Written Answers to Questions Not Answered at Mayor's Question Time on 12 October 2017
The cost of Brexit Question No: 2017/4095 Fiona Twycross How much has the cost of living in London increased since the Brexit referendum?
Oral response
Refusing to Re-License Uber Question No: 2017/3896 Andrew Boff How much influence did you have on the decision not to re-license Uber?
Oral response
New housing policies Question No: 2017/3938 Sian Berry How will the new measures announced in your draft Housing Strategy preserve and increase genuinely affordable homes in London?
Oral response
London's Population Growth Question No: 2017/4102 David Kurten Does the Mayor consider that a projected increase in London's population to 12 million by 2050 is unsustainable?
Oral response
Modern Day Slavery Question No: 2017/3996 Jennette Arnold What measures are the Metropolitan Police taking towards ending Modern Day Slavery in London and how many prosecutions have been undertaken by the Met and CPS?
Oral response
Page 1 Borough mergers and response times Question No: 2017/3917 Steve O'Connell How will you ensure that response times in the new merged borough commands remain at satisfactory levels?
Oral response
London Sustainability and Transformation Plans Question No: 2017/4065 Joanne McCartney The King's Fund and Nuffield Trust's recent independent report found that London's Sustainability and Transformation Plans to reduce hospital use and cut the number of beds on the scale proposed were "not credible". Do you share this assessment? What more needs to be done to ensure our NHS can continue to deliver high quality health services?
Oral response
Disproportionality in BAME individuals in the CJS Question No: 2017/3995 Jennette Arnold In David Lammy's recent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for BAME individuals in the Criminal Justice System, he made a recommendation for you to review the Trident Matrix to examine the way information is gathered, verified, stored and shared with specific reference to BAME disproportionality. Has the Mayor considered this recommendation in his review of the Trident Matrix and how will he use the findings in the report to address BAME disproportionality in the Criminal Justice System in London?
Oral response
Private Hire Operators Licence Fees Question No: 2017/3899 Gareth Bacon What is your justification for the vast increases in licence fees for private hire operators?
Oral response
Private rented sector Question No: 2017/3877 Andrew Boff Do you expect to see a sufficient increase in supply of private rented sector homes in London?
Oral response
Page 2 Private Rented Sector - London Rogue Landlord database Question No: 2017/3831 Caroline Pidgeon What is the timescale for the release of the London Rogue Landlord database?
Oral response
Counter Terrorism Question No: 2017/4007 Unmesh Desai The Head of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Sara Thornton, has warned that the pressures on policing are 'not sustainable' within existing budgets. (https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/police-funding-do-we-have-the-resources-we-need) Given that the new level of terror threat appears to be a shift on police demands and not a spike, how are you working with the Metropolitan Police Service to manage these pressures?
Oral response
Z/Yen Global Financial Futures Question No: 2017/4103 Peter Whittle On 11 September 2017, the Z/Yen global financial centres index (GFCI) published their latest study, ranking 92 global financial centres on factors such as access to high-quality staff and infrastructure. New York City was 24 points behind London, representing the biggest gap between the two centres since the survey began in 2007. London remains the world's top finance centre, ahead of both New York City and Hong Kong, defying 'Project Fear' predictions that financiers would lose confidence in the UK. (http://www.cityam.com/271735/london- retains-financial-services-crown-city-extends-lead) Will the Mayor join with me in congratulating the City of London once again in maintaining its position as the world's leading financial centre - despite Brexit?
Oral response
Bail and release without restriction Question No: 2017/4069 Onkar Sahota Following the introduction of legislation in April 2017, have fewer people in London been released on police bail and more people released under investigation?
Oral response
Page 3 British Transport Police Night Officers Question No: 2017/3898 Gareth Bacon Are you confident that the British Transport Police are using the £3.4 million that you have given them through Transport for London to fully deliver 100 officers for Night Tube Services?
Oral question receiving a written response The Mayor Last year I announced we would be investing £3.4million to ensure dedicated officers are on hand to offer the support and visible reassurance Londoners expect.
Since I launched the Night Tube, there has been on average over 100 British Transport Police officers deployed on the Night Tube each weekend.
This means there is a dedicated visible police presence at stations with the capacity to respond quickly to calls across the network.
TfL regularly reviews safety and security on the Night Tube with BTP to ensure the level of visibility and reassurance to Night Tube customers and staff is appropriate.
TfL also has robust performance and financial management mechanisms in place to monitor the performance of the BTP. These include:
Weekly reporting on crime and anti-social behaviour performance;
Weekly feedback from staff and managers on BTP performance; and
Detailed analysis through governance meetings and monthly performance meetings between the LU Managing Director and the BTP Chief Constable.
I know that it is natural for some people to feel more vulnerable travelling and working at night, which is why I am determined that the Night Tube remains safe for all Londoners.
Demands on the Met requiring redeployment of officers Question No: 2017/4008 Andrew Dismore Recent major incidents in the capital have imposed unprecedented demands on the Met, requiring redeployment of officers into the response to, and investigation of, these incidents from their usual duties, including from Borough Basic Command Units as well as specialist units. What is your assessment of the impact of this demand on the day in, day out policing needs of Londoners?
Oral response
Page 4 Toxicity Charge (T-Charge) Question No: 2017/3939 Caroline Russell What will be the benefits of the Emissions Surcharge (also known as T-Charge) in tackling air pollution?
Oral response
Alzheimer's sufferers on TfL services Question No: 2017/3900 Keith Prince Can you highlight how your Transport Strategy will seek to aid those who travel on TfL services that suffer from Alzheimer's?
Oral response
Universal Credit Question No: 2017/4091 Fiona Twycross What do you anticipate the impact of the rollout of Universal Credit to be in London?
Oral response
Food bank usage Question No: 2017/4052 Florence Eshalomi Are the Government's welfare policies resulting in an increase in food bank usage in London?
Oral response
Update on T-charge Question No: 2017/3997 Leonie Cooper Could the Mayor update on progress toward the implementation of the new T-Charge on the 23rd October, including any updated modelling showing its impact after it is up and running?
Oral question receiving a written response The Mayor Please see my response to oral MQ 2017/3939.
Page 5 Space Standards Question No: 2017/4001 Tom Copley Will you use your Planning powers to ensure that no 'micro homes' that do not meet space standards are built in London during your mayoralty?
Oral response
London Heritage Strategy Question No: 2017/4064 Nicky Gavron You said In a City for All Londoners, "I will do everything in my power to protect the city's heritage". Can you elaborate on this?
Oral response
The Mayor's Design Advocates Question No: 2017/4072 Navin Shah How will the Mayor's Design Advocates work in tandem with the Mayor's Planning and Regeneration policies to deliver Good Growth?
Oral response
Met Police Stop and Search programme Question No: 2017/3832 Caroline Pidgeon How many police stop and searches were undertaken to detect potential drug paraphernalia in cars during the years 2015, 2016, 2017? Please provide the number per borough and the proportion of total stops per borough.
The Mayor
The MPS have advised that police have no power to stop and search for drugs paraphernalia, only controlled drugs; unfortunately, therefore, there is no data available.
The presence of drugs paraphernalia together with other factors including information and intelligence, can lead an officer to formulate reasonable grounds to conduct a stop and search for controlled drugs. The grounds for search are regularly scrutinised by local Community Monitoring Groups.
The MPS record the number and proportion of stops and searches for controlled drugs each month broken down by borough, age and ethnicity. This information is publicly available via the Stop and Search dashboard on the MPS website (https://www.met.police.uk/stats-and- data/stop-and-search-dashboard/)
Page 6 MOPAC Public Access and Engagement Strategy (1) Question No: 2017/3833 Caroline Pidgeon What are the attendance figures for each of the consultation meetings regarding the public access and engagement strategy? Please provide figures for each of the boroughs.
The Mayor
The public consultation meetings took place from 14 July to 6 October 2017 and attendance was as follows (these numbers are estimates):
Borough Attendees Borough Attendees Barking and Dagenham 19 Hounslow 93 Barnet 30 Islington 25 Bexley 85 Kensington & Chelsea 200 Brent 48 Kingston 30 Bromley 80 Lambeth 16 Camden 35 Lewisham 55 Croydon 45 Merton 70 Ealing 60 Newham 14 Enfield 34 Redbridge 65 Greenwich 30 Richmond 80 Hackney 20 Southwark 45 Hammersmith & Fulham 30 Sutton 21 Haringey 13 Tower Hamlets 15 Harrow 120 Waltham Forest 13 Havering 31 Wandsworth 25 Hillingdon 120 Westminster 25 In addition to these formal public consultation meetings, Borough Commanders have held other events and meetings where public access has been discussed with key stakeholders and this feedback has been included into the consultation.
Page 7 MOPAC Public Access and Engagement Strategy (2) Question No: 2017/3834 Caroline Pidgeon How many public access and engagement strategy consultation meetings did the Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime attend? Please provide a list of each one.
The Mayor
My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime attended 21 meetings and an additional 13 public meetings on the public access and engagement strategy. More information is listed below.
Meetings DMPC attended in relation to the Public Access and Engagement Strategy
Pre-launch consultation meetings
1) Borough Leader drop-in 16th June 2017
Cllr Stephen Alambritis - Leader, Merton
Cllr Forhad Hussain - Cabinet Member, Newham
Cllr Georgia Gould - Leader, Camden
Sir Steve Bullock - Mayor, Lewisham
Cllr Muhammed Butt - Leader, Brent
Cllr Dominic Twomey - Deputy Leader, Barking and Dagenham
Cllr Denise Hyland - Leader, Greenwich
Cllr Doug Taylor - Leader, Enfield
Cllr Krystle Fonyonga - Cabinet Member, Enfield
Cllr Julian Bell - Leader, Ealing
2) 4 July - London Assembly Labour Group
3) 21 June - Andrew Dismore AM
4) 10 July - Siobhain McDonagh MP (portcullis house) -
5) 10 July - Labour MPs briefing (portcullis house)
Post Launch consultation meetings
6) 16th August, Catherine West MP (call)
7) 16th August, Cllr Jackie Meldrum, Lambeth (call)
8) 29th August, Jim Fitzpatrick MP
9) 31st August, Cllr Caroline Selman, HackneyPage 8
10) 4th September, Cllr Darren Rodwell, B&D and Cllr Jas Athwal, Redbridge MOPAC Public Access and Engagement Strategy (3) Question No: 2017/3835 Caroline Pidgeon Please list the length of the lease for each of the police sites that are marked for disposal in MOPAC's Public Access and Engagement Strategy. Also include the cost of breaking each of the leases.
The Mayor
The attached spreadsheet in Appendix 3835 sets out the lease termination dates of the leasehold properties marked for disposal in MOPAC's Public Access and Engagement Strategy.
The draft plans for the estate and the lease end dates are aligned to avoid the need to terminate leases earlier than the end dates. Should opportunities arise to terminate leases early that offer value for money or cost saving, and fit with operational requirements such opportunities will be considered on a case by case basis. Such situations will be negotiated on a commercial basis and will reflect the specific circumstances of the particular property and lease, the cost being a matter of negotiation between the relevant parties.
A number of the sites are already past their lease end date so are being 'held over' and can be terminated at any time upon a prescribed notice period.
MOPAC Public Access and Engagement Strategy (4) Question No: 2017/3836 Caroline Pidgeon You stated that you would review the way in which MOPAC conducts its consultations going forward. When will this review take place? And when will the findings be published?
The Mayor
MOPAC are part of the GLA strategy group which shares best practice on how public consultations are conducted.
Both MOPAC and I want to ensure that the consultations they run continue to be effective and involve the public to the greatest degree possible.
At the end of any such large scale public consultation there will be a period of reflection on what worked well and what didn't, in conjunction with the GLA strategy group, so that lessons are learnt for future consultations.
Page 9 London Fire Brigade - Fog Spike Question No: 2017/3837 Caroline Pidgeon Kent Fire Brigade has introduced fog spike, a tool used to punch holes into a structure and deliver water into the inside, which dramatically reduces the spread of a fire. Will you look at introducing this kit for all London firefighters? If so, what would be the timeframe for its introduction?
