appendix E

Representatives from LUL met with the Brixton Business Forum on 27 November to explain the situation and the contingency plan that is being put in place. The dates of the closure were chosen to coincide when the Victoria line between Brixton and Stockwell was relatively lightly used and when road traffic was light and the replacement buses could flow easily. 2282 / 2003 - Pedestrian Crossings around Clapham North Tube Station Valerie Shawcross When will there be a safety review of the dangerous pedestrian crossing sites around Clapham North tube station?

A road safety review of this junction was carried out during the summer of 2003. I am pleased to inform you that following this review, engineers within the London Road Safety Unit have now agreed funding from the road safety budget to provide fully signalised pedestrian crossings at this junction. Work on site is planned to start in January / February 2004. 2283 / 2003 - Jamaica Road – Bermondsey Community Council Meeting Valerie Shawcross Will TfL please explain why there is a 24-hour bus lane on Jamaica Road and can you confirm that TfL wrote to Southwark Transport Group Manager on 15 September giving this information and explanation?

Bus lanes operating on a 24-hour basis bring significant reliability benefits to buses. There are five routes using the Jamaica Road bus lanes, at a peak frequency of 28 buses per hour in each direction. There is also a need on safety grounds to maintain 24-hour operation for the westbound bus lane as it extends through the Rotherhithe Tunnel roundabout. Part time operation of the bus lane would cause confusion to motorists, and would jeopardise safety as traffic moves through the roundabout.

I can confirm that TfL wrote to Southwark Transport Group Manager on 15 September detailing the above. 2284 / 2003 - Drugs Squad Valerie Shawcross Why does the Met no longer have a drug squad? Who is now responsible for proactive work pursuing the class A drug dealers? All Boroughs are responsible for targeting and arresting local street dealers. This is done in conjunction with their local Drug Action Teams. In the boroughs where crack dealing/abuse is high the activity to thwart dealing is more vigorous and some such boroughs have developed specific targeted strategies.

The Specialist Crime Directorate takes a strategic overview across London and targets Class A Dealers. The Metropolitan Police Service recognises the need to address cross- boundary drugs activity and is working with Customs & Excise setting up a 'Middle Market Task Force' to operate across borough boundaries. This will be in operation 36 Item 5 Appendix E from June 2004, will be jointly managed and will comprise approximately 30 police officers and 30 custom officers. 2285 / 2003 - Camberwell Green Valerie Shawcross Do you think that an area management plan - incorporating an alcohol strategy for the area would improve the environment for the public? Who would you see as responsible for taking such a multi agency project forward? Yes, an area management plan setting out a comprehensive and integrated approach to the problems faced by any area can be very helpful; but to make a difference it needs commitment from all relevant local partners and this must include willingness to find resources to tackle whatever the local problems may be. If street drinking and alcohol abuse are local problems, it obviously makes sense to include them in a local strategy.

The best agency to take the lead in developing such a strategy will vary from area to area. If the main problems are crime and disorder-related perhaps the police should lead. Local authorities are often well placed to lead such partnerships. In other areas the local business community, health agencies or even a well-resources voluntary group can bring local partners together. I will set out a series of priorities for action and examples of good practice in my forthcoming ‘Agenda for Action on Alcohol’. 2286 / 2003 - Vauxhall Cross Valerie Shawcross At a site visit to Vauxhall Cross, TfL staff promised to seek to improve the interagency work managing this area on a day-to-day basis. Can you report back on what has been achieved?

There is a Project Manager responsible for implementing and coordinating the works with the support of the various agencies within TfL. For example, these include bus, tube, traffic signal, highway network and CCTV operations.

Following the site meeting, TfL has taken action to improve the cleansing regime and standard of maintenance of the subways.

The project will create a fully integrated transport interchange, making it easier to change between bus, tube and rail. There will also be better provision for pedestrians and cyclists and an improved street scene. There are established communication links between the agencies responsible for these various elements and TfL will keep the effectiveness of these arrangements under review.

2287 / 2003 - Lambeth Police Valerie Shawcross Will the Mayor send his personal congratulations to Lambeth Police for the great reduction in street crime seen in the borough as a result of the application of extra MPA resources and a great deal of intelligent management by the police. Will the Mayor do everything he can to support the continuation of this progress in reducing crime? Yes I will be forwarding my personal congratulations to Lambeth Police for their efforts in reducing street crime figures in the borough of Lambeth. 37 Item 5 Appendix E

I fully support the usage of multi agency initiatives that contribute to crime reduction in London. 2288 / 2003 - Elephant and Castle Underpasses Valerie Shawcross Would the Mayor let a member of his family walk under the tunnels at the Elephant & Castle after dark? Can you publish recent information about the incidence of crime and antisocial behaviour in this small area? Does the Mayor share my concern that there is danger of neglect and blight in the area by public authorities, whilst everyone waits for the commencement of the redevelopment and regeneration scheme. Yes I would. Whilst underpasses are often perceived as dangerous places, they are not generally a location for crime, due to the high pedestrians traffic.

The Metropolitan Police Service informs me that Elephant and Castle is frequently the subject of specific proactive police operations. It would be difficult to publish hard data here as many crimes are reported only as 'Elephant and Castle' that would encompass the areas around the stations, the shopping centre, and the road system. Local detailed analysis of data informs the deployment of Police Officers, PCSOs and Neighbourhood Wardens to the area.

I recognise the potential problem of neglect and blight in the Elephant & Castle area whilst we await the comprehensive redevelopment. With resources from the LDA, the Elephant Links SRB partnership is funding a programme of early impact works to improve the quality and appearance of the streets and open spaces in the area. This will include improved lighting and street furniture. Additionally, the LDA is providing resources directly to Southwark Council that will bring forward proposals as early as possible to improve the balance between pedestrian and car access in and around the central E&C area - including new proposals for the subway system.

2289 / 2003 - Emergency Tourism Recovery Programme Meg Hillier Why was MORI awarded a contract valued at £24,000 for research to support the emergency tourism recovery programme. Surely under David Campbell's stewardship tourism initiatives are now planned and not an emergency?

Visit London awarded MORI the contract to carry out an evaluation of the success of both Totally London Month and the Totally London Tour – promotional campaigns aimed at encouraging Londoners to participate in events throughout the capital and to generate civic pride. MORI’s evaluation measured awareness and knowledge of the Totally London campaign, participation in activities/events and attitudes towards the campaign’s aims.

Organised by Visit London, Totally London was the first part of a strategically planned tourism recovery campaign, following the downturn in worldwide tourism over the last three years and the specific impact of the recent war in Iraq. The second phase of the recovery campaign, launched in October, was aimed at regions outside London and included the first ever TV advertising campaign to promote the capital. A further phase 38 Item 5 Appendix E of the recovery campaign is planned to launch in near European markets in early 2004.

2290 / 2003 - Road Safety Measures Meg Hillier What action are you taking to ensure that money spent on road humps and other road safety measures is well spent and does not undermine other road initiatives such as cycle routes?

The budgets for road safety schemes are now managed by the London Road Safety Unit, which also holds and analyses the road casualty data, as reported by the Police. This ensures that schemes are supported where they address known casualty problems and give good returns in terms of casualty savings.

The new arrangements include consultation on safety schemes with TfL’s Cycling Centre of Excellence, to ensure an integrated approach. Safety schemes often have the objective of improving conditions for vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists and powered two wheeler users - who make up 58% of killed and seriously injured casualties in London. 2291 / 2003 - New Year's Eve 2003 Meg Hillier Why are plans for New Year's Eve 2003 still not being widely advertised? Do you have any plans other than the welcome step of providing all night public transport? London’s celebrations of New Year’s Eve are being widely advertised.

The provision of 24 hour transport has been and is being heavily promoted byTransport for London through booklets at stations advertising the holiday travel provision, a leaflet detailing the New Year’s Eve service in particular, and posters throughout the tube and bus. Visit London have circulated a special New Year period publication setting out the huge range of events and offers available over the Christmas and New Year in London. 3.3m copies of this magazine have been distributed throughout the UK since Sunday 7th December using Sunday and regional newspapers. An additional 2.4m are being distributed in France and Germany. Online bookings on Visit London’s website increased by 100 per cent as a direct result of the distribution of this insert last weekend.

Visit London has also set up a dedicated web-site detailing 14,500 events, offers and ideas for activity over the New Year period. The website has been widely promoted. In addition there will be a lighting and pyrotechnic display on the British Airways London Eye to mark midnight lasting three minutes. This has been designed in conjunction with the major UK and International broadcasters to provide a spectacular image of London at midnight that will be seen around the globe and live on BBC1.

My press officers are working with all the major safety agencies to communicate details of the display to the public in appropriate ways. 39 Item 5 Appendix E 2292 / 2003 - Travellers’ Housing - Lower Lea Valley Meg Hillier Can you reassure travellers living in the proposed Olympic zone that you will champion their right to rehousing within the newly developed Lower Lea Valley. You have a record of commitment on this issue but all concerned refuse to categorically say that these families will be re-housed on official, well managed travellers sites which will be included in the masterplan from day one. I can confirm that I will champion Lower Lea Valley travellers’ rights to re-housing on proper travellers’ sites, though I cannot yet confirm whether they will be in the masterplan area. The LDA and the masterplanning team have had consultation meetings with the travellers at Clays Lane and Waterden Road, and I have written to the mayors of the two boroughs concerned to ask them to work actively with the LDA and EDAW masterplanning team to find a solution that suits all parties. 2293 / 2003 - St Patrick's Day 2004 Meg Hillier What plans do you have for St Patrick's Day 2004? At this stage plans include a St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival on 14th March, the Sunday before St Patrick’s Day, on the model of the events organised last year preceded by a St Patrick’s Day dinner on Saturday 13th March. 2294 / 2003 - British Transport Police Meg Hillier What is your vision for British Transport Police in London?