The Mayor
London Fire Brigade (LFB) recognises the safety benefits that fog spikes and other water misting technologies can provide firefighters as an additional tool during operational response. Work is already underway to identify funding to explore how these types of technologies could be trailed and utilised within London's complex built environment to assist in minimising the disruption and financial impact fires have on the community and business.
Night buses - New Cross Gate to Forest Hill Question No: 2017/3838 Caroline Pidgeon Will you look at introducing a night bus service operating from New Cross Gate to Forest Hill, aligned with night tube train times, to enable passengers to continue their homeward journeys?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL currently provides seven night routes from New Cross Gate, including routes 53, 321, 453, N21, N89, N136 and N171. Route N171 connects New Cross Gate to Brockley, Honor Oak Park and the eastern side of the Forest Hill area.
In addition, route N343 operates near New Cross Gate station, providing links with local routes serving Forest Hill.
There is therefore currently a good level of bus connectivity in this area, especially since I introduced the Hopper fare which allows people to change from one route to another within an hour without paying an additional fare. TfL will continue to monitor demand to ensure there is sufficient capacity available.
Page 10 Security of quietway routes - Greendale - Camberwell to Dulwich Question No: 2017/3839 Caroline Pidgeon A constituent was recently mugged on a proposed quietway route between Dulwich and Camberwell along Greendale, which is a pedestrian and cycle path which is not overlooked, is overgrown in parts and poorly lit, with only one CCTV camera. What action are you taking to ensure that appropriate security measures are in place on cycle quietways? Will you look at introducing CCTV on certain quiet routes? What specific plans do you have to improve the safety on Greendale?
The Mayor
As part of the Quietway route selection and design process, TfL works with the highway authority or land owner to ensure that the scheme design includes the appropriate measures to reduce crime and disorder and provide a safe environment for users. This includes a review of lighting and surveillance, which is upgraded where necessary. Vegetation clearance is also carried out as part of the Quietway implementation process. Future maintenance of overgrowth once a Quietway has been opened is the responsibility of the local landowner or highway authority.
TfL agreed to fund CCTV on Greendale in November 2016 following a request from the London Borough of Southwark to improve surveillance. This is yet to be delivered along this route, but will be in place before the Quietway is opened to the public.
TfL - Stakeholder recognition Question No: 2017/3840 Caroline Pidgeon Will you look at granting stakeholder recognition to UPHD, the largest private hire driver union in London, within the taxi and private hire stakeholder group? If not, why not?
The Mayor
TfL meets regularly with the GMB Union, which is an established body representing private hire drivers. TfL also meets with other stakeholders and individual drivers on an ad-hoc basis to discuss any specific issues; I understand that United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) representatives have met with TfL in the past on this basis.
Should UPHD have any specific concerns or issues they wish to discuss they can contact TfL directly.
Page 11 Cycling - Dutch reach campaign Question No: 2017/3841 Caroline Pidgeon The "dooring" of cyclists by car drivers can be minimised by the implementation of a "Dutch reach" method of opening doors. Will you support a campaign to raise awareness on this matter?
The Mayor
I am committed eliminating fatal and serious cyclist casualties from London's streets, which is why I have set a Vision Zero approach to road danger as part of my draft Transport Strategy.
I recognise that "dooring" is a particular risk to cyclists, and is responsible for a significant number of serious injuries each year. I would support any opportunity to raise awareness of this and reduce its occurrence.
Transport for London's (TfL) Driver/Cyclists safety tips campaign seeks to raise awareness of 'dooring' by drivers, along with other safety messages to minimise cyclist injuries. TfL has raised awareness with professional drivers such as taxi and private drivers through a specific campaign for them and their passengers. Car stickers, placed on the offside passenger window, are provided to advise passengers to look out for cyclists when exiting the vehicle. Dooring is also discussed in the Safer Urban Driving training for HGV drivers in the capital and the Van Smart course for smaller fleet drivers.
Custody Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) in Met custody suites Question No: 2017/3842 Caroline Pidgeon How many CNPs are currently working in Met custody suites?
The Mayor
The MPS currently has 54 Custody Nurse Practitioners (CNPs) deployed in custody suites against a target of 64 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts across the 12 busiest suites. A further 16 CNPs are currently going through the vetting process.
Page 12 London Ambulance Service visits to Met custody suites Question No: 2017/3843 Caroline Pidgeon How many ambulances have been called to Met custody suites so far in 2017? Please break this down by month and per station.
The Mayor
As a large metropolitan police service, the MPS deals with approximately 170,000 detainees per year and with some of the most vulnerable in our communities, and as you would expect officers take their duty of care extremely seriously.
Data drawn from the MPS custody system indicate that between January and September 2017 ambulances were called to MPS custody suites on 4,191 occasions to attend to 3,840 individual detainees.
The spreadsheet in Appendix 3843 provides a full breakdown of the data by month and custody suite. These figures include all custody suites used during that time period, including those which have been subsequently decommissioned.
Housing strategy - London Borough Private Rented Sector Partnership Question No: 2017/3844 Caroline Pidgeon How many times has the London Borough Private Rented Sector Partnership met?
The Mayor
The London Borough PRS Partnership meets every two months and has met three times since April.
Moped enabled crimes Question No: 2017/3845 Caroline Pidgeon Please detail the total number of Moped enabled crimes per month in 2017, including figures for each borough.
The Mayor
Between January and September 2017 there were a total of 17,606 recorded offences that indicate the suspect was riding a scooter, moped etc. at the time of the offence.
Please see the attached table of the number of offences, by borough and month.
2017 Borough Name Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Total
Page 13 Barking & 3 2 9 12 13 18 16 5 11 89 Dagenham Barnet 4 3 5 15 10 3 18 9 17 84 Bexley 0 5 0 2 6 3 5 5 10 36 Brent 1 0 3 7 13 9 8 11 20 72 Bromley 5 5 9 11 16 4 16 18 14 98 Camden 107 159 214 355 630 749 717 660 556 4147 Croydon 20 9 1 10 32 19 27 26 39 183 Ealing 5 10 1 2 4 8 7 7 6 50 Enfield 6 7 10 13 21 3 7 7 4 78 Greenwich 7 7 10 10 7 6 10 15 11 83 Hackney 116 306 268 252 240 256 235 137 81 1891 Hammersmith & 10 6 10 16 17 40 25 12 11 147 Fulham Haringey 85 101 144 145 120 100 193 135 139 1162 Harrow 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 2 9 Havering 4 9 12 11 6 18 20 16 3 99 Heathrow 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 Hillingdon 2 3 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 16 Hounslow 3 3 9 2 14 6 22 10 14 83 Islington 189 245 420 293 448 626 505 512 349 3587 Kensington & 35 36 61 80 69 69 88 66 65 569 Chelsea Kingston Upon 5 0 4 8 5 3 7 8 17 57 Thames Lambeth 28 15 17 18 25 22 33 40 32 230 Lewisham 8 11 5 9 21 20 12 15 9 110 Merton 3 2 9 13 16 20 13 15 15 106 Newham 4 13 9 7 9 7 15 17 7 88 Redbridge 0 2 4 7 7 10 30 24 16 100 Richmond Upon 10 20 33 25 34 26 34 45 37 264 Thames Southwark 67 42 82 65 44 48 74 71 91 584
Page 14 Sutton 0 4 4 15 5 7 2 1 3 41 Tower Hamlets 35 111 59 121 96 88 96 34 35 675 Waltham Forest 2 3 4 4 8 9 41 49 26 146 Wandsworth 45 38 56 46 77 60 31 37 23 413 Westminster 83 107 275 395 272 277 334 232 330 2305 Total 893 1284 1748 1972 2286 2541 2648 2240 1994 17606
The count in this report is a count of classified and confirmed offences notifiable to the Home Office with the following feature code: GW - Suspect Riding Moped - Scooter - Motorcycle at time of offence. The Recorded Date was set between 01/01/2017 and 30/09/2017.
TfL - Money generated by passenger data Question No: 2017/3846 Caroline Pidgeon TfL have stated that they may be able to generate £322million by selling passenger data. What data will be sold to generate this revenue? And will you commit to publishing details of all schemes in which passenger data is used for TfL profit, including what the data will be used for? What protections are in place for passengers?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL has no plans to sell any passenger's personal data and have not said so anywhere.
The £322 million figure is an estimate provided by TfL's advertising partner. It is derived from the amount they could generate for TfL over an 8-year period if they were provided with aggregate level footfall volumes detailing the number of passengers likely to view each of the distinct advertising "sites" across TfL's network.
Page 15 London Fire Brigade - fire safety protocols Question No: 2017/3847 Caroline Pidgeon I have received reports that new zero tolerance guidelines issued by the London Fire Brigade are preventing residents in social housing from displaying doormats and other trivial items in common areas. Will you review these guidelines, especially in low rise flats, to ensure that they are proportionate?
The Mayor
Ultimately it is the person responsible for the premises and their fire risk assessor to determine the appropriate approach. LFB provides advice for tenants and landlords which includes to "Never store anything in communal areas including balconies. Items can block your escape route" and that "In maisonettes and blocks of flats it's essential that things aren't stored in corridors or staircases. This can block escape routes and stop firefighters doing their job. They can also feed the fire." This advice has been in place for a number of years.
TfL - safety statistics Question No: 2017/3848 Caroline Pidgeon There are concerns about the way in which TfL determines safety statistics on roads, especially those relating to Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) collisions. Will you look at reviewing the method TfL use?
The Mayor
Personal injury road traffic collision data (commonly referred to as STATS19 data) is a national data set governed by guidelines set down by the Department for Transport (DfT). In London, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and City of London police record collisions in accordance with these guidelines and this data is then passed to TfL for inclusion in the ACCSTATS database. The ACCSTATS collision and casualty database is a key data source used for reporting collisions and casualties on London's roads and in understanding the impact of road safety interventions in London.
At the end of 2016 the MPS implemented the Case Overview and Preparation Application (COPA) system to report road traffic collisions. The City of London Police Service adopted the DfT Collision Reporting and Sharing system in October 2015.
These new systems aim to bring considerable improvements to the reporting of road safety data and use a new method of assessing the severity of injury sustained in collisions, as recommended by the DfT. Under these systems, police officers now record the type of injury suffered rather than their assumptions about the severity of injury. TfL will use this new data source in future reporting of safety statistics.
Page 16 TfL - safety statistics Question No: 2017/3849 Caroline Pidgeon A constituent has asked whether you will you commit to signposting TfL's reporting procedure for road safety hazards on the GLA website to make it more visible to the public?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Personal injury collision information is collected by the police at the scene of a collision, or in some cases reported to the police by a member of the public.
TfL is committed to making it as easy as possible for members of the public to report collisions and in 2016 the MPS introduced the new Road Safe online tool at: https://www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/.
This allows members of the public to report collisions to the police online. Members of the public can also report a crime or incident on TfL's website at https://tfl.gov.uk/travel- information/safety/report-a-crime-or-incident.
TfL will review, with the GLA, the need to add links to these sites from the GLA website to further improve public visibility.
Road signage - Elephant and Castle roundabout Question No: 2017/3850 Caroline Pidgeon Constituents have raised concerns that overbearing and unclear road signage at Elephant and Castle roundabout may increase the probability of collisions at the site. Will you look at reviewing the signage in the area to provide more clarity to road users?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 17 Moped crime - Resource allocation Question No: 2017/3851 Caroline Pidgeon What is the current resource allocation for Operation Venice? Please also detail the past and future expected allocation for the years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.
The Mayor
Operation Venice is in place to encourage riders to take greater responsibility for securing their mopeds and by doing so reducing opportunities for criminals to make use of them in further crimes. This is in accordance with the four strands of Protect, Prevent, Proactive and Prepare.
Whilst there are Single Points of Contact in each Borough Command Unit and Road and Transport Policing Command who support and drive Operation Venice activity in their own areas, they are not dedicated resources, but complete a number of other operations.
The Met do not have any plans to change this set up.
Moped crime - Police pursuit Question No: 2017/3852 Caroline Pidgeon Will you press for a change in police pursuit guidance to ensure that the police are able to pursue suspects on moped vehicles with confidence?
The Mayor
The MPS operational policy regarding moped pursuit follows the nationally approved guidance.
It is important that the law and any guidelines protect and do not hinder the police in their vital role of keeping Londoners safe. Any representations for a change in the law would be listened to and supported if they will better protect and support officers in tackling moped crime.