My vision is to have fully integrated transport policing across all forms of transport in London which leads to increased public safety and confidence. The British Transport Police (BTP), the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the City of London Police will all play a key role in this vision. This is why I have recently provided additional funding to the BTP and TfL, for the Transport Operational Command Unit (TOCU). This is to increase the number of officers in the TOCU and provide the BTP with the resources to provide locally focussed visible policing on the Underground network, the Docklands Light Railway and at major interchanges in London.

Various co-ordination mechanisms are being used to ensure improving integration of BTP with TfL priorities and better effectiveness. 2295 / 2003 - Notting Hill Carnival Meg Hillier When will the Notting Hill Carnival Review report be publicly available? Are you happy that the review of Carnival has been handled expeditiously?

The Carnival Review Group’s report will be available towards the end of January 2004. 40 Item 5 Appendix E

Once published, the report will represent the most detailed and wide-ranging analysis of this major street festival. We now know much more about the Carnival as a result of the detailed work undertaken by the Carnival Review Group. Not only are we are clear about the Carnival’s potential and what is required to achieve it, we can see that the issues facing the Carnival are the same in relation to major street events in London.

Given the complexity of the Notting Hill Carnival, the number of stakeholders involved and the fact that this event only happens once a year, I believe that the review has been carried out appropriately. 2004 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Notting Hill Carnival. It has survived and grown despite 40 years of under-investment, which has been reflected in the collapse of the Carnival organizing body each year since 2000. These organizational issues, and consultation with the Health and Safety Executive on public safety accountability and responsibility matters have meant a delay in the production of the final report, but this is a report that will set out the medium and longer-term infrastructural plans to ensure that the Notting Hill Carnival continues to enthrall Londoners for another 40 years. 2296 / 2003 - Tourism in London Meg Hillier Who is in charge of tourism in London? I have a statutory responsibility to promote and develop tourism for London. I have delegated most of this responsibility to the London Development Agency. They fund VisitLondon which is in charge of marketing. The LDA drafted a 3-year tourism plan which was adopted by me and launched in September 2002. The LDA subsequently produced an implementation plan (Tourism Action Plan - TAP) which was agreed in time to commence delivery from April 2003. The LDA in conjunction with my office successfully negotiated a new agreement with Visit London (previously London Tourist Board) to undertake the marketing of London to visitors and to become the "voice of the tourism industry". This enabled a "step- change" in London's capacity to market itself as a destination and as a gateway to the UK. The LDA has been developing agreements with other key partners to deliver the remaining aspects of the TAP which fall under its responsibility. 2297 / 2003 - Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree Brian Coleman Does the Mayor of London feel that the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square is an important symbol of friendship between the peoples of the UK and Norway? If so, why did he not turn up to the switching on of the tree's lights? Of course it is and I had very much hoped to attend but had another engagement at the same time. This was not a sign of disrespect to the people of Norway in any sense. Their generous gift of a Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square is a widely enjoyed and appreciated part of our festive traditions. This was simply an unfortunate instance of the pressures on my time. The Greater London Authority plays an important role in facilitating this event. 2298 / 2003 - Planning and Development in West London Richard Barnes What consideration has been given in planning the new depot on the corner of 41 Item 5 Appendix E Horn Lane and Western Avenue to the creation of a new shopping centre with a bus station at White City and the development of the West London Tram?

There is provision for a bus station within the White City development, but there is no additional land available for a depot there. The site at Horn Lane is primarily being developed to accommodate new bendy buses for route 207, which runs from Shepherds Bush to Hayes and it is efficient to locate the depot close to the middle of the route, rather than at one end.

West London Tram will not open until 2011 at the earliest and depot arrangements will need to reflect it at the appropriate time. 2299 / 2003 - TfL - Air quality Richard Barnes Given that the air quality along the A40 is already poor, does not TfL's plans to build a new bus depot on the corner of Horn Lane and Western Avenue contradict the Mayor's policy for improving the air quality for Londoners?

No. The improvements to the bus network are encouraging more people to leave their cars at home and take the bus, which helps reduce pollution: meeting the increasing demand by introducing bendy buses (with a much greater capacity per bus), as opposed to a higher number of smaller buses helps further.

The new buses meet the most stringent emission standards and will be amongst the cleanest vehicles on London’s streets. The buses will spend the great majority of their time in service, away from the Horn Lane depot – when they are there they will mostly be parked with their engines switched off. 2300 / 2003 - TfL - Borough's Urban Development Policy Richard Barnes Should TfL's planning proceses take into account a Borough's Urban Development Policy?

TfL endeavors to work in a cooperative spirit with the London Boroughs and takes into account the objectives of borough Unitary Development Plans where they are consistent with the aims of the draft London Plan. It also supports me via the GLA in the application of my statutory planning powers

Once the London Plan becomes fully adopted in January 2004, borough Unitary Development Plans will need to be revised to reflect its objectives, as the London Plan will become the primary strategic planning policy document for London. TfL will continue to work closely and collaboratively with the boroughs during this process. 2301 / 2003 - The Tube Elizabeth Howlett The tube is now disastrous for most Londoners trying to go about their working lives. The trains are filthy, signals failures are increasing and whole 42 Item 5 Appendix E sections of the tube are being delayed or suspended on a daily basis. There is no evidence of any extra maintenance being undertaken by the private consortia. What are you going to do to remedy this situation now that you are in charge? I have inherited a Tube system with all the problems you describe and must operate it under the constraints imposed by PPP. Asset failures continue to plague the system and upgraded lines are not scheduled for many years, however, LUL are attempting to get the best value from the PPP by:

• working with Metronet and Tube Lines to focus maintenance improvements on assets that will minimise service disruptions. • announcing a new anti-graffiti campaign in partnership with the Home Office, BTP, Metronet and Tube Lines to target offenders and remove all the painted graffiti from the rolling stock by April, 2004. • reorganising operations to a line structure to promote accountability. • funding additional BTP officers and reorganising their deployment so as to assign officers to specific stations

• beginning to roll out better and more frequent information to customers about service disruptions. 2302 / 2003 - Step Change Elizabeth Howlett Given that the Step Change programme will cost an additional £26. 647 million in 2004/5 rising with phased implementation to approx £341 million in 2010/11 on top of the Met Police budget, how sustainable do you think this is going to be for Londoners given the decreasing resources from government?

At present the possible costs of rolling out Step Change are known but government grant funding is only known for 2004-05. It is premature to suggest that all future costs will have to be borne by the council taxpayer in London and I shall be making a strong case for resources for policing to the government’s Spending Review 2004. It is also the case that future years’ costs are only estimates and these will be reviewed on a year by year basis. 2303 / 2003 - TfL Tony Arbour Would the Mayor take up with Transport For London and the Strategic Health Authorities the issue of transport to hospitals especially bus services, particularly on the outskirts of London where the National Health Service is concentrating major services at certain major hospitals away from their previous locations to other hospitals often outside London. In particular the movement of services from Ashford Hospital to St Peters Hospital at Chertsey which many of my constituents in Hounslow now have to rely on?

There have been significant improvements to bus services to outer London Hospitals in the past few years. Examples include:

- Restructuring route R3 to provide links to the new general hospital at Farnborough 43 Item 5 Appendix E - Frequency increase on the routes serving Mayday hospital - Extension of route 264 to serve St George’s hospital - A major restructuring of services to the new Queen Elizabeth hospital (with further improvements planned for next year) - Increased frequencies to the services calling at Oldchurch hospital, as well as an extension of route 499 to provide new links - New route W19 introduced to provide new links to Whipps Cross hospital - Diversion of route 444, introduction of route 491 and extension of route 318 to better serve North Middlesex hospital - Increased frequencies on buses serving Ealing hospital - Increased frequencies on buses serving Central Middlesex hospital

London Buses works closely with Hospital Trusts and other health bodies to understand changes in Hospital provision and to develop the bus network in a way that recognises such changes. However St Peter's Hospital is a long way from the London boundary (over 7 miles) and it is unlikely that London Buses could justify such a service for the relatively small number of people who would use it. 2304 / 2003 - Crossrail Tony Arbour Has the Mayor, as he mentioned at the TFL Board Meeting, now contacted the Strategic Rail Authority to request the that the plans for the Crossrail branch to South West London be dropped as unfunded and impractical?

There will be ongoing discussion with the DfT review team on funding and practicability.

Myself and TfL are part of this process, and are engaging on the options with the SRA and the review team. 2305 / 2003 - Law and Order Tony Arbour With the national concern about the increase in night time crime in town centres due to the increased concentration of people at bars and nightclubs, will the Mayor in his support for the Metropolitan Police encourage the establishment of an element in the RAF Formula that ensures town centres in Outer London such as Kingston Town, receive the appropriate and increased support needed to maintain law and order in these changing circumstances?

Sir Ian Blair, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police and I recently discussed this issue with the Leaders of Croydon and Kingston . I understand the concerns and I will support the MPS in their current review of the Resource Allocation Formula, which will ultimately inform the allocation of resources to borough Operational Command Units in 2005/06. The core part of this review will be a series of formula development workshops for key stakeholders. I have been informed by the MPS that a consultation strategy is in place to ensure that all key stakeholders are kept informed of progress and have an opportunity to influence this process. I will also be maintaining pressure on the government to address the lack of resources allocated for the increased management that will be necessary (policing, cleansing, enforcement etc.) as a result of the proposed new licensing arrangements.

44 Item 5 Appendix E My officers will be participating in this review.

2306 / 2003 - Bus stop installations Tony Arbour Does the Mayor believe that consultations should take place with the residents on bus stop installation outside their homes, not just with the statutory consultees?

The GLA Act requires TfL (through London Buses) to consult on the proposed siting of bus stops.

Locations for new or re-sited bus stops are agreed following consultation with the highway/local authority and police, including a site meeting. Boroughs may consult with residents or Ward Councillors before agreeing to a particular site, though TfL does not notify or consult directly with frontagers.

You will know that I have asked London Buses to review how and who they consult on bus stop locations, and work is underway on this. London Buses will contact stakeholders once this review is complete. 2307 / 2003 - LTUC remit Tony Arbour Is it true that the remit for LTUC does not include responsibility for complaints about bus stops and other traffic infrastructure?

Yes. The Local Government Ombudsman now acts on behalf of residents who have contacted TfL to complain about the position of stops and are dissatisfied with the response. 2308 / 2003 - Red Routes Tony Arbour What can be done to make sure that the Red Routes enforcement vehicles and police vehicles do not park on and block up the Red Routes they should be keeping clear? This is an issue that I, and TfL, take very seriously, and is reflected in the operating policy of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), who are responsible for enforcing the red routes.

Police, Traffic Wardens and London Safety Camera Partnership officers are exempt from red route restrictions whilst carrying out legitimate enforcement activity. However, it is MPS policy that staff do not stop or park at locations where parking restrictions apply; unless there is a specific operational need, it is considered safe to do so and there are no other stopping / parking places available.

I am very keen to ensure that all those agencies with this privilege continue to re- enforce this message to their operational staff, to ensure that thoughtless parking does not unnecessarily affect London’s transport network. Also, I would expect that any 45 Item 5 Appendix E individual instances of contravention be treated with a corresponding degree of rigour. I will ask the TfL Contract Manager for the TOCU to raise this with the Commander of the TOCU to ensure this type of disruption is minimised. 2309 / 2003 - Transport Committee Tony Arbour Has the Mayor managed to organise the Meeting between the MP for North Southwark & Bermondsey and the Chairman of the Transport Committee for the Assembly, which he offered on 22nd October 2003? Unfortunately not. My offer to convene a meeting between a member of the Lib Dem group on the London Assembly and their Mayoral Candidate, with the intention of assisting the party in their struggle to build a sense of party unity and a rigour and consistency in policy-making, was not greeted with the enthusiasm I had anticipated so reluctantly I have pursued it no further. 2310 / 2003 - Council Tax Tony Arbour In the light of the Audit Commissions Report on the flaws in the Council Tax grant distribution system, what action is the Mayor planning to take to persuade the Government to correct the system so that London gets its fair share of government support?

I have submitted a response to the government’s Balance of Funding Review which is looking at the council tax system and to which the Audit Commission report makes reference. This highlighted the need to broaden the taxbase so that there is less dependence on grant and for London to be able to keep a bigger share of the resources it generates.

I was disappointed to see that only 11 boroughs in London made their own individual responses to the review and I note from the list of respondents published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that these did not include Richmond upon Thames.

I shall also be making written representations on the latest grant settlement with a view to making this a joint response with the Assembly as in previous years. 2311 / 2003 - Proposed bus depot in Ealing Richard Barnes How many representations has the Mayor received objecting to the building of a bus depot on the corner of Horn Lane and Western Avenue in L.B. Ealing? TfL and myself have received 8 letters and e-mails objecting to the proposed building of the bus depot here. 2312 / 2003 - Proposed bus depot in Ealing Richard Barnes Will the Mayor ensure that an environmental impact assessment will be undertaken for the proposed new bus depot on corner of Horn Lane and Western Avenue and will the results be made public? 46 Item 5 Appendix E TfL has asked Ealing Council whether a full environmental impact study is required, but has yet to receive a reply. Studies have, however, been carried out into air quality, noise, and other related issues, and these have been submitted with the planning application – which is, of course available to the public. I know that copies have already been provided, on request, to ward councillors. Also, measures to mitigate the environmental impacts of the depot have been included in the design proposals, with input from council officers. 2313 / 2003 - Proposed bus depot in Ealing Richard Barnes What consultation has the Mayor undertaken of local residents views for a new bus depot on the corner of Horn Lane and Western Avenue?

No direct consultation has been carried out on my behalf by TfL. In discussions between TfL and council officers prior to the submission of the planning application, the question of consultation – including a proposal for an exhibition by TfL – was raised. Ealing council’s advice was that the normal local authority consultation, as part of the planning process, would be sufficient. 2314 / 2003 - Proposed bus depot in Ealing Richard Barnes In which Mayoral transport strategy is the building of a new bus depot in L.B Ealing proposed?

Proposal 4F.3 refers specifically to providing sufficient depot space to accommodate the expanding bus network.

The most effective way of meeting the rising demand for buses along the Uxbridge Road corridor is by converting route 207 to bendy buses. These buses require depots where reversing is avoided as far as is possible. None of the existing garages near the route can accommodate them, which is why the new garage is being built, on land already owned by TfL. Construction of the depot has been specifically included in TfL’s Business Plan since 2002. 2315 / 2003 - Incident monitoring system Richard Barnes Why is the Mayor installing incident monitoring systems into the Mayor’s Conference room at a cost of £57,000? This project is integral to the London resilience initiative. I am the official spokesperson for London in the event of a civil emergency and these facilities will enable me to give up-to-date information to Londoners. 2316 / 2003 - Incident monitoring system Richard Barnes What exactly will the incident monitoring systems the Mayor is installing into his office allow him to see b) do?

47 Item 5 Appendix E a)The system will allow my emergency team to see real time information from a variety of electronic sources including TFL and the Metropolitan police. This will include moving images from incident sites and static control room log documents. b) This information will aid decision making during emergency recovery operations and enable accurate public information to be issued to the media. 2317 / 2003 - Withdrawn Withdrawn 2318 / 2003 - Civil Emergency Richard Barnes What exactly would be the Mayor’s role in the event of a civil emergency? London Resilience work is being carried out to ensure that London is prepared for a catastrophic incident such as a major terrorist attack.

The broad structure for work on resilience in London is set out below.

i) The London Resilience Forum, a pan-London body set up in May 2002 to provide strategic direction to emergency planning in the Capital, is chaired by Nick Raynsford (Minister for Local and Regional Government) with the myself as Deputy. It includes senior representatives from the emergency services, local authorities, health, transport, utilities, military, business and others. ii) The London Resilience Forum (LRF) has a number of sub-groups taking forward particular resilience work in particular sectors including Utilities, Blue Lights, Transport, Communications, Local Authorities, Business and Health. Other sug-groups have been established under the LRF to take forward work on specific workstreams, including Site Clearance, Evacuation, Mortuaries, and Consequence and Recovery Management. All the sub- groups report on their work to the LRF. iii) Within the Government Office for London there is a London Resilience Team (LRT) which provides the detailed policy advice and administrative support for the Forum, and also supports and co-ordinates the work of the LRF sub-groups. LRT is staffed by GOL officials and secondees from the emergency services, GLA and other organisations.

GLA’s Role in the Event of an Incident

The formal role of the GLA in the event of a catastrophic incident is twofold:

-First the Mayor would take a leading role on the communications front – informing, advising and reassuring Londoners

-Second the GLA would activate the plans for the Appeal Fund

Clearly the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority would play a major role in dealing with any incident, and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner would take the lead operationally.

2319 / 2003 - Crossrail Richard Barnes 48 Item 5 Appendix E At the last MQT you stated that you were satisfied with the latest Crossrail business case, yet you have previously stated that any new transport infrastructure should help regenerate deprived areas - why then has Southall, a deprived area in need of regeneration, been dropped as a station/stop from the latest Crossrail business case?

Improving access to a Heathrow Airport is an aspiration of the project. However, this can only be achieved through agreement with British Airports Authority (BAA) Ltd.

Crossrail would need to operate a fast and frequent service in order to remain attractive to airport users, and to fit in with operational availability along the GW main line. Given these parameters, a maximum of two station stops between Paddington and Heathrow are currently considered optimum, with those at Ealing and Hayes offering the greatest overall benefits.

However, I have pressed the Crossrail team to review the case for a stop to be incorporated at Southall and I understand this will be reviewed as a possible amendment to the scheme, to be presented publicly during the next stage of consultation. 2320 / 2003 - LDA - complaints Richard Barnes How many complaints have been received regarding the administration of LDA grant making process?

Initial inquiries have indicated that in 2003 the LDA has received 6 such complaints.

Through my correspondence system I have only received one such complain since 1 August 2003. In this case, the correspondent complained that the LDA had turned down their funding requests on two occasions, but the only explicit criticisms of the administration of the decision-making process itself is that the LDA was repeatedly delayed in reviewing the proposals, and did not give reasons for their decisions. The correspondent otherwise seems mainly critical of the result of the decision. 2321 / 2003 - LDA - grant making process Richard Barnes What are the LDA doing to ensure that their grant making process becomes more efficient?

The LDA has chosen to follow the DTI’s ‘Single Programme Appraisal Guidance’ (SPAG) as the mechanism for appraising, approving, monitoring and evaluating projects that will deliver Corporate Plan objectives. The LDA process does however place a greater emphasis on programme and project development than described in SPAG. Single Programme projects are appraised and approved at the appropriate level prior to any spending commitments. Projects are defined as Small (up to £100k), Medium (£100k- £500k), Large (over £500k), or Research (£500k limit). A facility also exists for procuring feasibility work prior to committing to a Full Appraisal.

This current process has been in operation for about 2 years and following a number of 49 Item 5 Appendix E internal and external reviews, certain changes and/or improvements are now required. To progress this, a task force has been set up to implement a review of commissioning and appraisal. This is being led by Manny Lewis (Acting Deputy Chief Executive). The commissioning and appraisal review will take account of internal LDA requirements, an increased internal delegation limit, external reviews and the new SPAG, which in turn is based on a revision to the Treasury's Green Book. 2322 / 2003 - Post offices Brian Coleman Do you share the concern of myself and hundreds of residents over the proposed closure of four post offices in Hampstead and the downgrading of the Marchmont Street Post Office in Bloomsbury into a franchised sub-Post Office? What is your general view of the programme of closures by the Post Office which is hitting the service available to many Londoners? I have not received a request to support any campaigns opposing the closure of these post office branches, however I have been campaigning to keep post offices open in London and am concerned about the impact of the closure of post office branches on local communities. If you will give me details of these closures and any campaigns or efforts by the local community who oppose the closures I will be happy to look at them. 2323 / 2003 - CCTV Brian Coleman Will you join me in supporting calls by residents in Hampstead Town, which has seen an alarming spate of armed robberies recently, for CCTV to be installed in the area to help tackle deter these attacks and bring the criminals to justice?