Pursuing motorcycles can be dangerous, especially to pedestrians, so it is right that the Government is seeing what more can be done to give officers the confidence to make the right decision in these difficult circumstances.
Page 18 Moped crime prevention Question No: 2017/3853 Caroline Pidgeon What steps have you taken to encourage councils to undertake measures to prevent the theft of mopeds?
The Mayor
My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime chaired a meeting on moped crime for all local authorities in September. At the meeting MPS leads provided a detailed briefing on the criminality and operational activity. This was followed by joint discussions to identify and highlight best practice across local authorities and how partners could work together to further tackle this criminality.
On the ground, officers are continuing to liaise with local authority representatives to tackle hotspots for theft together. This includes conducting joint patrols with local authority wardens and identifying misuse of local authority garages by those involved in moped criminality.
MPS and MOPAC continue to encourage local authorities to invest in secure parking facilities in particular as prevention of theft is key to tackling this criminality at its root.
Safer Neighbourhood Teams - Increase in London's electoral wards Question No: 2017/3854 Caroline Pidgeon Next year some boroughs will increase their number of electoral wards to reflect population change. You have committed to having two police officers and one PCSO per ward. Will you be able to fulfil this pledge when the changes come into effect?
The Mayor
The original commitment was for two Dedicated Ward Officers (DWOs) and one Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) in each of the existing 629 London wards.
The vast majority of which are in post and the remainder will follow by the end of the year.
The impact of the additional electoral wards is currently being reviewed by the Met.
Page 19 Pedestrian Collision during Centrecomm Strike Question No: 2017/3855 Caroline Pidgeon Your response to Question 2017/3430 stated that during the recent 48 hour Centrecomm strike, there was one collision between a bus and a pedestrian. Please identify the bus operator and owner involved in this incident.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL has confirmed that the incident on 28 August involved a pedestrian and a route 325 bus operated by Arriva London North, in Balaam Street, Newham. I extend my sympathies to the individual involved and their family.
It is difficult to comment further on individual incidents, particularly when investigations are continuing.
London Freight Enforcement Partnership Question No: 2017/3856 Caroline Pidgeon In October 2015, TfL announced the creation of the London Freight Enforcement Partnership. Please provide me with the following information:
(a) Who are the members?
(b) Where is the LFEP secretariat located
(c) Where are the LFEP's minutes published?
(d) Where are the LFEP's budgets and expenditures published?
(e) Where the funds for LFEP come from?
(f) Who chairs this organisation?
(g) Who are its officers?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 20 TfL Bus Safety Programme: Bus Safety Standard Question No: 2017/3857 Caroline Pidgeon On 1 February 2016, the Mayor announced a "world leading" bus safety programme that promised that a bus safety standard that would ensure "the latest safety technologies and products will be developed and tested by manufacturers on London buses throughout 2016 and incorporated into new buses delivered from September 2017." Please provide an update on the progress that has been in adopting this bus safety standard.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
TfL Bus Safety Programme: Bus Operator Safety Scorecard Question No: 2017/3858 Caroline Pidgeon Your response to Question 2016/4526 on 14 December 2016 said a Bus Operator Scorecard was being "finalised." When will this be published?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL will be providing a full response to the GLA Transport Committee's Driven to Distraction report which will cover bus contractor performance metrics and incentivising safety.
TfL Bus Safety Programme: Updating Contracts to include Safety Question No: 2017/3859 Caroline Pidgeon On 1 February 2016, the Mayor's "world leading" Bus Safety Programme stated that "Over the next three months TfL will be updating their bus contracting system and will develop incentives to encourage an even greater focus on safety." On 10 July 2016 (Question 2016/2455) you stated that changes to contracts had been pushed back to December 2017. Does this include the "updating" that was promised in February 2016? If not, when can we expect "incentives to encourage an even greater focus on safety" to be incorporated into TfL bus contracts?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my answer to MQ 2017/3858.
Page 21 Question Title TfL Bus Safety Programme: Driver Training Question No: 2017/3860 Caroline Pidgeon On 1 February 2016, the Mayor's "world leading" Bus Safety Programme announcement stated "a new safety training module" would be provided to "all 24,700 drivers." What is the name of this Safety Training Module and can the Mayor confirm this training focuses specifically on improving the operational safety performance of TfL bus drivers?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is working with the bus operators to develop a new training course which will focus on the subject of Safer Urban Driving (SUD) with particular focus on Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs).
Initially, bus driver trainers and instructors will attend the course which will focus on the most modern and safest driving techniques and how these skills can be imparted to new recruits through induction. The same driving techniques will then be taught to existing drivers.
Like the previous training course, In the Zone, it will aim to enhance the safe operation of buses on the network, particularly in relation to pedestrians and cyclists.
A name for this new training will be chosen in due course.
TfL Bus Safety: Surface Incident Review Group Question No: 2017/3861 Caroline Pidgeon A document prepared for the 28 September 2017 meeting of the Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel mentions the formation of the Surface Incident Review Group. What are the terms of reference for this group? Who does it report to? Will its activities be made public?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 22 Transparency: Bus Operators Forum Question No: 2017/3862 Caroline Pidgeon A document prepared for the 28 September 2017 meeting of the Safety, Sustainability and Human Resources Panel mentions a "Bus Operators' Forum" conducted every quarter with the managing directors of the bus operators. What is the terms of reference of this forum and where are the minutes of this forum published?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL holds a Bus Operators Forum on a regular basis. The purpose of the Forum is to bring together its contracted bus operators to confidentially share relevant business issues and news. As a result there are no terms of reference. There are also no minutes published as subjects can be commercially sensitive and relate to negotiations to deliver value for money to Londoners.
Bus Driver Bill of Rights Question No: 2017/3863 Caroline Pidgeon On 14 September 2017, you acknowledged the receipt of a Bus Driver Bill of Rights that has been prepared by London bus drivers with the support of Unite the Union. Do you have any plans to respond to this document?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Members of Unite the Union representing bus drivers have called on TfL to adopt their Bus Driver Bill of Rights.
You will be aware that a number of the issues in that Bill of Rights related to the GLA Transport Committee's Driven to Distraction report. TfL will be providing a formal response to the Committee's report shortly.
TfL directly engages with Unite at its quarterly meeting with bus operators, where they can raise any issues or concerns.
Page 23 Accumulative maps of air noise (1) Question No: 2017/3864 Caroline Pidgeon In answer to Question 2009/3295 the previous Mayor accepted that there was not a complete picture of aircraft noise over London and stated that he would write to the Minister requesting the production and publication of such information. Will your office now publish the full correspondence that took place on this issue?
The Mayor
The previous Mayor changed his view about writing to the Minister about aircraft noise over London. His response to Question 2011/0587 stated that it would be more appropriate to discuss the technical issues with the Civil Aviation Authority.
Accumulative maps of noise (2) Question No: 2017/3865 Caroline Pidgeon Do you support steps to ensure Londoners are able to access information on the cumulative noise effect of all flights that cross London?
The Mayor
Aircraft noise can be a particular source of disturbance, especially for those living under flights paths. Noise can cause significant impacts to health and quality of life. You will be aware that I have lobbied to ensure this issue is addressed more effectively.
All major airports are required to produce noise action plans with noise contour mapping. I would welcome action by those airports and the Civil Aviation Authority to provide the public with better information about noise.
Accumulative maps of noise (3) Question No: 2017/3866 Caroline Pidgeon Have your officers held any recent meetings with the Civil Aviation Authority to discuss progress on publishing fuller information about the cumulative noise effect of all helicopter and aeroplanes that cross London?
The Mayor
My draft Environment Strategy was published in August and sets out the measures that I will take to lobby the CAA and for the Government to review and amend an outdated regulatory regime to ensure reduced helicopter noise exposure for Londoners.
Page 24 London Overground Boxing Day Services Question No: 2017/3867 Caroline Pidgeon In answer to Question 2017/2820 you stated that TfL expect to be able to confirm the plan for London Overground Boxing day services in September. Please state the reason why such an announcement was not made and also provide an update on this service.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
TfL has been discussing the possibility of running Boxing Day services on London Overground with Arriva Rail London (ARL) from 2018. At this stage, no final decisions have been made.
I am aware TfL is in touch with your office on this question and will keep you updated.
Taxi and Private Hire personal collision data Question No: 2017/3868 Caroline Pidgeon You have in the past stated that taxi and private hire collision would be reported separately by Spring 2017. In answer to Question 2017/2252 you then stated it would be published 'later in the Summer'. Please provide an update as to when this information will be published and an explanation for the delays in publication.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
At the end of 2016 the MPS implemented the Case Overview and Preparation Application (COPA) system. This allows the reporting of personal injury collisions involving taxis and private hire vehicles to be shown as two separate categories from 2017 onwards.
The new COPA digital system shares data between the police and TfL in a timely manner however, as this is the first time collision information has been shared in this way, it has taken longer than anticipated to verify collision data.
The next quarterly publication of provisional figures for London by TfL, including a breakdown of collisions involving taxis and private hire vehicles, is expected this month in line with Department for Transport publication timescales.
Page 25 Access to the London Underground for people with a sensory disability Question No: 2017/3869 Caroline Pidgeon Does TfL have any plans to increase the provision of Windfindr or any other provision of audio based navigation at London Underground stations?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Following the trials TfL carried out last year at Pimlico and Euston station, it continues to work with the Royal Society for Blind Children and Wayfindr. TfL is assessing the cost of rolling-out and maintaining audio based navigation, as well as understanding any safety implications that may arise. TfL is looking for further opportunities to continue its development of audio based navigation in London Underground stations.
TfL is ensuring developers are aware of the data it freely and openly makes available, and is working to provide in the future. Earlier this year, TfL hosted an accessibility digital partnerships summit that brought together major technology organisations, mobile app developers and representatives from disability organisations. Wayfindr and other developers presented at the summit.
Page 26 London Overground Question No: 2017/3870 Caroline Pidgeon Following the announcement that ticket offices will close across London Overground stations will you provide an assurance that you are committed to the staffing of all London Overground stations, including those co-located with Underground stations, from the first to the last train including night services?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
All London Overground and London Underground operated stations will continue to be staffed when trains are running, including night services and TfL's unparalleled turn up and go service for passengers who need assistance will continue to be available.
The way customers pay for travel has changed rapidly as they embrace new technology such as contactless payment cards and mobile devices and this creates an opportunity to improve the way stations are managed and how staff serve customers. The aim of the London Overground changes is to better serve customers, with more staff visible and available on station platforms, ticket halls and ticket gate areas, better able to assist customers.
As you know, last year I asked London TravelWatch to carry out an independent review of changes to staffing at Underground stations, including closing ticket offices. TfL is working through the recommendations of the review to ensure the most appropriate service is provided to customers. We are incorporating the lessons learnt from the Underground into the Overground's Customer Journey Modernisation programme.
Page 27 Access to Alperton London Underground Station Question No: 2017/3871 Caroline Pidgeon I have been contacted by a constituent who is concerned that Alperton London
Underground station only has access via an extensive number of steps. What plans are there to ensure the station is made accessible? What is the timescale for any works?
The Mayor
Last year, I confirmed the biggest boost to step-free access on the Underground in the network's 153 year history, by investing an additional £200m over the next five years.
As part of this programme, TfL is undertaking an initial feasibility study at Alperton station which will help to identify the best options for providing step-free access. Subject to the outcome of this initial study, TfL will progress to the next phase of more detailed design work.
A decision on whether or not to progress to detailed design work will be made by the end of the year.
Safety Performance Measures in FirstGroup Tram Operations Limited's Croydon Tram Contract Question No: 2017/3872 Caroline Pidgeon Correspondence that I received from TfL dated 16 May 2017 confirms that TfL's 30 year Contract with First Group Tram Operations Limited (TOL) includes only "one formal performance measure - service kilometres completed." Does TfL intend to amend this 30 year contract to include measurable Safety Performance metrics in which First Group Tram Operations risks receiving lower contract payments if these safety measures are not achieved over a well-defined period?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 28 May 2014 CIRAS Report concerning Croydon tram drivers and fatigue Question No: 2017/3874 Caroline Pidgeon A May 2014 Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis Report http://www.ciras.org.uk/reports/light-rail/2014/52682-fixed-roster-pattern-causing-fatigue- for-tram-drivers/ revealed that it had received reports that Croydon tram drivers were concerned about the effects of fatigue. What evidence can you provide that TfL or FirstGroup TOL took any action to ensure that its tram drivers' concerns about fatigue were properly investigated and acted upon?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
FirstGroup Tram Operations Limited looked into the concerns about fatigue highlighted by CIRAS in May 2014 and responded to the suggestions made about shift patterns and flexible rosters. Rosters are consulted on and agreed with the trades unions. The Health and Safety Executive fatigue risk index is used to highlight any areas that may require attention; none were identified in the roster current at the time.