Yes. Effective CCTV would be of benefit not least of all to reassure the local community.

The MPS have informed me that that it is clear from some of the crime reports of the incidents you refer to, that the lack of CCTV has been a problem. Some of the commercial premises concerned do have CCTV facilities which for some reason do not appear to have been working at the time of the offence. This is unhelpful and the primary message from the MPS, which I support, is that if you have CCTV you must ensure that it works and records. 2324 / 2003 - Road Humps - London's Emergency services Brian Coleman In evidence to the Transport Committee, the Metropolitan Police have stated that road humps impede their response to emergency calls, encourage drivers to speed up in between them, and damage police vehicles. This is in addition to the evidence from the Ambulance Service that humps cause over 500 deaths a year. Do you accept that this impairment of London’s emergency services poses a serious danger to Londoners which must be tackled?

The report from the Metropolitan Police states that they have no evidence of drivers speeding between zones but does put forward an opinion that vehicles try to make up 50 Item 5 Appendix E speed between traffic calming features.

The London Ambulance Service has failed to substantiate the claim of 500 lives lost due to traffic calming, despite being asked on several occasions. The claim has been refuted by other bodies.

Traffic calming features, including road humps, are designed to reduce speeds and therefore there will clearly be disadvantages to emergency services. However, these disadvantages need to be considered in light of the advantages that traffic calming brings. The benefits of traffic calming in terms of casualty reductions are large and TfL research has shown that local levels of killed and seriously injured casualties fell by 57% following the introduction of 20mph zones in London.

The majority of such zones use road humps and cushions. Traffic calming suitable areas using appropriate engineering measures are making a significant contribution to meeting the road safety targets set by government and myself of a 40% reduction in killed and seriously injured casualties by the year 2010. 2325 / 2003 - Road Humps Brian Coleman You will have been in receipt of the petition, signed by over 1000 residents, which I presented to the Assembly demanding that TfL withhold funds from the Borough of Camden for the instillation of Road Humps in Camden Town West. A survey of residents in that area has now shown 82% of respondents against Camden’s proposals. Will you now take action to prevent the instillation of these unwanted humps? Boroughs apply for TfL funding through the Borough Spending Plan process, submitting bids according to guidance issued by TfL. Awards are made based upon the objective assessment of a scheme against this guidance. TfL do not require boroughs to report the extent of opposition to or support for a particular scheme or what consultation they have decided upon, and the boroughs exercise their own statutory powers as highway and traffic authorities. London Borough of Camden’s preliminary design and consultation was funded via the Congestion Charging complementary measures programme. The borough then following consultation, has resolved not to progress the Primrose Hill scheme. However, the Camden Town West scheme for which TfL has recently approved funding, is being progressed. TfL understand that it received 70% support in consultation. As such, TfL will not be withholding funding for this particular scheme. 2326 / 2003 - Road humps Brian Coleman Do you accept the arguments against road humps such as those I have set out are genuine concerns, or do you agree with Lord Harris, who has stated that those who raise these concerns are playing politics? Road humps have made a very significant contribution to improving the safety of London’s roads. I recognise however that in rare cases they have caused local problems. The design and implementation of road safety schemes need to be acceptable to local communities. Other methods of traffic calming apart from humps should also be considered.

51 Item 5 Appendix E 2327 / 2003 - Bus routes Brian Coleman Do you not agree that, rather than introducing more and more bus routes for which there is sometimes little demand, it would be better to focus on improving the reliability of existing services, such as the 268 in my constituency, about which I have had many complaints?

My Transport Strategy directs London Buses to improve the network with both new and enhanced services as appropriate. To this end, London Buses has introduced new services to areas previously distant from the network, and takes steps to improve the reliability of existing services where required.

In terms of the 268, London Buses are unhappy with recent reliability performance, and have pressed the operator for improvements. To this end, Metroline, who operate the 268, are recruiting extra drivers and are addressing the engineering issues that have led to gaps in the service. London Buses will continue to monitor the situation, and will take further action if improvements are not forthcoming. 2328 / 2003 - London Buses Customer Services Brian Coleman I have had many complaints from constituents about the level of service they have received from London Buses Customer Services. Complaints about standards of service are reportedly not acknowledged, and little or no action taken. In the light of their failure to deal with repeated complaints, can you tell me what action is currently taken in response to customer complaints, and will you intervene to demand this service improves?

I have asked London Buses to improve customer services in response to earlier concerns on this issue. London Buses Customer Services assure me they place great importance in complaints and comments, most especially those about passenger’s experience of the complaints process. London Buses has been awarded a British Standard for Customer Services in recognition of the progress that has been made.

A Customer Services manager investigates repeat complaints with the member of staff who originally dealt with the case, having personally acknowledged receipt of the complaint. The manager sends a full response, detailing the action that has been taken and providing advice on how the passenger can take the matter further if they remain dissatisfied. The passenger is made aware at every stage of the complaints process that the London Transport Users Committee has set up to represent passengers who feel that they have not been dealt with fairly.

London Buses Customer Services are further improving the standard of service offered to passengers through extra staff training and development. It would have been helpful if you had raised your concerns when you met Peter Hendy, Managing Director of Surface Transport recently as these could be addressed quickly. It would still be helpful if you can provide London Buses with details of specific incidents so they can address these. 2329 / 2003 - Congestion Charge

52 Item 5 Appendix E Brian Coleman Whilst welcoming the recent grant from the LDA to support the jewellery industry in Hatton Garden, do you not accept that what is harming their trade most is your Congestion Charge? I do not agree that congestion charging is harming the jewelry trade. The £420,000 given to the Hatton Garden Skills and Links Project is part of a planned spend of £2.9 million in Camden over the next three years. This is to help meet overseas competition, support businesses, help people into jobs and create training opportunities, all to address the skills shortage experienced by this sector.

As I have said on numerous occasions the impact of the congestion charge must be understood in the context of the wider economy. TfL recently estimated that no more than 4,000 people per charging day are not making journeys into the charging zone as a result of congestion charging. The dominant factor in the recent reduction in people travelling into central London has been the fall in Underground travel.

There are a multitude of factors at work which combine to create a very complex picture of central London’s economy, including, the international situation, reduced overseas and domestic visitors, general economic slowdown and problems with the tube network.

TfL will continue to develop its assessment of the economic impacts of the scheme through the ongoing monitoring programme. Results from TfL’s social and economic impacts surveys will become available from January 2004. 2330 / 2003 - Oyster card Brian Coleman I understand that it is not possible to top up Oyster cards at mainline railway stations in London. Is this the case, and if so, will you take action to ensure this ability is extended to them for the convenience of Londoners?

Oyster top-up will be available at the 37 mainline railway stations listed below. These are joint stations where both London Underground or DLR/ Tramlink and train operating companies offer services and Pre-Pay, the stored value product being introduced in January, can be valid for travel. For other stations within greater London, TfL's contractor, TranSys, offered to provide top-up equipment free of charge to train operating companies. This offer was not taken up by any train operating company.

TfL and TranSys are now supporting efforts by the Rail Settlement Plan to develop specifications for a new generation of National Rail ticket issuing systems. These specifications would include an Oyster interface and should begin appearing in ticket offices in 2005. The current arrangement has involved adapting the BR heritage ticket issuing system, which is to be phased out over the next 2 years.

Stations with the Oyster interface are:

Barking, Fenchurch St, Limehouse, Upminster, Stratford, Liverpool St, Walthamstow Central, Finsbury Park, Drayton Park, Essex Rd. Euston, Queen's Park, Kensal Green, Willesden Junction, Harlesden, Stonebridge Park,

53 Item 5 Appendix E Wembley Central, North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Harrow & Wealdstone, Gunnersbury, Kew Gardens, Kensington Olympia. Kings Cross Thameslink, City Thameslink, Marylebone, Ealing Broadway, Richmond, Wimbledon, New Cross Gate, New Cross, Greenwich, Lewisham, Beckenham Junction, East Croydon, Mitcham Junction. 2331 / 2003 - Routemaster buses Brian Coleman You recently pledged to save routemaster buses. On which routes do these still operate, and what is the lifespan of these vehicles?

Routemaster buses are currently used on routes 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 19, 22, 36, 38, 94, 98, 137, 159 and 390. Under the PSV Accessibly Regulations 2000, Routemasters will no longer be able to be used in service beyond 2016 as they are not accessible to people in wheelchairs or with mobility impairments. 2332 / 2003 - Northern Line Brian Coleman Crossover on the Northern Line is still not able to take place between the Edgware and High Barnet lines. Your Mayor’s report states London Underground and Tube Lines are working to reintroduce a full service on the line as soon as possible and hope to do this early in the New Year. Can you confirm rumours that this is in fact unlikely to be finished until March at the earliest? London Underground is working to restore a full service as soon as practicable, given the safety reviews that must be satisfied. The Northern Line is currently operating a 71- train service in the peak. Regardless of the timing of the restoration of the Camden Town crossover, a fully scheduled 91-train schedule will be put in place early in the New Year. This will help improve the service even under the current operating configuration. 2333 / 2003 - London's Kenyan community Oral answer Brian Coleman Will you join me in praising the valuable contribution that London’s Kenyan community make, and support the campaign to establish a Kenyan school in the Capital? 2338 / 2003 - TfL - Road crossing Elizabeth Howlett There is a need for a safe crossing of the A3 at Robin Hood Gate for pedestrians, wheelchair users and horse riders. Will TfL look into implementing such a crossing as a matter of urgency?

A scheme was developed for a “Pegasus” crossing at Robin Hood Roundabout when the A3 was a Trunk Road under the control of the Highways Agency in the 1990’s. A design was completed but funding was not allocated following completion of a cost 54 Item 5 Appendix E benefit analysis. In recent weeks, TfL has been approached by the British Horse Society to implement a crossing, and on this basis TfL has agreed to review the previous proposals and design. Information on this is being obtained from the London Borough of Kingston.

Upon receipt of the information TfL will consider the feasibility of the design and respond to the British Horse Society with the outcome of the review early next year. 2339 / 2003 - Upper Richmond Road - Roadworks Elizabeth Howlett Over the last few months there has been considerable disruption to traffic flows in the eastern part of the Upper Richmond Road, SW15, caused by works to the pavement. Residents have complained that the work has been carried out in an incompetent fashion and at unnecessary expense. Therefore, please inform me: - How much is being spent on these improvements? - Why was this expenditure needed? - When will the works be complete?

The decision to reconstruct the footways along Upper Richmond was based on detailed visual surveys in accordance with National guidance. These highlighted that the previous surfaces were of poor condition, and unless works were undertaken they would become an unacceptable hazard to the considerable numbers of pedestrians using them. Also, that if these issues were not dealt with, more external failure would occur leading to increased costs. Areas where conditions were satisfactory were excluded from the project.

Public consultation was undertaken in advance of the works and this resulted in numerous letters of public support.

The gross budget for the scheme is £850K.

The work is progressing under restricted working hours due to traffic sensitivity and is programmed for completion by mid January. This will deliver some 7,000m2 of reconstructed footway together with improved new kerbs. 2340 / 2003 - Crossrail Oral answer Bob Neill What progress has the Mayor made in securing funding commitments for Crossrail from (a) the government and (b) the private sector since he last reported on this topic to the Assembly? 2341 / 2003 - Crossrail Bob Neill Why have notices raising the possibility of compulsory purchase been sent to owners of property adjoining the proposed Crossrail route when no guarantee of funding the scheme has been obtained?

55 Item 5 Appendix E

No notices have yet been served on any property owners affected by or adjoining the proposed Crossrail route.

Part of the preparation of the hybrid Bill involves the identification of all property and land interests affected by the proposals. The Crossrail team has commissioned land referencing agents to research details of ownership and occupation for properties along the route so that, at the appropriate time, formal notice of the proceedings can be given, and also to compile a mailing list for general distribution of information.

As part of the consultation programme, the Crossrail Property Team has contacted and commenced discussion with landowners and occupiers whose property, may be affected, either permanently or temporarily, wholly or in part, on the basis of the current design. This is to ensure a good understanding of potential concerns and issues.

These discussions, many of which have been conducted in the individuals’ homes, have highlighted concerns and have included clarification on issues such as blight, compulsory purchase procedures, compensation and the likely parliamentary timetable for the passage of a Bill.

2342 / 2003 - Crossrail Bob Neill How many properties are affected by possible compulsory purchase in respect of the Crossrail scheme? Will the Mayor supply a complete list of all the same?

Although the majority of the Crossrail route will either be in tunnel under central London or run along existing rail corridors, there will be a need to permanently acquire some surface property to build or extend stations and improve existing infrastructure. Land will also be required temporarily during the construction period.

A list of properties, both commercial and residential, that are currently envisaged to be materially affected either temporarily or permanently has been drafted and this resulted in some 640 letters being sent out inviting one-to-one dialogue between the recipients and the Property Team. The list excluded property in the ownership of a local authority or statutory undertaker as these are already involved in consultation on a different level

The final definitive schedule of properties affected in any way be Crossrail will be produced and be available for public inspection nearer the time of Bill deposit and is referred to as the Book of Reference. 2343 / 2003 - Crossrail Bob Neill What steps will the Mayor take to compensate owners of property possibly subject to acquisition for the Crossrail scheme for the blighting effect of the notices which have been served upon them?

No Notices have yet been served on any property owners, etc.

56 Item 5 Appendix E As part of the property consultation exercise the statutory provisions for blight have been explained and some residential owners have been supplied with Guidelines and Explanatory Booklets as published by the ODPM. This exercise is being extended to all residential owners whose property may be affected on the basis of the current design.

CLRL is consulting with local authorities and recommending revised Safeguarding Directions to the Secretary of State. These Directions, if implemented, would open up an entitlement subject to certain conditions for qualifying, residential owner-occupiers to serve a blight notice requiring CLRL to purchase their properties at open market value disregarding the impact of Crossrail. 2344 / 2003 - Peace Reception at City Hall Bob Neill Will the Mayor now give a proper reply to my question 2125/2003 by specifically listing the names of all individuals and organisations invited to the Peace Reception on 17th November 2003? List attached. Please note that Data Protection laws require that this information is provided on a confidential basis to Assembly Members, and cannot be transmitted to persons external to the Greater London Authority, or be used in a way that would cause this to happen. 2345 / 2003 - Central London Bus Services Angie Bray Can the Mayor explain why the young daughter of a constituent of mine was refused entry onto two buses because she could not pre-purchase a ticket due to the pre-pay machine being out of order? Instead she was told to walk to the next machine, which was also out of order. In the end the 13-year-old girl was forced to walk, on her own, to Euston Station, across several busy roads, to find a working ticket machine and catch a bus. This is in direct contradiction to the answer (2097 / 2003 - Bus Protocols) you gave at the last Mayor’s Question Time, when you stated that the protocol for passengers who board busses at central London bus stops where ticket machines are not working is that the driver will: - Accept a valid ticket issued from any other nearby machine; if this is not possible, then - Carry the passenger to the next stop, to buy a ticket there Furthermore you stated that Drivers are instructed never to leave a child or other potentially vulnerable passenger stranded, and there are arrangements in these cases to allow payment to be made later. Why was this instruction ignored and are all drivers aware of this procedure? Clearly, the driver was wrong to act in this way and is in need of extra instruction since London Buses has issued to operators the protocols I mentioned previously. London Buses has taken care to ensure that all drivers are aware of the proper procedures by distributing staff notices to all operators. All bus drivers should be fully aware of the correct procedure. London Buses Customer Services appears not to have received the details of this incident, so they will contact you shortly so that they can investigate and take action with the operator.

57 Item 5 Appendix E You will know that the Roadside Ticket Machines have been targetted by criminals engaged in ‘blocking’, and this is likely why the ticket machines were not working. London Buses has worked closely with Almex, the supplier of the machines, to find a solution. An attachment to make ‘blocking’ much more difficult is currently being introduced. As of 12/12/03, half of the machines have been altered and their failure rate has dropped by a factor of 100. Other changes to make the machines easier to use will also be implemented shortly.

2346 / 2003 - Notting Hill Carnival Angie Bray When are we going to see your final official report into the Notting Hill Carnival? End of January 2004. 2347 / 2003 - Congestion Charge extension Angie Bray Will the Mayor listen to the advice of the CBI and not extend the congestion charge when damage is being done to the retail sector and businesses dependent on deliveries in the existing charging zone.

I have not taken the decision to extend the central London congestion charging scheme. We are still at the very early stages of the consultation process. A decision on whether to implement the extension would at the earliest be in 2005, after extensive consultation. By that time two full years of data on the current scheme – covering traffic, social and business impacts - will be available.

As I have said on numerous occasions the impact of the congestion charge must be understood in the context of the wider economy. TfL recently estimated that no more than 4,000 people per charging day are not making journeys to the charging zone as a result of congestion charging. The dominant factor in the reduction in people travelling into central London has been the fall in Underground travel.

TfL will continue to assess the economic impacts of the scheme through its ongoing monitoring programme. Results from TfL’s social and economic impacts surveys will become available from January 2004.

2348 / 2003 - LDA Theatre Ticket Campaign Funding Angie Bray In light of your public commitment to running a third Theatre Ticket Campaign in 2004, do you consider that your subsequent request for the LDA to set aside £350,000 in funding is acceptable considering that the Society of London Theatre’s own telephone canvassing research determined that only 35% of those who took up the offer were classed as either first time theatergoers or infrequent attendees? The Get Into London theatre campaign has been very successful over the last two years. Sales of 80,000 tickets (twice the target figure) were achieved and the project 58 Item 5 Appendix E met its three main objectives of which new audiences was one. Given the time limited nature of the project the figure of 35% is extremely good.

A third campaign will build on the audience and achievements of the previous projects. Developing new audiences is a long term strategy and in 2004 it is proposed to progress this work with a year long audience development programme through working with SOLT and the ITC (Independent Theatre Council).

2349 / 2003 - LDA Theatre Ticket Campaign Funding Angie Bray As the LDA grant for the two previous campaigns was for the sole purpose of broadening the audience at London’s theatres, did the campaigns actually succeed in this aim or simply provide an opportunity for existing regular customers to take advantage of cheaper tickets being made available? The evaluation report compiled by SOLT identifies new audiences as one of three main objectives.

The campaign succeeded in attracting a higher level of first time/ infrequent attenders than often achieved given the time constraints of the scheme. The fact that this was not simply regular customers is evidenced not just by the anecdoctal evidence and audience research carried out but also by the fact that - sales at the normal price continued throughout the campaign - collated box office figures for West End commercial theatres for first quarter show an increase in attendance of 10.3% over the same period in 2002 - SOLT’s tkts booth in Leicester Square experienced record sales levels for Jan - March

The campaign in 2004 will have two streams of activity – a promotional campaign to sell tickets during the normal period Jan-Feb and a year long audience development programme. The cost of the discount on the theatre tickets will be met by the producers this year rather than through subsidy which will be directed towards more marketing outside London and the audience development.

2350 / 2003 - Ethnic Minority Theatre Access Angie Bray Although the Get into London Theatre campaign increased the number of people in theatre audiences of minority ethnic origin from 7% to 13%, what plans are there to encourage more people from the ethnic minorities to visit West End theatres?

Improving access to theatre for ethnic minority communities is one of four key target areas for a year long audience development programme planned as part of the Get Into London Theatre tickets scheme in 2004.

The intention is to develop a longer term programme to complement the time limited ticket promotion. It would build on existing audience development carried out by SOLT with its members in the West End and beyond but also, by working in partnership with 59 Item 5 Appendix E the Independent Theatre Council, aim to stimulate more interest in independent theatre.