There are rare occasions when drivers 'fail to show' for early duties and the night standby has been required to start the duty. Such a driver would be relieved as soon as another became available. There were no recorded operational incidents in which this shift pattern proved to be an underlying cause.
Page 29 Absence of a weekly cap on Oyster Question No: 2017/3875 Caroline Pidgeon Further to your reply to question 2017/3426 where you stated that new capping software will only be introduced before the end of 2018, please set out (1) why earlier predictions of the introduction of weekly cap by TfL have not been delivered, and (2) over the next year would it not be possible to introduce a weekly process fo scanning Oyster card total that exceed the cap and automatically refund the differences to those cards.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is developing the technology to register when customers exceed the weekly cap using their Oyster, which does not exist at this moment. As TfL cannot currently identify when a customer exceeds the weekly cap it would not be able to automatically process a refund.
I can assure you they are working hard to deliver this as soon as possible. TfL expects this to before the end of 2018.
Adding weekly capping requires major changes to the Oyster system, which dates back to the 1990s.
TfL has considered many options for expediting delivery but is confident that its current programme is the right one to deliver benefits to customers as soon as possible. As the programme develops I will ensure that all Assembly Members are kept updated.
Changing Places in London Question No: 2017/3876 Andrew Boff What prominence will be given to increasing the number of 'Changing Places' in the London Plan?
The Mayor
My draft new London Plan will contain policy requirements which aim to increase the number of free publicly-accessible toilets in London, which are suitable for a range of users including disabled people and families with young children. In addition to this, my draft Plan will contain policy requirements which specifically aim to increase the number of 'Changing Places' toilets in London, working towards removing the barrier that the lack of provision can create for people who require the use of these facilities.
Page 30 Strategic Industrial Land Question No: 2017/3878 Andrew Boff Will you please provide a breakdown of the amount of strategic industrial land contained within each housing zone?
The Mayor
There is no SIL in the other 17 Housing zones
Land assembly scheme (1) Question No: 2017/3879 Andrew Boff Will you please provide the precise source of funding for your £250m land assembly scheme?
The Mayor
The funding will be drawn from City Hall's existing housing and land resources and receipts.
Land assembly scheme (2) Question No: 2017/3880 Andrew Boff What will be the additional staffing and resource requirements of administering your £250m land scheme and what will be the costs of these?
The Mayor
Details of the proposed relevant resource requirements and costs will be presented to the Oversight Committee later in the year for their views.
Land assembly scheme (3) Question No: 2017/3881 Andrew Boff When do you plan to launch your £250m land scheme?
The Mayor
My intention to take a more active role in the land market was announced when I launched my draft Housing Strategy. My team have already begun to identify sites.
Page 31 Land assembly scheme (4) Question No: 2017/3882 Andrew Boff How many homes will be provided by 2020 as a result of your £250m land scheme?
The Mayor
There is not a fixed number as this will be a revolving fund, helping to bring forward land and unlock larger sites for housing.
Land sale receipts Question No: 2017/3883 Andrew Boff Will you please provide a list of capital receipts from GLA land sales for each month between January 2016 and September 2017, specifying the land that has been sold in each transaction and how that money has been allocated within the GLA budget?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please find attached a list of receipts, all of which constitute income for the GLA's commercial trading arm - GLA Land and Property Limited (known as GLAP) - in whose budget it appears.
Social impact bonds (1) Question No: 2017/3884 Andrew Boff When do you intend to issue a new social impact bond for rough sleeping, what will be its value, and how will the money be used?
The Mayor
My new social impact bond, for around 350 of London's most entrenched rough sleepers, commenced on 1 October 2017. This payment by results project will focus on achieving accommodation, employment and improved health and well-being outcomes. The maximum value of the project is £3m.
Page 32 Social impact bonds (2) Question No: 2017/3885 Andrew Boff What has been the impact of previous social impact bonds issued by the GLA to tackle rough sleeping issues?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
The Government has not yet published the quantitative evaluation of the SIB.
Self build Question No: 2017/3886 Andrew Boff How many self build homes do you intend to deliver as part of your housing strategy?
The Mayor
Plans for self-build homes will come from the community. My draft housing strategy sets out measures to support proposals coming forward, such as the Innovation fund and the Community-Led Housing Hub.
Sex workers (1) Question No: 2017/3887 Andrew Boff How will your Police and Crime Plan provide support for sex workers who do not wish to exit the industry and are not victims or survivors of domestic abuse or modern slavery?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
As part of my Police and Crime Plan commitment to refresh the VAWG strategy, we are focusing the harm done by prostitution in London.
In order to offer support to those that do not wish to exit, we will look to a broad range of partners including local authorities and voluntary groups to help us develop an approach.
Page 33 Sex workers (2) Question No: 2017/3888 Andrew Boff What is your approach to "tackling prostitution"?
The Mayor
We are committed to reducing the safety risks facing women involved in prostitution and to offer support to exit where possible. This recognises the considerable associated risks to the safety, health and mental health of women and girls involved in prostitution.
Please also see my answer to MQ 3887.
Page 34 Sex workers (3) Question No: 2017/3889 Andrew Boff Please list all meetings that the GLA family has had in the past 5 years with the English Collective of Prostitutes Which bodies representing sex workers will be approached to inform the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Due to a change in administration it is not possible to get a full and accurate picture of meeting information over the last five years.
The VAWG consultation is multi-faceted and agencies representing women involved in prostitution feature throughout all stages. Including:
1) As part of the survivor consultation we commissioned a series of Focus Groups and One-to One Interviews which included a focus on women that have been involved with prostitution.
2) At the workshop stage the following agencies were invited to attend:
Commonweal: This agency runs the Amari project aimed at providing housing and holistic support for women that have been involved in prostitution.
Solace: As above
Ava: This agency specialises in providing refuge for women involved in prostitution.
Women@thewell: Provide a women-only drop-in centre dedicated to supporting women whose lives are affected by or at risk of being affected by prostitution
Representatives from the Angelou project: Offers support for all violence against women and girls, trafficking and prostitution.
Women in Prison: Speaking to the high proportion women in secure estates that have been involved with prostitution.
3) Separate meetings have also been put in place with yourself. In addition, the DMPC has offered to meet with Ugly Mugs to discuss the issue of prostitution and the strategy more broadly.
Page 35 Democracy Question No: 2017/3890 Andrew Boff Will the GLA be supporting the annual European Local Democracy Week?
The Mayor
At this time, I have no specific plans to participate in European Local Democracy Week.
Supporting Londoners to play an active role in civic life and the decisions that affect them is, however, one of my priorities and will be a theme of my wider Citizenship and Integration Initiative. I also welcome initiatives led by others that support this goal - and, of course, encourage Londoners to participate by voting in next year's borough elections.
Housing need Question No: 2017/3891 Andrew Boff Will you conduct a survey of families in housing need as to what typology of homes would be best for them? i.e: flat in a tower block or house with a garden?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
Many families in housing need live in overcrowding - we know that homes with the right number of bedrooms will improve their lives. Delivering these homes, given scarce land, will often mean building at densities higher than those in the surrounding area. Homes of all typologies should have access to outside space.
Page 36 Silvertown Tunnel Question No: 2017/3892 Andrew Boff Will residents living near the entrances to the Silvertown Tunnel have to endure worsened air quality? If so, by how much?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel often leads to 2-mile tailbacks in the peak. By alleviating this congestion, Silvertown Tunnel will result in an overall improvement in air quality, particularly in locations of the poorest air quality.
Details of the predicted changes to air quality at particular locations can be found in the Environmental Statement and other documents submitted to the Secretary of State as part of the Development Consent Order application for the scheme.
Air quality monitoring will be put in place around the entrances to the tunnel and on surrounding roads to ensure that any unforeseen impacts are picked up and dealt with as early as possible.
You can find this information here: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/london/silvertown- tunnel/?ipcsection=docs.
Moore Stephens report Question No: 2017/3893 Andrew Boff Can you provide a detailed update of the draft findings of the Moore Stephens report into the Olympic Stadium or, if possible, a copy of the draft report andor any supporting documents Moore Stephens may have provided in relation to the ongoing review?
The Mayor
I am disappointed that the review has not yet been completed and that I do not yet have findings from Moore Stephens. I have been advised that the review is taking longer to complete mainly because of difficulties in obtaining all the relevant documentation from the many organisations and individuals who, over the last 10 years, have been involved in the decisions relating to the London Stadium. I understand that Moore Stephens review is in its final stages and, as I stated at the last MQT, my intention is to make the final report public.
Page 37 Changed destinations Question No: 2017/3894 Andrew Boff In each of the past 24 months how many tube trains have changed destination mid-journey?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
When services are disrupted, London Underground may have to change the final destination on lines at very short notice. This only happens when it helps return normal service to the disrupted line or lines as quickly as possible.
As different lines record data in varying ways, Transport for London is unable to provide this data easily. It is exploring ways to record data electronically and to collate it centrally, making it easier for this information to be compiled and ultimately to improve the service it offers customers.
Statistics on taxi crime by service Question No: 2017/3895 Andrew Boff Could you provide figures detailing convictions of taxi drivers in London, including details of the company they were working for at the time they convicted a crime
The Mayor
This information is not held at an aggregate level by TfL or the Police.
There is no standard category of taxi and private hire related crime in police recording systems and no systematic process is in place for collating associated taxi driver conviction data, which is held by the HM Courts and Tribunal Services.
However relevant details of an offence will be included on individual crime reports and on the TfL licensee's file. Due to the volume of taxi drivers I'm afraid it is not possible to provide this data.
Page 38 Statistics on private hire vehicle crime by service Question No: 2017/3897 Andrew Boff Could you provide figures detailing convictions of private hire vehicle drivers in London, including details of the company they were working for at the time they were convicted of a crime.
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3895.
Taxi & PH Licence Fees Question No: 2017/3901 Keith Prince Please provide fully detailed account information on both Taxi & PH Licence fees. This should include income and expenditure over the last ten years and detail on precisely how the money has been spent.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Due to the time it will take to compile this information, I have asked TfL to write to you directly on this matter. They will be in touch as soon as possible with an update.
Page 39 Airport Connectivity Question No: 2017/3902 Keith Prince What plans does the Mayor have to improve aviation connectivity and increase runway capacity in the Capital regardless of whether or not a third runway at Heathrow actually happens?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
My draft Transport Strategy emphasises the importance of improving sustainable surface access links to six London airports.
I also recognise that there is a need for new runway capacity to support jobs and growth. However, I remain of the view that a third runway at Heathrow is the wrong answer for London and the UK. I set out my concerns about the impact of expansion, notably on noise, air quality and surface access, in my response to the Government's consultation on then National Policy Statement (NPS) on Heathrow expansion in May.
By contrast, a second runway at Gatwick is more affordable, deliverable and can secure comparable economic benefits without the severe environmental impacts of an expanded Heathrow.
Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme (1) Question No: 2017/3903 Keith Prince Your response to Question 20172250 confirmed that TfL's Bus Safety Programme has a total 5 year budget allocation of £33.5 million, of which £31 million "will be invested in developing and delivering the Bus Safety Standard on all new vehicles, including Intelligent Speed Assistance." In response to my request for a list of detailed expenditures on the Bus Safety Programme for the period 1 February 2016 to 31 January 2017, you could only confirm £150,000 on the Bus Safety Standard.