2351 / 2003 - GILT Accommodation & Restaurant Promotions Angie Bray Considering only 1,578 discounted meal vouchers out of 79,000 issued with the theatre tickets were used, amounting to a restaurant spend of only £34,000 to £43,000 and the only accommodation provider asked to participate in the campaign was Hilton Hotels, how will a third GILT campaign stimulate associated demand for London’s restaurants, hotels and visitor attractions?

It is very likely that the restaurant spend associated with GILT has been understated because the independent restaurant sector is unused to monitoring such information. This is consistent with data supplied in evaluation of Totally London Month.

The third campaign will be delivered in association with Visit London and aim to attract a higher level of domestic market. Visit London is, therefore, in discussion with travel and hotel partners to develop strong value led packages available via the phone and online and will include 250 hotels. It is also proposed to invite restaurants via the Restaurant Association and to look into options for more effective evaluation of the take up.

2352 / 2003 - New Year's Eve Eric Ollerenshaw How much business sponsorship have you received for this year's New Year's Eve celebrations? How much public money, from any of the functional bodies, is being spent on the celebrations? Our contractors for New Year’s Eve at the Eye are seeking sponsorship.

The total confirmed budget for the strategic activity around promoting London over Christmas and the New Year period from the GLA group is £3.7 million.

The breakdown of this budget is the LDA £1.8 million for a promotion to visitors over the Christmas and New Year period including a contribution to marking midnight, the core GLA £200,000 towards celebrating New Year’s Eve, TfL £1.7 million to cover the cost of delivering an integrated 24 hour transport system in the capital for the night of 31 December through to 1 January and the Metropolitan Police expenditure is not yet confirmed. 2353 / 2003 - New Year's Eve Oral answer Mike Tuffrey Why have the arrangements and related publicity for New Year’s Eve celebrations in London been left so late? What value will Londoners get from the £3.7m of taxpayers money being spent on the initiative?

60 Item 5 Appendix E

2354 / 2003 - Crossrail Lynne Featherstone What discussions have you had with the government recently about Crossrail and how confident are you that Crossrail will go ahead? How are fares on Crossrail expected to compare with other means of transport in the capital?

I discuss Crossrail regularly with Ministers and both myself and the Government have expressed confidence in the Crossrail scheme and the desire to make strategic decisions now that will benefit Londoners for many years to come. The Prime Minister reiterated his support as recently as 29 Oct.

Once the DfT’s review panel has delivered its report, funding necessary for the scheme will be clearer and more detailed planning can take place.

Crossrail is being planned as a fully integrated part of London’s zonal fare system. Any premium fare on Crossrail would push passengers back onto parallel congested lines, reducing scheme benefits. 2355 / 2003 - Sponsorship Sally Hamwee What steps is the GLA taking to increase income through sponsorship? Please provide a breakdown of sponsorship for GLA cultural events (by percentage).

There is a new sponsorship unit in place that has drawn up a GLA wide list of sponsorship opportunities. They are actively meeting with key London businesses and media agencies to “sell in” GLA cultural events as a good business opportunity and to develop long-erm partnerships for the future.

In 2003/04 the core GLA secured substantial sponsorship and funding for key cultural events. 52% of respects costs, 66% of London Mela costs, 25% of Liberty Disability Rights Festival costs, 53% of Diwali costs were covered. This represents £511,000 of additional funding for cultural events in London. Summer in the Square received sponsorship in kind from 3 organisations to deliver 20 events. 2356 / 2003 - Olympics Mike Tuffrey What role will the Mayor and the Core GLA play in the Olympic Bid? How many people are expected to work directly on Olympic issues from now until the submission of the bid in a) the LDA and b) the core GLA? In broad terms, how will work be divided between the two?

As London’s elected representative, the Mayor is one of the three Olympics stakeholders (together with THE Department for Culture Media and Sport and the British Olympic Association). The stakeholders are responsible for approving London 2012’s Budget, the Applicant City Questionnaire and Candidature File, and, if London wins its bid, the terms of the host city contract and the establishment of London’s

61 Item 5 Appendix E Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. The GLA has one member of staff working full-time on Olympic and Thames Gateway projects, and is planning to appoint two more shortly, though a wide range of staff are involved. The GLA's role is to lead GLA Group activity on the Olympic Bid, to advise the Mayor in the exercise of the duties set out above, and to work with London 2012 and other partners on planning strategy, masterplanning, community engagement and bid development. The LDA has commissioned a masterplan for regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley, and is leading on land assembly for the Olympics or other regeneration projects. This is a major project being completed to a tight timescale, involving a wide range of LDA staff and consultants. 2357 / 2003 - Arts card Mike Tuffrey Please provide an update on the proposal for an Arts Card for London, as outlined in your manifesto. Initial research commissioned by the GLA recommended that the development of an arts card should be looked at in the context of the development of new technology and the introduction of SMART cards. Officers are in discussion with London Connects about piloting a culture application across a number of boroughs as part of a series of pilot projects they are undertaking in partnership with TfL and London Boroughs. 2358 / 2003 - Over crowding Lynne Featherstone What progress have you made in agreeing increased service levels to reduce overcrowding on London trains as outlined in your manifesto? My Directions and Guidance to the SRA requires them to develop franchises to provide improved service frequencies on the London suburban network consistent with the Government’s objective to provide more services on commuter lines. The guidance states that such services should be at a minimum of 4 trains per hour, with 6 trains per hour on trunk sections. To meet such objectives, last month, TfL London Rail authorised the funding of additional services (as well as the provision of on-train CCTV) on the North London Line, during the evening peak period and on Saturdays. This is a specific response to the problem of overcrowded services on this route, one of the worst in UK for overcrowding, and will commence in January 2004. TfL London Rail aims to develop more such improvements with other train operators, and the SRA, to implement further schemes. 2359 / 2003 - London Underground Industrial Action Lynne Featherstone What do you see as your role in averting industrial action on the London Underground? At your press conference on 2nd Dec you said there was nothing you could do to make matters better, in relation to the tube go-slow action. Why did your meeting with the unions fail to secure a positive outcome for the traveling public in London? I do not have a role in industrial relations matters at London Underground. This is a matter for Tim O'Toole and his team. As Mayor, however, I meet with different constituents all the time and do not shy away 62 Item 5 Appendix E from doing so in times of crisis. In this instance, I hope my meeting helped LUL resolve the matter amicably during the week following my meeting. 2360 / 2003 - Alexandra Palace Lynne Featherstone What is your position in relation to Haringey wanting to sell off one of London's public assets, Alexandra Palace? I am not aware of this proposal but will write to the Leader of Haringey Council to find out the facts. 2361 / 2003 - London’s housing crisis: making the case for London Mike Tuffrey The ever escalating cost of housing is both pricing many Londoners out of the housing market and fuelling central governments coffers stamp duty on residential sales is now taking a billion pounds a year out of London. Why have you not made a stronger case for these resources to be invested back to meet the affordability crisis? What arguments have you been making for regionally hypothecated taxes as part of the total case for London? I have consistently made the case to Government that a greater share of the wealth we generate should be fed back into London. London contributes up to £15 billion net to the UK economy each year

The case for hypothecating taxes is part of this wider case. Apart from stamp duty receipts, a similar issue arises over death duty: with the average London home selling for around a quarter of a million pounds, and death duty kicking in at £270,000, central government’s coffers are also benefiting from a 40% take on receipts above the £270,000 level.

In my submission to the Government’s balance of funding review I have identified a series of regional hypothecation measures which I hope the Government will consider. These include: the re-localisation of business rates regional corporation, income and sales taxes, and tax increment financing looking at business rate revenue in the context of funding infrastructure projects considering specific taxes on increases in property value for particular project funding I will continue to undertake work on the size of London’s net contribution to the UK economy and how it varies over time. 2362 / 2003 - Lack of affordable housing Mike Tuffrey Figures uncovered by Simon Hughes show that the number of homes sold in London for under £100,000 has plummeted from almost 75,000 in 1997 to just over 16,000 last year. Over the same period, only 22,736 affordable homes 63 Item 5 Appendix E have been added to the housing stock. Doesn’t this demonstrate that efforts during your term of office to address London’s housing needs have failed to measure up to the scale of the crisis? The rise in house prices that the question identifies is a result of the long-term failure of supply in the London housing market to meet increasing demand.

The need to increase the overall amount of housing built and, within this, to increase the percentage that is affordable, is clearly set out in my London Plan. Increasing supply is also a central issue for the London Housing Strategy, agreed by the London Housing Board on which I am represented. It is also the concern of the current Barker Review, whose interim findings I broadly endorse, in as much as it identifies the long term market failure in the housing market as a major threat to the economic and social development of London. I welcome the fact that the Government’s pre-budget reports clearly identify this problem and look forward to working with the Government to deliver the solutions.

However, I must take issue with the figures in the question. In the period from 1997 to 2003 there were in fact double the amount of affordable homes that the question identifies added to the stock. That is 45,333 new affordable homes were completed in London in the period from 1997/98 to 2002/03, which represents over 40% of all new housing completed over that time. 2363 / 2003 - Athens Olympic Torch Event Sally Hamwee How much money will each of the following bodies contribute to the Athens Olympic Torch Event on 26th June 2004, which is expected to cost £400,000; i) The LDA, ii) GOL, iii) DCMS iv) HM Treasury, v)Core GLA? What will be the total cost of the event, including the evening reception and the launch in November? This has not yet been finally determined as the project is at a relatively early stage of work in progress. More information will be provided as the project is developed.

2364 / 2003 - Borough policing Graham Tope Are you concerned that the extra measures to address national security in central London could be having an impact on crime levels in the Boroughs? All Borough Operational Command Units (BOCU) provide aid to police major demonstrations and events for the purposes of securing public order and national security as and when required. Resources from centrally based units (such as New Scotland Yard or the training school) will also be deployed for the most significant events.