Since TfL expended £1,952,908,408.39 on Bus Contracts last Financial Year, how is it possible that it has only accounted for £150,000 on the Bus Safety Standard?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 40 Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme (2) Question No: 2017/3904 Keith Prince If the TfL annual spend on Bus Safety is planned to be £6.7 million per year, does the Mayor think TfL spending 0.34% of its Bus Contract Budget on Bus Safety is enough for a Bus System given, according to the recent London Assembly Report "London ranked fifth-worst for safety in 2014" of the 15 world cities measured by the International Bus Benchmarking Group?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
The Bus Safety Programme is just one element of my Vision Zero approach to road danger. This includes an aim to reduce the number of people killed in, or by, London buses to zero by 2030 and eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions by 2041.
The Bus Safety Programme is comprised of several workstreams which are focussed on driving major improvements in safety across London's bus network. This includes vehicle design, contracts and performance management, driver training, bus collision data, and assurance. To eliminate fatalities on the bus network, TfL will continue to evolve the Bus Safety Programme as new research and evidence becomes available.
In addition to the Bus Safety Programme, TfL and its bus operators are already putting considerable resource into the safety management of the bus network. This includes supervising bus stations and garages, assessing operational risk, monitoring bus driver performance, checking vehicle condition, and investigating incidents.
Page 41 Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme (3) Question No: 2017/3905 Keith Prince Your response to Question 20172250 mentioned that The Sarah Hope Line had been launched to support people affected by fatal or serious injuries. How much was expended on the Sarah Hope Line for the period in question? As important and humane as this action is, because it doesn't do anything to improve the operational safety performance of TfL Bus Operations, why is The Sarah Hope Line considered part of the Bus Safety Programme?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The Sarah Hope Line is a dedicated service offering support to anyone who has been involved in, or witnessed, a life-changing injury on TfL services. To date, the total cost of the Sarah Hope Line is circa £180,000 since it opened in January 2016.
I am proud that TfL offers this dedicated service which offers an excellent addition to the bus safety programme. It comprises the most experienced staff in TfL's Customer Services team, who are on hand to make sure that anyone affected by a serious incident gets the help they need, and work in partnership with organisations that can provide further specialised support.
I have been clear on the importance of preventing death or serious injury on the bus network through my Vision Zero approach. However, in the event that incidents occur, it is entirely right for TfL to offer a dedicated place for supporting victims and their families and ensuring they have access to the bespoke services they need. We have been told by those who have has such experiences that their experience of their contact with TfL is vitally important.
Page 42 Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme (4) Question No: 2017/3906 Keith Prince Your response to Question 20172250 mentioned that £2.5 million will be spent on driver training "over the next 2 years." Can you provide more detail on what this driver training entails?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is working with the bus operators to develop a new training course which will focus on Safer Urban Driving (SUD), with particular focus on Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs). Initially, bus driver trainers and instructors will attend the course which will focus on the most modern and safest driving techniques and how these skills can be imparted to new recruits through induction. The same driving techniques will then be taught to existing drivers.
Like the previous course, In the Zone, it will aim to enhance the safe operation of buses on the network, particularly in relation to pedestrians and cyclists.
Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme (5) Question No: 2017/3907 Keith Prince Your response to Question 20172250 about the Detailed Budget Expenditure for TfL's Bus Safety Programme stated "£31m will be invested in developing and delivering the Bus Safety Standard" and "£2.5 million spent on driver training over the next two years so total spend is £33.5m." In addition to the Bus Safety Standard, Training and The Sarah Hope Line, when your predecessor announced the programme it also included "updating TfL Contracts to include Safety Incentives" "Publishing additional bus collision data and making it more accessible" "Provide greater transparency on bus collision investigations". Since they are not included in your list of planned expenditure, am I to assume these commitments have been removed from the Bus Safety Programme?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Some activities in the Bus Safety Programme do not have costs attached to them as they are provided by teams with wider health and safety, and contract tender roles. It does not imply they have been removed from the programme.
On top of steps already taken to promote safety Transport for London will be outlining progress against the Assembly's recommendations on wider bus safety in its full response to the Transport Committee's Driven to Distraction report soon.
Page 43 Environment Strategy Question No: 2017/3908 Shaun Bailey What funding will you give to local authorities in order for them to provide weekly food waste collection?
The Mayor
Environment Strategy Question No: 2017/3909 Shaun Bailey Will you use your power of direction under Section 356 of the GLA Act (as amended) to force boroughs to deliver a separate weekly food waste collection even if they may not be able to afford to do so?
The Mayor
I am working with boroughs through the London Waste and Recycling Board and the Resource London to help boost recycling rates and encourage more circular economy businesses, and will continue to work with them to achieve the aims of my draft London Environment Strategy. My draft London Environment Strategy proposes that all boroughs collect the six main recyclables and a separate weekly food collection to help boost London's poor recycling rates to 65 per cent by 2030. Through LWARB and Resource London, expertise and resources are available to support boroughs rolling out separate food waste collections where required. My power of direction applies only where compliance by an authority with the direction does not impose excessive additional costs on the authority.
Knife Crime (1) Question No: 2017/3910 Shaun Bailey In your Knife Crime Strategy you state that you will be "Hosting an event with education providers, education leaders, Principals, Academy Trust Chairs, board members and Governmental bodies to better understand their needs and agree a plan of action to help tackle knife crime". What is the status of this event? Will a transcript or summary be produced when the event takes place?
The Mayor
I will open the Knife Crime Education Summit on the 31 October.
An internal summary of key outcomes and agreed next steps will be produced to support ongoing policy development work.
Page 44 Knife Crime (2) Question No: 2017/3911 Shaun Bailey In your Knife Crime Strategy you state that you will be "Developing a media campaign targeted towards young people and their parents, raising awareness on the dangers and consequences of knife crime," and that you will be "Provide a toolkit alongside the knife crime media campaign." Could you please provide an update as to the status of this campaign and toolkit?
The Mayor
The knife crime media campaign will launch in November, the Police and Crime Committee will be briefed ahead of the launch.
The toolkit is due to be launched in February 2018.
Knife Crime (3) Question No: 2017/3912 Shaun Bailey In your Knife Crime Strategy you state that you will be "Establishing an ongoing youth engagement and consultative mechanism". What is the status of this work?
The Mayor
MOPAC continue to consult with young people in the delivery of the strategy commitments including the development of the media campaign and Education Summit.
MOPAC officials are working with external colleagues, and partners within the GLA to agree what the consultative mechanism should like. A mapping exercise of existing youth forums / engagement mechanisms is to take place to support this work.
It is envisaged that this commitment will be delivered in 2018.
Page 45 Knife Crime (4) Question No: 2017/3913 Shaun Bailey In your Knife Crime Strategy you state that you will be "Providing seed funding to community groups and anti-knife crime initiatives in priority areas in London." Could you please identify which organisations you intend to fund, and how much funding you intend to provide?
The Mayor
The £250,000 fund is intended to support grass roots, community organisations to work with young people, victims and families who are affected by knife crime. The funding will be targeted to those boroughs and communities who are disproportionately affected.
We are inviting bids for funding for projects of up to £50,000 for applications. We will consider bids for up to £100K for projects which collaborate between partners across a minimum of 2 priority knife crime boroughs.
Knife Crime (5) Question No: 2017/3914 Shaun Bailey In your Knife Crime Strategy you state that you will be "Working with social media organisations to ensure online videos which glorify knife crime are quickly taken down". Could you summarise the intended scope of this work?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
Following a press release on 7 August, where we reported that four violent videos were reported by the MPS but not removed from YouTube, a meeting took place between my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, MOPAC officials, the MPS and Google, in order to discuss a process for tackling the issues of online videos which glorify knife crime.
MOPAC is continuing to work with Google to explore any further processes which could reduce the likelihood of inflammatory videos being hosted online.
Page 46 Changes to bus routes 289 & 455 Question No: 2017/3915 Steve O'Connell How can TfL justify changes to bus routes 289 and 455 so that a service will no longer be provided for the loop via Trafalgar Way and Drury Crescent at Waddon Marsh; also to remove southbound 289 buses into Croydon Colonnades.
As 52% of respondents to TfL's consultation opposed or strongly opposed the proposal, surely this is an example of TfL treating the general public with contempt and merely paying lip service.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL made changes to improve reliability on routes operating in the area around Purley Way because journey times were getting slower and less predictable despite investment in extra buses and drivers. TfL's concluded this was the best compromise as it would improve the overall service performance at a reasonable cost.
A total of 260 members of the public responded to the consultation. Ninety-six, or 37 per cent, of responses generally supported the proposed changes to bus route 289, and 135 or 52 per cent, were generally against them. The full consultation results can be found at https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/routes-289-and-455.
TfL understands the concerns raised, particularly around the additional walk for those who had used the Waddon Marsh stop, and are working to see how they can improve the scheme. They recently met with councillors from Croydon Council to discuss this.
Page 47 London fraud incidents Question No: 2017/3916 Steve O'Connell Could you please provide Metropolitan Police Service stats for all fraud and computer misuse incidents in London over the last five financial years, and include the stats broken down by crime type?
The Mayor
Since 01/02/2013 Fraud, Cyber Dependent and Acquisitive Cyber Enabled Crimes have been reported to Action Fraud. Following Home Office Counting Rules these are then disseminated to law enforcement agencies by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) where there is an identifiable and viable line of enquiry.
These disseminations are recorded as 'non-counted crimes' by forces to avoid duplication. NFIB disseminate reports to the area where that line of enquiry is rather than where the victim lives.
It is not possible to provide further detail of the crimes committed as that would require each record to be accessed manually.
This data represents the number of reports not victims. In 2012 there was no separate classification for Cyber Crime
Sutton Tram Extension Question No: 2017/3918 Steve O'Connell In your estimation, how likely is it that the Sutton Tram Extension will be fully funded and approved by May 2020?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I intend to submit a Transport & Works Act Order application for this extension by early 2020.
A Funding Statement will need to accompany the Order application, which is why TfL is working very closely with the London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton to develop the scheme and the funding package. As you are aware, there is a funding gap at present, but I am hopeful that a viable solution can be found.
Page 48 Caterham & Tattenham Corner Question No: 2017/3919 Steve O'Connell Will you, Mr Mayor, give an assurance that the Caterham & Tattenham Corner lines will be included in your proposed takeover of the Southern Metro network, in view of them being crewed at Selhurst depot along with all the other Southern Metro services; hence my constituents would like to benefit from the Mayor's services.
The Mayor
The decision on any transfer of contracting authority from the Department for Transport to TfL for local south London services rests solely with the Secretary of State for Transport. I will continue to push for the devolution of rail services in south London to TfL as franchises expire over the coming years.
The precise services that could transfer under a devolution proposal would be subject to a feasibility study nearer the time of the franchise renewal in September 2021.
Beds in sheds (1) Question No: 2017/3920 Susan Hall How many incidents, of each type, involving 'beds in sheds' have been dealt with by the London Fire Brigade in the past five years?
The Mayor
When recording details of certain incidents, London Fire Brigade crews are asked "was the property being used as accommodation and was it unsuitable for that purpose (e.g. beds in sheds)?" This is generally asked about non-residential buildings, which would include garages and sheds, but also about derelict residential buildings or buildings under construction. Based on this, the data collected below is for the five years from 2012 to 2016.
Total Year Incidents 2012 83 2013 98 2014 72 2015 94 2016 62 409
Page 49 Beds in sheds (2) Question No: 2017/3921 Susan Hall What has been the total cost to the London Fire Brigade of dealing with incidents involving 'beds in sheds' over the past five years?
The Mayor
There is no additional cost for a London Fire Brigade attendance at fires involving 'beds in sheds' as the service is funded. A notional cost of dealing with these incidents can be calculated using the time each fire appliance spent at the incident scene, and the agreed hourly rate agreed for cost recoverable special service and automatic fire alarm incidents (i.e. £328 an hour per appliance in 2017/18 (excluding VAT)). The notional cost for the five years 2012 to 2016 for attendance at 409 'unsuitable accommodation' incidents was just over £1.52 million (at 2017/18 prices).
Total fire Notional Year incidents Cost* 2012 83 £343,744 2013 98 £553,008 2014 72 £222,384 2015 94 £289,296 2016 62 £115,128 409 £1,523,560
* £328 per hour per appliance (2017/18 rate)
Page 50 Beds in sheds (3) Question No: 2017/3922 Susan Hall How many incidents, of each type, involving 'beds in sheds' have been dealt with by the Metropolitan Police Service in the past five years?
The Mayor
Police data systems categorise events according to the type of crime / incident reported and as "beds in sheds" or similarly squalid conditions may not be apparent at the time of reporting, or may arise as a subsidiary issue, it is not possible to readily recover the data requested.
So-called 'beds in sheds' are a manifestation of wider actions by rogue landlords, which include squalid conditions, over-crowding, poor maintenance and other breaches of planning regulations. Local Government are the lead enforcement agency, working with police, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and others only where necessary.
Police involvement may occur through support to local authorities' enforcement action, but is more likely to occur through a variety of other police incidents, including (but not limited to) crimes or anti-social behaviour linked to such locations.
Beds in sheds (4) Question No: 2017/3923 Susan Hall What has been the total cost to the Metropolitan Police Service of dealing with incidents involving 'beds in sheds' over the past five years?
The Mayor
Please see my answer to MQ 2017/ 3922.
TfL property Question No: 2017/3924 Tony Devenish Will the Mayor study carefully Network Rail's commitment to open itself up for competition, and list all opportunities including but not limited to rail & property deals?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3800.
Page 51 Energy for Londoners Question No: 2017/3925 Tony Devenish What are the consequences for Energy for Londoners re the recent announcement (Open Utility's deal with Essent) that B2B customers can buy locally produced renewable energy in half hour periods?
The Mayor
As set out in my draft London Environment Strategy, I will tender for the delivery of an energy supply company, with the aim of procuring a scheme to offer fairer energy bills for Londoners. While I have not ruled out supplying business customers, the initial focus will be on householders including the fuel poor. Therefore, while I am pleased to see an innovative London based company helping to transform energy markets, I do not see this announcement as having immediate implications for Energy for Londoners. My officers will continue to monitor developments and consider how best to support such innovations.
Public Phone Boxes Question No: 2017/3926 Tony Devenish Following press reports in the FT on 15 August that BT are to cull half of their 40,000 public phone boxes, can the Mayor obtain specifics Borough by Borough within London on:
- which listed boxes will be retained
- which will become advertising hoardings
- what locations will BT simply hand back to Boroughs or others;
And does the Mayor agree that BT need to improve their community engagement processes?
The Mayor
My officers will contact BT to request the information you have specified and get detail on their current and planned community engagement. Once they have received this my team will contact your office to share the information.
Page 52 Big Lottery Funding for London Question No: 2017/3927 Tony Devenish English charities have lost out to Scottish charities for the last 13 years under the Big Lottery fund. What practical steps can the Mayor take to help London charities obtain their fair share?
The Mayor
London charities continue to face rising demand for their services and an ever more competitive funding climate. This impacts small charities particularly hard. I am supporting these charities and community groups in three ways.
Firstly, my Communities and Social Policy team is developing the first ever GLA Civil Society Strategy. This work considers the role that we can play as an advocate for the sector and how we can work with boroughs to highlight best practice. As part of this process, we are working with the Big Lottery Fund and will discuss your concerns with them.
Secondly through Team London, I continue to award grants to fund the work of small charities. In 2016/7, £100,000 was distributed to small charities. Another grants round is planned for this financial year.
Finally, Skill-UP programme matches business volunteers with staff from small charities to help them become more efficient in their roles. Skills gaps can be a problem for small charities and they need external support, advice and training. Delegates who attend the training are also supported afterwards via mentoring. The training helps them to build their expertise and ensures they are more able to highlight their special qualities and skills when applying for funding.
Page 53 Ofwat Question No: 2017/3928 Tony Devenish What is the Mayor's view of Ofwat's performance in relation to the service it provides to London consumers and businesses? Does he think it is acceptable for PwC to work for both the regulator and water companies?
The Mayor
I am committed to working alongside regulators, statutory infrastructure providers, and government bodies, to ensure that all Londoners have fair and appropriately priced access to water and sewerage.
I am formally consulting on an Infrastructure Coordination Unit concept, to improve infrastructure delivery. I am also in the process of appointing an Infrastructure High Level Group to represent the interests of Londoners in Infrastructure planning and delivery. Thames Water and Ofwat will be invited to take part in this High Level Group.
I believe that these actions will provide long-term improvements to the performance of utilities providers in relation to infrastructure development and maintenance, and will help to promote joined-up thinking in relation to environmental and economic performance.
I believe that all companies should follow best practice with regards to competition.
It is the responsibility of the Financial Conduct Authority, Competition and Markets Authority and department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy to determine whether any manipulation or misconduct resulted from the relationship between PwC, the water regulator and water companies.
I will closely follow any actions taken by the regulators.
Future of the Civil Service Question No: 2017/3929 Tony Devenish Has the Mayor taken the time to read Francis Maude's lecture "the future of the civil service"? Does he intend to follow up on any of the themes in your reforms of the GLA and Related bodies? If so what and how?
The Mayor
Thank you for highlighting Francis Maude's Speaker's Lecture on The Future of the Civil Service.
Capacity, innovation, delivery and efficiency - across the GLA Group - are top priorities for me, my team and senior officers. I am keen we study and learn from relevant best practice and insight, from whatever source it may emerge, and embed it in our own approaches.
Page 54 Central London Step Free Access Question No: 2017/3930 Tony Devenish In answer to my question 20173825 on the need to preserve bus routes through Central London to cater for those who are unable to use the Tube, you responded by stating the increase the Tube Network will see in terms of step-free access. Please provide a list of all the stations in Central London along with a date by which they will have full step-free access.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Last year, I announced a £200 million programme to provide step-free access at around 30 stations over the next five years. The programme is focussed on local stations in outer London and will be complete by March 2022.
Stations confirmed under this programme so far are Newbury Park, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Mill Hill East, South Woodford, Buckhurst Hill, Amersham, Cockfosters and Osterley. Additional stations will be announced by the end of 2017, once feasibility studies are complete.
In addition to this £200 million programme, I can also confirm that step-free access will be available at Bromley by Bow and Bond Street by the end of 2017.
When the new entrance opens in early 2018 at Bank station, access to the Waterloo & City line at the station will be step free. The entire Waterloo & City line will be step free by the end of 2018, with TfL working closely with Network Rail to achieve this at Waterloo. In addition, Victoria, Finsbury Park, Moorgate, Whitechapel and Ealing Broadway will have step-free access by the end of 2018.
When fully open in December 2019, the Elizabeth line will serve fully accessible stations, linking Reading and Heathrow in the west, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
Step-free access will be available at Battersea Power Station station and Nine Elms once the Northern line extension is complete in 2020. When the Bank station upgrade project completes in 2022, the new Cannon Street entrance will bring step free access to the Northern line at the station.
Page 55 CS9 Consultation Question No: 2017/3931 Tony Devenish With whom exactly did TfL consult before launching the CS9 consultation on 21 September?
The Mayor
TfL engaged with a number of key stakeholders in developing the proposals for CS9, including the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the Metropolitan Police Service and representatives of road user groups.
TfL has now launched the public consultation to enable everyone to review the detail of the proposals, provide feedback and express their views on the scheme.
Views can be submitted on TfL's website until 31 October 2017: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/cs9/?cid=cs9
Hammersmith Bridge (1) Question No: 2017/3932 Tony Devenish When will Hammersmith Bridge be closing?
The Mayor
Hammersmith Bridge will be closed to vehicles during the school half term holiday week, from 17:00 on Saturday 21 October to 06:00 on Friday 27 October 2017.
The bridge will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists, though cyclists will have to dismount to use the bridge.
Hammersmith Bridge (2) Question No: 2017/3933 Tony Devenish For how long will Hammersmith Bridge be closing?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3932.
Page 56 Hammersmith Bridge (3) Question No: 2017/3934 Tony Devenish What measures will TfL take to minimise the impact of the closure of Hammersmith Bridge?
The Mayor
TfL has taken a number of measures to minimise the impacts of the Hammersmith Bridge works. They have scheduled the works to be carried out during the school half-term holidays, when traffic levels are typically lower, and there are no other roadworks planned on the diversion routes in the neighbouring areas. In addition, TfL has agreed with bus service operators to provide alternative bus stands which will be attended by marshals to assist passengers.
To ensure impacted Londoners are aware of the works, TfL will give advance notice of the works by placing temporary signs at key locations on both sides of the rivers. TfL will be sending letters to local residents and businesses, and all the information about the works will be available on the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham's website.
Page 57 The benefits of Uber Question No: 2017/3935 Tony Devenish One of my constituents has requested that I ask you the following question: "Are you aware of the positive social impact of Uber in my religious (Liberal Jewish) community where our older members are now able to access a safe and affordable way to travel to community events and religious services?"
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I am aware that across London people have very different needs and requirements in relation to transport and that is why I support a diverse range of options. There are over 2,400 licensed private hire operators and 25,000 licensed taxi drivers that are based all around London that can be used to fulfil all types of needs. All taxis are wheelchair accessible with a range of other accessibility features.
On 22 September, TfL informed Uber London Limited that it will not be issued with a private hire operator licence after the expiry of its current licence on 30 September. TfL considers that Uber's approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications.
I know that Uber has become a popular service for many Londoners and a convenient way for private hire drivers to work, but it would have been wrong for TfL to have renewed Uber's licence if they had concerns over Uber's suitability to hold an operator's licence.
Throughout my Mayoralty, I have supported the need to maintain a safe and affordable transport network for all Londoners. This is why I introduced the popular Hopper fare which enables Londoners to change buses within an hour without paying for a second journey, while my decision to freeze all TfL fares for four years will make travel more affordable for all Londoners.
Page 58 Draft MTS Consultation (1) Question No: 2017/3936 Tony Devenish How was the consultation on your Draft Mayor's Transport Strategy publicised?
The Mayor
The consultation process for my draft Transport Strategy was managed by TfL . Over the course of the three month consultation TfL followed best practice guidelines according to the Consultation Institute to publicise the consultation across a range of channels as follows:
Advertising on the bus, Tube, London Overground and DLR networks to reach public transport users
Emails to TfL's entire customer database; around 1.6m people
Print and digital advertising and social media to reach all Londoners
Direct emails to over 2,000 stakeholders and organisations
Presentations to over 60 events and meetings
Paper and broadcast media
In total, 350 written responses were received from stakeholders and 6,200 responses from individual members of the public to the consultation. TfL is now analysing the responses and making any necessary changes to the draft. I expect to publish my final strategy, along with a full consultation report, next year.
Page 59 Draft MTS Consultation (2) Question No: 2017/3937 Tony Devenish Are you happy that everyone who will be impacted and who would have wanted to respond to the Draft Mayor's Transport Strategy consultation was successfully notified?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL followed best practice guidelines to publicise the three-month consultation and undertake an extensive engagement campaign. It met with over 250 groups across a range of sectors including boroughs, passenger groups, businesses, cycling campaigners, freight operators, accessibility campaigners, suppliers, health and environment campaigners, and community groups.
Over 6,500 responses were received to the consultation, including around 500 from business, organisations and campaign groups.
Silvertown Tunnel Question No: 2017/3940 Caroline Russell Why did you not include Silvertown Tunnel in the list of major transport schemes in your draft Housing Strategy?
The Mayor
The schemes listed in my draft Housing Strategy are there to illustrate the links between housing delivery and investment in infrastructure. They are by no means a definitive set of my priority schemes - for that you should refer to my draft Transport Strategy.
Cycle counters on cycle superhighways Question No: 2017/3941 Caroline Russell How many cycle counters have Transport for London (TfL) installed on cycle superhighways?
The Mayor
TfL operates 35 automatic cycle counting sites across its Cycle Superhighway (CS) network. The data is used to inform cycle flows as part of the Cycle Superhighways' annual monitoring programme.
TfL is also trialling new electronic counters to track numbers of cyclists, while also displaying a live count to show how many cyclists are using the routes daily and annually. Two such counters are currently being trialled on East-West (CS3) and North-South (CS6).
Page 60 Vision Zero Question No: 2017/3942 Caroline Russell What practical steps will you take, through Transport for London (TfL), the boroughs, police and enforcement authorities, to achieve your 'Vision Zero' aim for all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions to be eliminated from London's streets by 2041?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I do not believe loss of life or serious injury as a result of a road collision is inevitable or acceptable, which is why Vision Zero is a key commitment of my draft Transport Strategy.