The MPS recently announced a 20% increase in street crime during the state visit by George Bush and have informed me that they are undertaking more detailed research into why this occurred and the relationship between abstraction rates from boroughs and fluctuations in local crime rates.

The Step Change Programme, which is predicated on the premise of expanding the MPS to 35,000 will provide a level of dedicated , ringfenced resources to that cannot 64 Item 5 Appendix E be abstracted to deliver neighbourhood policing. 2365 / 2003 - HIV Lynne Featherstone What representations will you make to the government to ensure that public and voluntary sector agencies have sufficient resources to cope with the increasing numbers of people living in London with HIV? Given your statutory duty to promote the health and well-being of Londoners, have you had any discussions with the NHS in relation to HIV prevention campaigns in the capital? I continue to have contact with both the Department of Health and the NHS in London to consider a range of health issues, including concerns about resources for health- related services. In addition, last year I specifically raised concerns with the Department about the need for adequate resources to be allocated to London for prevention, treatment and support services for people living with HIV and for those directly affected as carers or family members.

You may be aware that I recently supported events on World Aids Day intended to raise awareness of HIV as an issue for London, and to challenge the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with the virus. Members of the Health Policy Team are in contact with the NHS and with HIV-specific community and voluntary organisations about ways in which we can continue to support relevant initiatives in this area. 2366 / 2003 - Top-up fees Oral answer Graham Tope Do you support the government on the issue of university top-up fees? What impact do you think the government’s proposals will have on students living in London, where the cost of living is higher than the rest of the UK? 2367 / 2003 - Cross River Tram Project Lynne Featherstone What progress has Transport for London made in developing the Cross River Tram Project (Camden to Peckham) and what is your current projection of the date by which it can begin operating? TfL is currently assessing all of the technical, traffic, economic, social and environmental aspects of Cross River Transit, and is fully engaged with the Boroughs, the Cross River Partnership, and with their own internal stakeholder groups in taking this project forward.

Subject to the appraisal proving sufficiently positive, and a commitment to the expenditure from Government, the project could be delivered by 2011at the earliest. 2368 / 2003 - North London Line Lynne Featherstone What success have you had in persuading the Strategic Rail Authority of the need to upgrade the North London Line to metro standards, to increase the length of station platforms so that longer trains can use them, and to improve 65 Item 5 Appendix E the signalling of the line?

Train frequencies, on the North London Line, are already at metro standards on weekdays. TfL London Rail has authorised the funding for additional services on Saturdays to bring train frequencies up to the same standard. This will commence in January 2004.

TfL has also agreed to fund the provision of CCTV on trains, on this route, and are currently working to provide further improvements for passenger facilities on stations. TfL also plan to commission a detailed study to determine the feasibility and costs of works required to lengthen platforms on the North London Line. This will be carried out in parallel with the SRA’s Route Utilisation Study in order to develop a comprehensive and integrated plan for the future of this line. 2369 / 2003 - Safety on rail stations and trains Lynne Featherstone Have you undertaken any negotiations with the Strategic Rail Authority or with the train operating companies over the possibility of funding British Transport Police patrols on overground rail trains and stations? No specific negotiations have yet taken place with SRA, or Train Operating Companies, regarding the provision of BTP patrols on stations and trains. However, TfL is working with the train companies to improve security measures on stations, as part of its Overground Network (ON) programme. These standards, set out to provide CCTV, Help Points and enhanced lighting standards. From September 2003, these were introduced on four routes in South London. Last month, TfL also authorised funding for the provision of CCTV on rolling stock on the North London Line to further improve security on this important orbital route. Work will commence early next year. Most of the train companies, in the London area, employ specialist staff on stations and trains to provide a security presence during the late afternoon and evening periods. On South West Trains, for example, these staff are trained by BTP. In addition, BTP provide patrols as part of their normal work patterns. 2370 / 2003 - Buses running 80% empty Lynne Featherstone What is your response to the survey by the Simon Hughes campaign conducted on Oxford Street during a typical weekday lunchtime, which recorded that of 200 buses surveyed: - The emptiest bus route carried less than 3.5% of its capacity - The average off-peak lunchtime bus had 49 empty seats - The fullest bus routes fill less than half of their capacity. Do you believe this operation is sustainable in view of the projected £565 million deficit for Transport for London?

London Buses have not been given Simon's survey or been informed of its methodology. London Buses’ own surveys show that there are approximately 170,000 people getting on and off buses in Oxford Street each weekday. Bus route frequencies 66 Item 5 Appendix E are set to match demand at the busiest point on each route, and this isn't always on Oxford Street. The routes serving Oxford Street are amongst the busiest on the network and it is important to provide enough capacity at the busy times.

For example route 73 is fully loaded at both Victoria and at Angel during the peaks and it needs to run along Oxford Street because there are over 15,000 trips per day (on that route alone) to and from stops in the Oxford Street area. Of course, lunchtime demand is lower than in the peaks but the savings from reducing service levels at lunch time are also much lower since you would still need to run the same total number of buses to provide adequately for the peak. Inconvenience to passengers would however be significant, with increases in waiting time. This is of course especially true for routes to and from Oxford Street. The cost effectiveness of such off-peak services will be significantly greater than, for example, the school bus you have asked for from Muswell Hill to Swiss Cottage.

As you know, Transport for London is making a strong case for the additional funding needed to continue delivering major benefits in London. It will continue to ensure that its bus service levels are fully justified. If Simon would like to make specific suggestions for specific routes that should be cut where he feels that an opportunity is being missed then he should contact London Buses. 2371 / 2003 - The Londoner Sally Hamwee Why is the Londoner now being distributed at tube stations when this was not part of the original contract?

A total of 50,000 copies of the December edition of The Londoner were handed out at selected Tube stations across London on Saturday 28 November as part of a campaign to communicate public information about Safer Travel and New Years Eve travel to public transport users. The December edition of The Londoner carried large features on these subjects. This was accompanied by an article on the TfL page of The Metro the previous week.

Stations were selected to cover areas in which door-to-door distribution was adversely affected by the Royal Mail’s industrial action. The total cost for distribution of the December edition, including the distribution at Tube stations, was the same as the usual monthly cost for door-to-door distribution. 2372 / 2003 - Closure of fixed stairway at King’s Cross Lynne Featherstone Can you explain why London Underground intend to close the fixed stairway at King’s Cross underground station between the booking hall and the Victoria line platforms, thus making it inaccessible to blind passengers with guide dogs?

The replacement of the Victoria and Northern line fixed stairs was part of the original High Level Interchange scheme to relieve congestion, which is required to meet Recommendation 142, the one remaining outstanding action from the Fennell Inquiry into the King’s Cross fire.

67 Item 5 Appendix E This change was subsumed into the CTRL works and includes the new escalators. The new Northern Line escalator was installed sometime ago. This did not cause a problem because there is an alternative staircase off the end of the Northern line southbound platform. The installation of the Victoria line escalator has been delayed by maintenance work on other escalators but is now underway. In the future, Phase 2 of the CTRL works delivers lift access to all the deep level platforms as an alternative to escalator access. London Underground has introduced an operating plan to overcome the difficulties faced by visually impaired persons with dogs. During the off-peak, one of the Piccadilly line escalators will be stopped. This is accessible from all deep Tube lines via stairs. In the peak period, staff will escort visually impaired persons with dogs through the Thameslink tunnel and along the street. Other visually impaired persons (without dogs) will continue to be offered assistance as normal. 2373 / 2003 - Transport Research Laboratory review of Conditions of Lynne Featherstone What were the costs to the Public Cab Office of the Transport Research Laboratory review of the Conditions of Fitness for London black cabs? What were their legal costs in unsuccessfully trying to resist demands for the TRL review to be made public?

The review of the Conditions of Fitness by the Transport Research Laboratory cost £32k, excluding VAT.

The Public Carriage Office did not seek to resist demands to publish the report and so did not incur legal costs for this. 2374 / 2003 - Underground Announcements Mike Tuffrey What is TfL’s definition of running a good service on the Underground, in view of their persistent announcements to that effect, which intrude into the daily misery of most commuters? London Underground defines a “good service” as one running to timetable or with variations that do not constitute barriers to overall reliability. For example, line control centres describe service as “good” even though trains may have been cancelled if the interval between trains has increased only temporarily and by only a minute or two. The aim is to distinguish between minor variations and delays that should be factored into choosing a route of travel. This is a new convention on London Underground and represents the beginnings of a new effort to improve and increase the information provided to users of the system. 2375 / 2003 - Mayoral Candidacy Mike Tuffrey Given your declared candidacy in seeking re-election, why are you not openly declaring contributions made to support your political activity as other candidates are required to do under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000? Under the legislation referred to candidates are required to declare formally all 68 Item 5 Appendix E donations over the sum of £50. Candidates are those that have declared that they are a candidate but the earliest this can be done is 25 days before polling day (i.e. the last day of publication of the notice of the election). This legislation therefore does not apply to me or any other potential candidate at present. I will of course willingly comply with the legislation once it does apply to me.

2376 / 2003 - Britain’s Best Cities League Table Mike Tuffrey Why is London slipping down the league table of Britain’s Best Cities? According to independent research among employers by OMIS it has dropped from overall second place in 2001 to fourth today, scoring among the worst in unemployment, ease of access for staff, operating costs and crime. The OMIS survey is based on employer perceptions rather than facts. Perceptions can be wrong.

For example, the British Crime Survey (2002) shows that the rate of violent crime in London (565 crimes per 10,000 residents) was lower than any other region except Wales.

Other opinion surveys give different results. In June, the European Cities Monitor placed London top in their annual survey of Europe’s top 501 companies. The next highest British city was Manchester at 13th.