Eliminating death and serious injury from London's streets by 2041 is a challenging but achievable goal that TfL, the boroughs and police will work towards in partnership, with an ambitious programme to reduce road danger.
I will publish further details on how Vision Zero will be delivered following the final publication of my Transport Strategy, outlining the approach towards this goal, with a particular focus on the years up until the proposed short-term target of a 65 per cent reduction in killed or seriously injured casualties by 2022.
Transport for London (TfL) taxi engagement policy (2) Question No: 2017/3943 Caroline Russell Thank you for your answer to my question 2017/3607, which explains that Transport for London (TfL) "hold regular scheduled meetings with the private hire trade, including quarterly meetings with the largest operators and senior representatives of the main driver and operator representative bodies." Given your promise to ensure "wider inclusivity," will you meet with the United Private Hire Drivers who represent drivers working on the Uber platform?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3840.
Page 61 Plying for hire (1) Question No: 2017/3944 Caroline Russell The Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan 2016 seeks to "extend the power the police already have to take DNA samples for touting offences to include drivers caught unlawfully plying for hire." In the absence of a statutory definition of plying for hire, what steps are you taking to ensure that the civil liberties of Private Hire Vehicle drivers are protected so that they are not unfairly criminalised or penalised for plying offences?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
As I outlined in my Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan, I support extending police powers to include DNA samples being taken from those unlawfully plying for hire. In order to extend these powers a change in primary legislation is required.
The lack of a statutory definition of plying for hire does make enforcement of illegal plying for hire in London difficult.
My Deputy Mayor for Transport, Valerie Shawcross, and I are lobbying Government alongside TfL to seek a statutory definition of plying for hire and pre-booked services. We are also seeking a change in primary legislation to provide greater powers so that we can address common enforcement issues in London including those associated with touting offences and drivers caught unlawfully plying for hire.
In the meantime, TfL and the police will continue to enforce to the full extent of their ability.
Page 62 Plying for hire (2) Question No: 2017/3945 Caroline Russell The Law Commission has said that it is a "major problem" that licensed private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers face criminal convictions for touting offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1994, intended for prohibiting carriage by unlicensed drivers. Is it right that licensed and checked PHV drivers caught touting face the same criminal sanctions as unlicensed individuals accused of the same offence?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Touting, as an offence, can be carried out by both licensed and unlicensed drivers. This is an unsafe practice which invalidates any vehicle insurance that has been acquired. I believe it is right and proper that those drivers that do tout face criminal convictions given the considerable public safety implications it presents.
Plying for hire (3) Question No: 2017/3946 Caroline Russell The Law Commission's 2014 report, Taxi and Private Hire Services, called for ''a statutory definition of pre-booking in order to create a clear distinction between the work of a taxi in its licensing area and the work of a private hire vehicle.'' Are you doing any work to help establish this definition?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I am firmly of the view that a statutory definition of plying for hire and pre-booked services is needed to remove ambiguity and clearly define the difference between taxi and private hire services.
My Deputy Mayor for Transport, Valerie Shawcross, TfL and I are lobbying Government to seek a statutory definition to ensure a two-tier system.
Page 63 Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (1) Question No: 2017/3947 Caroline Russell How many Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) registered vehicles have been involved in collisions resulting in fatal or serious injuries in London? Please provide this information by year and accreditation level since 2012.
The Mayor
The number of Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) registered and accredited companies at Bronze, Silver and Gold level, that have been involved in collisions resulting in fatal or serious injuries in London are as follows:
Registered Bronze Silver Gold
2012 0 2 0 0
2013 0 9 0 1
2014 0 3 1 3
2015 0 6 1 2
2016 0 6 0 2
2017 1 5 0 4
Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (2) Question No: 2017/3948 Caroline Russell On the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) website, more than 500 (6 per cent) of operators are listed as 'registered'. This is not a formal level of accreditation such as Bronze, Silver or Gold. What is the purpose of this level?
The Mayor
Some organisations who ask for Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) as a contractual requirement request operators who are not accredited to show they are in the process of gaining accreditation. Clauses such as 'registering with FORS within 30 days of awarding of contract'; 'achieve FORS Bronze accreditation within 90 days;' and 'Silver accreditation within a year' are commonly used in procurement processes. FORS display these 'registered' companies so a company can check that an operator has registered with the scheme as part of their procurement service.
FORS operators that register but do not become FORS accredited within 90 days are automatically removed from the scheme.
Page 64 Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (3) Question No: 2017/3949 Caroline Russell Could you confirm the current number of operators at each Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) accreditation level and the expected time for a newly registered operator to be listed as registered before they receive accreditation? Are operators removed from the register if they do not become accredited within a certain time?
The Mayor
As of 3 October 2017, the number of Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) accredited operators is 3,644 Bronze, 839 Silver and 222 Gold.
FORS operators that register but do not go on to become FORS accredited within 90 days are automatically removed from the scheme.
Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (4) Question No: 2017/3950 Caroline Russell Are companies registered with the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS), but which have not attained a formal level of accreditation, permitted to display Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) signage on their vehicles?
The Mayor
A registered operator is not permitted to use the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) logo. Only fully accredited operators are entitled to display the logo on their vehicles, associated company marketing material or website.
As the FORS logo is trademarked, any operator that displays a FORS logo while not entitled to do so will be contacted by FORS to request it is removed. FORS clearly set how it will deal with those displaying the FORS logos whilst not properly accredited, including taking legal action against an operator.
Page 65 Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (5) Question No: 2017/3951 Caroline Russell How many companies have been removed from the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) after enforcement action by the London Freight Enforcement Partnership?
The Mayor
Since January 2015, when the FORS Community Partnership took over management of Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, six companies have had their membership terminated and 13 companies have had their membership suspended.
Information leading to these suspensions and terminations comes from a combination of sources including the London Freight Enforcement Partnership, TfL , the Met Police, TfL's Work Related Road Risk (WRRR) enforcement team and information published by the Traffic Commissioners and the Department for Transport.
Consistent approach to new on-demand services Question No: 2017/3952 Caroline Russell What are you doing to ensure that London boroughs are taking a consistent approach to new on-demand services, such as dockless bike hire and one-way car sharing?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I am supportive of new and emerging services that are managed responsibly and support the goals of my draft Transport Strategy, including the Healthy Streets Approach. Within that framework, it is right that boroughs make decisions that are right for their communities and circumstances. It is essential to maintain dialogue with all relevant authorities to collectively establish a best practice approach for new services which complement the existing public transport services in London.
TfL continues to work collaboratively with London Councils and the London boroughs to ensure they are engaging effectively on new on-demand services.
For example, in collaboration with boroughs, TfL has developed a code of practice for dockless bike share operators which sets out the standards expected across London. The code of practice is published on TfL's website, and is available here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/dockless-bike-share-code-of-practice-september-2017.pdf. TfL also facilitates monthly workshops to discuss key issues and share experiences.
In addition, TfL hosts annual technical events for borough officers to encourage them to consider car clubs within their transport environments; these events have included information on one-way car sharing.
Page 66 Cycle hire availability (1) Question No: 2017/3953 Caroline Russell How much has Transport for London (TfL) spent on replenishing cycle hire docking points in central London? Please provide a breakdown by month since May 2016.
The Mayor
The following table shows the costs to TfL (broken down by financial period) for all service operating costs relating to Cycle Hire since May 2016. The consolidated price from the contractor, which includes all on-street operating costs such as bike re-distribution, maintenance and cleaning as well as fixed back office charges directly relating to the service contract such as IT, does not allow us to itemise specifically the replenishing costs.
Cycle hire availability (2) Question No: 2017/3954 Caroline Russell Since May 2016, for how many minutes each month has each central London cycle hire docking station had no bikes available to hire? Please provide this information in an excel table format, including the location of each docking station.
The Mayor
Last year was the best year yet for Santander Cycles with 10.5 million hires.
Transport for London make great efforts to ensure there is a good supply of bikes and available space at docking stations. In 2016/17, docking stations had at least one bike 93 per cent of the time. During the summer months the number of hires increases, which leads to a slight increase in when docking stations are either full or empty.
Please refer to the attached table in Appendix 3954 for a full breakdown of how long docking stations were empty.
Page 67 Security barriers on London bridges and public places Question No: 2017/3955 Caroline Russell Security barriers have been installed on London bridges and in public places to prevent vehicles from accessing pedestrian areas. Are the risks to people cycling evaluated by Transport for London (TfL) before installation?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL continues to work closely with the MPS, London boroughs and other key stakeholders to review and improve the provision of security barrier on London bridges and public places.
The decision to implement these barriers at certain locations is ultimately made by the MPS.
Healthy Streets Check tool Question No: 2017/3956 Caroline Russell In answer to my question 2016/3643 you said the "Healthy Streets Check tool is due to be finalised in spring 2017." When will this be published?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
Following the publication of my draft Transport Strategy, a range of activity is underway to help embed the Healthy Streets approach in TfL and borough scheme delivery. This includes continuing development of guidance, and a check tool and training which is being rolled out over the coming months.
Page 68 West Norwood section of quietway 7 Question No: 2017/3957 Caroline Russell I had a meeting with school children from Bessemer Grange Primary School about the delay in building the West Norwood section of quietway 7. Will you, or your Walking and Cycling Commissioner, mediate between the borough, Transport for London (TfL) and people opposed to the quietway, so the children don't face further delays to their safe walking and cycling route to school?
The Mayor
My Walking and Cycling Commissioner and TfL had a positive meeting with Cllr Brathwaite, Cabinet Member for the London Borough (LB) of Lambeth, on 22 September.
Following this meeting, Cllr Brathwaite confirmed support for design proposals on Quietway 7 in the West Norwood area. These will soon be published on the LB Lambeth website for public comment. LB Lambeth will then need to grant final scheme approval later this year for construction to begin in 2018. We will continue to work with TfL and LB Lambeth to avoid further delays.
Community energy support Question No: 2017/3958 Caroline Russell At the London Assembly Environment Committee meeting on 13 September 2017, your deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy referred to a new scheme setting up a fund and support for community energy groups. What specific services will this scheme offer to community groups and when will it be available?
The Mayor
I launched my London Community Energy Fund earlier this month as part of a £400,000 programme to support solar and local energy projects. Phase one of the fund offers grants of up to £15,000 that can be used to support the development stages of community solar projects. Funding could be used, for example, to carry out preliminary viability studies for solar energy or to develop a financial business case. This will help community energy groups take projects to the stage where they are ready for investment.
We are also undertaking work to map opportunities for community solar projects across London and developing a new online tool. Details of the London Community Energy Fund can be found here: www.london.gov.uk/community-energy-fund.
Page 69 Decentralised Energy Enabling Project Question No: 2017/3959 Caroline Russell To date, how many community energy groups has your Decentralised Energy Enabling Project (DEEP) provided support to? Please supply details of the community groups who have been helped.
The Mayor
The aim of my Decentralised Energy Enabling Project is to support larger-scale decentralised energy projects that the private sector is failing to develop and deliver because of the development risk and complexity. In contrast, community energy projects tend to be smaller, typically based on PV installations whose project structures are more straight forward. DEEP currently has a pipeline of over 20 projects and has commissioned its first two support services. None of the current pipeline are community energy projects.
My response to MQ 3958 sets out the funding and support I will be providing for community energy groups. For larger community energy projects, including aggregated projects, my DEEP team will be involved to share its experience and know-how to help ensure such projects are delivered.
Page 70 Energy for Londoners - fully licensed energy supply company Question No: 2017/3960 Caroline Russell The Energy for Londoners feasibility study, published September 2017 says "The main advantage of fully licensed supply over the other two options is that EfL would have complete independence, able to capture the full value of customer energy spend for regional reinvestment, set tariffs contracts and product terms, install smart meters, and purchase power from local generation. It offers the greatest scope for creating local skilled jobs, and as the traditional route to market for an entrant, it is also the most proven path with the greatest level of support and experience from consultants and service providers.
For this reason, fully licensed supply offers EfL greater flexibility and greater revenue compared to White Label Plus."
Given the clear benefits of a fully licensed energy supply company, will you reconsider your preference for a White Label option in your draft Environment Strategy?
The Mayor
The independent feasibility study evaluation of routes to market (page 16, table 1.4) shows that my desired environmental and fuel poverty outcomes for Energy for Londoners can be delivered equally effectively under both a white label plus and a fully licensed route.