Factual analysis produced by the ONS show that London is the top region in output per head (Gross Value Added) at £19,500. The South East is second (at £17,300). 2377 / 2003 - Service on the Underground Roger Evans What does the Mayor understand by ‘good’ service on the Underground? How does this differ from a ‘normal’ service? London Underground defines a “good service” as one running to timetable or with variations that do not constitute barriers to overall reliability. For example, line control centres describe service as “good” even though trains may have been cancelled if the interval between trains has increased only temporarily and by only a minute or two. The aim is to distinguish between minor variations and delays that should be factored into choosing a route of travel. This is a new convention on London Underground and represents the beginnings of a new effort to improve and increase the information provided to users of the system. 2378 / 2003 - Congestion Charge Roger Evans Why are undertakers not exempt from the congestion charge? Because to exempt them would create a precedent leading to a range of other requests for exemptions.

69 Item 5 Appendix E 2379 / 2003 - The Underground (Track inspection) Roger Evans What plans does London Underground have to use ultrasonic trains, such as are used on the national network, for track inspections?

LUL has been trialling, in partnership with Network Rail, the latest ultrasonic testing techniques. If these trials are successful, LUL will work with the infrastructure companies to introduce this technology as quickly as possible. 2380 / 2003 - Network Rail (leaves on the line) Roger Evans How much time is lost on overground Tube lines in London owing to leaves on the lines and what measures are being taken to contain this?

From 16/10/03 to 03/12/03 there was a total of 660 minutes delay to Metropolitan and Chiltern Rail services on LUL sections of track. Most of this delay took place in early November when the leaf fall and weather conditions caused poor rail conditions. The delay was significantly less than previous years.

This year the delay and impact of leaf fall was reduced through careful planning with Metronet and Chiltern Railways. Trees were cut back and resource were deployed to collect leaves matching the weather forecasts. London Underground operated a special train over the sections that lays a compound known as "Sandite" and also brushes the leaves from the rail head.

Provision was made this year to allow the Network Rail water jetting train to operate as far as Amersham and there were also restrictions placed on the operation of Chiltern 2 car trains, as these prove to be less effective in poor conditions.

2381 / 2003 - Congestion Charge Roger Evans There were news reports on Monday 8th December that TfL have been sending fines in error to people who entered the congestion charging zone owing to the closure of Tower Bridge between Friday 31st October and Wednesday 5th November because of the protest by David Chick. How many such fines have been issued in error and how many have been rescinded?

TfL worked closely with the police and took a cautious approach to identifying the routes into, out and through the charging zone to prevent PCNs being sent to people who were diverted into the charging zone because of this incident. This minimised the number of motorists who received a PCN as a result. Only around 70 representations against PCNs have so far been received in respect of the diversion, which is a very small proportion of the number of vehicles that were diverted.

Representations have been accepted where a driver had been directed into the zone owing to the closure of Tower Bridge and evidently left by a reasonable adjacent available exit. TfL are aware of at least one representation that was originally wrongly refused and are now working with Capita to seek to ensure that this isolated, but since 70 Item 5 Appendix E rectified, type of error does not reoccur. 2382 / 2003 - Surface Transport (Bendy Buses) Roger Evans In the light of last week’s fire on the No436, is it safe to continue using bendy buses until the cause of the blaze has been fully investigated and established? The operator of the 436 and the manufacturer of the buses used are investigating the causes of the fire. There is no evidence that the buses being articulated contributed to the cause or effect of the fire. There is no reason at this stage for an urgent safety review of their operation. 2383 / 2003 - Crossrail Roger Evans Could the Mayor provide an update on progress made on the Crossrail project in 2003? There has been considerable progress made by CLRL in developing the Crossrail project.

2003 saw the following activities completed: Completion and delivery to the Department for Transport of Interim and Definitive Business Case documents Detailed (and ongoing) design, environmental and planning appraisal work. Completion of a Public Awareness programme to introduce the Crossrail to the public Completion of the first phase of Public Consultation, with information centres and exhibitions held along the line of route Support through the establishment of an All Party Crossrail group within Parliament.

2384 / 2003 - Underground (Industrial Relations) Oral Answer Roger Evans What reassurance could the Mayor offer that the Tube will continue to run smoothly through the festive period, given the ongoing threat of industrial action on the part of Underground workers?

2385 / 2003 - LCN Funding Jenny Jones Are you concerned that the Government may provide funding for some of the larger transport infrastructure schemes, such as new roads, whilst keeping spending on more human scale measures at the baseline? Have you considered that the result will be a distorted transport strategy which fails to deliver on cycling, walking, travelsmart, Safe Routes to School schemes and London wide traffic reduction? Would this unfortunate scenario reflect your failure to prioritise these human scale measures as strategic priorities and to sell them as big projects which are as essential as the infrastructure?" I fully appreciate the importance of smaller scale engineering works that encourage 71 Item 5 Appendix E walking, cycling, use of public transport and lower vehicle speeds in residential areas. These initiatives are highlighted in my transport strategy and related documents such as the London Road Safety Plan. As part of the submission to the Government on SR2004 TfL has highlighted the importance of investment within these areas, in order to achieve not only my vision, but also national objectives and targets for improving safety and encouraging more walking, cycling and public transport use. 2386 / 2003 - Car Free Developments and interchanges Jenny Jones Does your planning team encourage the use of car clubs and car sharing in combination with promoting car free developments around transport interchanges? Do you agree that this is a more cost effective approach to traffic reduction? My London Plan supports high density development in areas that are well served by public transport. This includes major transport interchanges. As part of the planning application process, I would encourage car free development and car sharing. However, this must be placed as part of an overall strategy to reduce the unnecessary use of the private car.

On 25 November I was pleased to announce continued Borough Spending Plan support for car sharing initiatives across London. TfL is currently investigating the cost effectiveness of a range of initiatives as a means of reducing traffic. 2387 / 2003 - Anti-semitic incidents in Britain Brian Coleman A report by the European Union’s Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia cites evidence that anti-semitic incidents in Britain have risen in accordance with events in the Middle East with criticism of Israel’s politics on one hand and anti-semitism on the other. It also cites the spokesman for the Chief Rabbi stating the anti-Israeli bias of much media coverage here has made British Jews more vulnerable. Do you agree this is the case?

The report you mention has not been published and so I cannot comment on it.

I totally condemn all forms of anti-semitism, islamophobia and racism and I will work with the MPS to deal with the perpetrators of racist attacks.

I do not agree that criticism of the policies of the government of Israel encourages anti- semitism, indeed many of the most vocal critics of the Ariel Sharon's policies are Jewish people inside and outside Israel - including many past and present leaders of the Israeli army and intelligence services.

Reasoned debate, including criticism of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, is perfectly compatible with the most implacable rejection of anti-semitism, islamophobia and racism. 2388 / 2003 - TfL Jenny Jones Have you considered the option of downgrading the A3004 Richmond Road/St Margarets Road to a B road, instead of strengthening the Railshead Bridge so 72 Item 5 Appendix E that it can take 40 tonne lorries as part of TfL's London wide bridge strengthening policy? Are you aware that this is a small, narrow back road that heavy vehicles don't tend to go down and many people in the local community are opposed to the bridge strengthening, not least because of the disruption to the popular H37 bus?

The A3004 is not a part of the TLRN and it would be for the London Borough of Hounslow, who are the Highway Authority for the road, to decide whether this should be re-classified.

TfL is working in partnership with the London boroughs on a London wide strengthening programme. Allocations are based on an agreed pan-borough prioritisation system, which takes account of risk of failure, load bearing capacity, road network usage and availability of funding.

In the case of Railshead bridge, funding has been allocated to the London Borough of Hounslow in order that the bridge can remain open to buses. TfL understands from Hounslow that weight restrictions preventing heavy vehicles using the bridge could be implemented but, if buses are exempted, it would become difficult to enforce. This is however, a decision for Hounslow not TfL. 2389 / 2003 - TfL Jenny Jones Do you believe that strengthening bridges across London so that intercontinental lorries can use them, is a priority for TfL's restricted budget?

Many businesses and commercial premises in London rely upon deliveries by large vehicles. The maximum permitted vehicle weight is set by government and not all lorries of this size are “intercontinental”, many are of UK origin and are making essential deliveries to the capital city. TfL works closely with the Boroughs to determine the standard to which individual bridges should be strengthened and in many instances it is decided that it is not necessary or appropriate to strengthen to the maximum weight.

The TLRN is the strategic road network for London and, consequently, the majority of bridges need to be strengthened to bear the weight of strategic traffic, which will include vehicles up to the maximum permitted loading. Each case is considered on an individual basis and in some instances it may be considered to be appropriate not to strengthen to the maximum load bearing capacity.

If strengthening measures were not progressed, weight, width or other restrictions would be necessary in turn disrupting essential traffic and accessibility. Since there are also public safety implications, bridge assessment and, where necessary, strengthening remains amongst our investment priorities. 2390 / 2003 - Car free day Oral answer Jenny Jones Do you agree that TfL should only give money to future local Car Free Day events, if they support and promote permanent outcomes, such as road space allocation, or other traffic reduction measures?

73 Item 5 Appendix E 2391 / 2003 - Noise and road works: Ossulton Way, East Finchley Noel Lynch Does the Mayor think it appropriate that borough road maintenance and other projects, funded by TfL, should be carried out at night in residential areas? Does he think it acceptable that jackhammers be used outside people’s windows at 1.30am? Should there be an emergency complaints procedure set up within the boroughs to handle such incidents quickly and should part of TfL monitoring policy include compliance with your Noise strategy?

Roadworks are essential but inevitably disruptive. A balance is needed between disruption to London’s busy main roads (and the consequential use by drivers of inappropriate local roads), and disturbance to those who live and work in the area.

On the heavily trafficked Transport for London Road Network, TfL endeavours to undertake maintenance work at night. Particularly noisy works involving, for example, jack-hammers and road surface removal, are scheduled for the earlier evening, with quieter activity after 11pm. Work is progressed such that residents should not be disturbed for more than two evenings. Each situation is considered individually and TfL consults with borough environmental health officers to agree working hours/methods. This approach is commended to borough colleagues on main roads where works would be particularly disruptive to traffic and bus operations.

Borough environmental health officers already operate complaint and compliance processes to address excessive noise. It would be inappropriate for TfL to duplicate these processes.

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