However, a fully licensed supply route would not deliver my goals as quickly and would take at least 9-15 months longer than a white label plus to set up. Discussions with stakeholders have supported these conclusions.
With more than 335,000 London households living in fuel poverty, we cannot delay action. A quicker way of delivering fairer energy bills for Londoners is to tender for the delivery of an energy supply company by partnering with an existing supplier that shares our aims. Partnering with an existing supplier would also expose the GLA to significantly less risk, both financial and regulatory, at a time when the market is changing rapidly.
I do not however rule out the option of transitioning to a fully licensed supply company in the future.
Page 71 Bridges to Fish Island in Hackney Wick - traffic modelling review (1) Question No: 2017/3961 Caroline Russell One of my supplementary questions to 2017/3583 was "will you change your mind?" referring to the proposed demolition at Vittoria Wharf and new road and pedestrian bridges. In response, you said "I have also asked TfL to work with LLDC to review the traffic modelling options operating the bridges in light of my draft transport strategy." What are the terms of reference of this review and the expected completion date?
The Mayor
The traffic modelling for the approved bridges was updated and submitted last December as part of the Reserved Matters submission for the H14 bridge. This modelling had previously been thoroughly scrutinised by TfL, the Host Boroughs, and the Olympic Delivery Authority (as the then Local Planning Authority) and deemed appropriate and acceptable. The updated results were then shared again last December with TfL and LLDC's Planning Policy and Decisions Team as part of the determination process. The reserved matters applications were overwhelmingly supported by the Corporation's planning decisions committee members in a local vote that followed due democratic and procedural process.
In the future, the local authority, Tower Hamlets, may adopt the bridge subject to highway and planning processes and can then decide on its future operation. However, I have asked both TfL and LLDC to work together to analyse modelling in relation to the bridge and its operation, in light of my new draft Transport Strategy. Results from the modelling work will be available within a month.
Bridges to Fish Island in Hackney Wick - traffic modelling review (2) Question No: 2017/3962 Caroline Russell Will you suspend all works, including the demolition of part of Vittoria Wharf until Transport for London (TfL) has completed its traffic modelling review?
The Mayor
Results from TfL's analysis of the traffic modelling are due within a month. The construction work on the new bridges is not due to start immediately which will give time to consider the findings.
Page 72 Bridges to Fish Island and Vittoria Wharf - threshold for review of decision Question No: 2017/3963 Caroline Russell In answer to my supplementary question 2017/3583, you said "I cannot overturn the Planning Committee's findings unless I have a very good reason. The threshold is very high and the evidence I have seen… means that the threshold has not been met." What are the specific criteria to meet this threshold?
The Mayor
The threshold is whether due process has been followed. As I have said before, I have looked at the processes and the decisions of the Planning Decisions Committee. I have spoken to my Deputy Mayor who has also met with objectors. I am satisfied that procedurally the correct planning process has been followed from consultation to clear decision-making where the reserved matters applications for both bridges were overwhelming approved by Planning Decisions Committee members.
Page 73 Vittoria Wharf - affordable workspace Question No: 2017/3964 Caroline Russell Vittoria Wharf was one of the first buildings in the UK to be listed as an Asset of Community Value and is widely recognised as a strategic hub for providing affordable workspace for creative and artistic industries in Hackney Wick. How is the part-demolition of Vittoria Wharf, to provide a pedestrian bridge, consistent with your manifesto promise of "providing dedicated small workspace with live-in space so that creative industries, artists and the fashion industry are given extra support to flourish"?
The Mayor
The part of Vittoria Wharf being demolished was acquired by a CPO so that it could make way for a new bridge. Since ownership passed to LLDC it has only been a temporary, low cost space used for short-term lets as the intention was always to demolish. The tenants - which included a range of companies including those in the food supply industry as well as artists - were always aware of the nature and duration of tenure and the future plans for the building when they signed their leases. It was not, and has never been, a formal live/work space as it is wholly unsuitable for such use and was never let on those terms.
LLDC worked closely with the tenants to support them in acquiring alternative workspace including giving two months' notice, offering 1-to-1 support and highlighting alternative workspace in the local area. I have been clear that developers and planners must do all they can to protect artists' workspace, which is integral to the character of Hackney Wick, and I have been assured that LLDC is working to ensure the amount of creative workspace will remain the same in the area. This includes the commitment in the Hackney Wick Masterplan to protect and re-provide 8,439 sqm of low-cost workspace, including artists' studios.
As I have said before, the bridges are a key part of a wider strategy for Hackney Wick and Fish Island that includes thousands of new homes, a major refurbishment of Hackney Wick Station and employment space which includes 73,340 sqm of workspace of which 21% (15,622 sqm) will be low cost / affordable workspace and artists' studios.
Page 74 Sweetwater development - H14 and H16 bridges Question No: 2017/3965 Caroline Russell Will you make public all the documentation showing why the H14 and H16 bridges are needed for the Sweetwater development? If there is a contractual financial arrangement, this should be made clear.
The Mayor
This information is already in the public domain. It was made available as part of the outline planning permission granted in 2012 (http://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/our- story/transforming-east-london/legacy-communities-scheme) and in the Reserved Matters Application submitted in October 2016 and approved in March 2017 (https://www.london.gov.uk/moderngovlldc/documents/g6051/Public%20reports%20pack% 20Tuesday%2028-Mar-2017%2018.00%20Planning%20Decisions%20Committee.pdf?T=10).
The bridges are a condition of the Legacy Communities Scheme planning permission. The bridges area also identified in the Corporation's up to date Local Plan as being required to support the amount of sustainable growth identified in Hackney Wick
Delivery schedule for affordable housing starts (2) Question No: 2017/3966 Sian Berry Thank you for your response to my question 2017/3609. Could you provide a further version of table 2 from the appendix to your draft Housing Strategy, with the delivery schedule split into annual estimates of starts for a) social rent/London Affordable Rent homes, b) London Living Rent homes, c) affordable rent homes under the definition set by the Government, and d) affordable shared ownership?
The Mayor
The table you refer to sets out expected ranges of delivery. It is not possible to split the table as you suggest since schemes within the overall profile will vary over time.
Affordable homes approved at planning (3) Question No: 2017/3967 Sian Berry Thank you for your response to my question 2017/3610. Could you provide a further table with the homes approved through planning applications referred to you split into a) social rent/London Affordable Rent homes, b) London Living Rent homes, c) affordable rent homes under the definition set by the Government, and d) affordable shared ownership?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 75 Affordable homes approved at planning (4) Question No: 2017/3968 Sian Berry Thank you for your response to my question 2017/3611. Will the total number of affordable units reported through the London Development Database be split into a) social rent/London Affordable Rent homes, b) London Living Rent homes, c) affordable rent homes under the definition set by the Government, and d) affordable shared ownership?
The Mayor
The LDD allows the following tenures to be recorded:
Market
Intermediate
Social Rented
Affordable Rent
Starter Home
London Affordable Rent
London Living Rent
Discount Market Rent
It will be possible to report on all of these tenure definitions. The tenure recorded in LDD is taken from the s106 agreement.
Opposing the Right to Rent policy Question No: 2017/3969 Sian Berry I was encouraged to read in policy 6.1 A(iii) of your draft Housing Strategy that you will be "opposing the discriminatory Right to Rent policy." Could you provide details about how you will be urging the Government to scrap this initiative and which campaign groups you are working with?
The Mayor
My officers have attended the joint Home Office/DCLG Right to Rent Sounding Board meetings and have joined other key representatives of renters and landlords, including Shelter and the National Landlords Association, in opposing this policy via this forum. I will continue to engage with the government on this vital issue.
Page 76 Social and environmental impacts of demolition Question No: 2017/3970 Sian Berry Your draft Housing Strategy doesn't currently make any mention of the social and environmental impacts of the demolition of existing homes as part of development. I wrote to your Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development about the importance of considering these impacts in August 2016. Are your officers preparing any analysis of these issues in preparation for new policies within your draft London Plan?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
Yes.
Tenancy deposit loans for workers in London Question No: 2017/3971 Sian Berry Following my previous questions on this issue, I was delighted to see that policy 6.2 b(ii) in your draft Housing Strategy commits you to further work with employers to widen access to tenancy deposit loan schemes. In response to my question 2017/0497 in February 2017 you said that you were "writing to a number of employers in London, urging them to implement tenancy deposit loans." Could you provide a list of employers who have responded positively to your suggestions, and a further list of those who you know have introduced these schemes as a result?
The Mayor
Following my letter to employers, there are now 27 offering tenancy deposit loans, having signed the London First employers' housing pledge. This means that at least 107,000 Londoners now have access to tenancy deposit loans. You can see who has signed the pledge at: http://www.fiftythousandhomes.london/pledge.
Page 77 Community-led housing policies Question No: 2017/3972 Sian Berry Currently, only policy 5.3 (Community support for homebuilding) gives support to community- led housing in your draft Housing Strategy. There is no mention of this model of providing genuinely affordable homes in policies 3.3 (Diversifying the homebuilding industry), 4.1 (Genuinely affordable homes) or 4.2 (Increasing delivery of affordable homes). Why is there no mention of community led housing in the other policies and will this be corrected in your final Housing Strategy?
The Mayor
My strong support for community-led housing set out in detail in policy 5.3 runs throughout the strategy. It is clearly referred to in supporting text for policies 3.3, 4.1 and 4.2 that you mention. For example:
box 3 cites community-led housing in relation to my Small Sites, Small Builders initiative
paragraph 4.11 identifies community-led organisations as one of a range of types of organisations to deliver genuinely affordable homes
paragraph 4.27 sets out my intention to support community-led groups in building affordable homes to buy
box 6 refers to the role of community groups in building new affordable homes more widely.
Preventing higher rents for replacement homes Question No: 2017/3973 Sian Berry Thank you for your answer to my question 2017/2209, where you confirm you will refuse to authorise any further conversions of social rented homes to higher rents. Does your new policy include preventing these higher rents being charged to social rent tenants when they move into replacement homes provided after demolition and rebuilding of their estates?
The Mayor
My approach to conversions applies to existing stock when it is re-let. My policy for replacement homes after estate regeneration is set out in my draft good practice guide which says tenants should be offered a full right to return to a property of a suitable site, at the same or similar level of rent.
Page 78 Community-led housing question Question No: 2017/3974 Sian Berry I was pleased to hear you confirm at Mayor's Question Time on 14 September 2017 (in response to questions on your oral report) that your £250 million land fund would be used to support community-led housing. How will community-led housing groups and organisations be able to access this fund?
The Mayor
The fund will be used flexibly to get sites ready to deliver new and affordable homes as fast as possible. This may include supporting community led housing groups to overcome barriers to development such as land assembly.
Helicopter image retention policy Question No: 2017/3975 Sian Berry What is the Metropolitan Police Service policy on the retention period for footage and images recorded by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter cameras in London? If there are different retention periods for the different types of cameras used, please provide these details.
The Mayor
The MPS retains all images recorded by the NPAS for a maximum 31 days unless there is a legitimate rationale for keeping either as evidence, in which case it is retained in line with the relevant Management of Police Information classification, or if it is required for complaints / discipline, or as the result of a request under the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act.
Drones data retention Question No: 2017/3976 Sian Berry A Metropolitan Police Service press release on 11 September 2017 announced the trial use of drones in more policing situations. What will be the retention period for footage and images recorded by the drones during this trial period?
The Mayor
The MPS retains all images recorded for a maximum 31 days unless there is a legitimate rationale for keeping; either as evidence, in which case it is retained in line with the relevant MoPI classification, or if it is required for complaints / discipline, or as the result of a request under the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act.
Page 79 Transport for London ANPR data retention by the police Question No: 2017/3977 Sian Berry What is the retention period for data received by the Metropolitan Police Service from the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera network owned by Transport for London's (TfL) for a) footage or images, and b) data obtained from these images that identify number plates or vehicles?
The Mayor
The retention period is currently 24 months in line with National Policy.
National Policy is currently under review with a proposal to reduce the retention period to 12 months to be presented to National Police Chief's Council (NPCC) on 18 October 2017.
Transport for London new camera network Question No: 2017/3978 Sian Berry I understand that Transport for London (TfL) will be replacing its Congestion Charging Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera network in 2020/21. What new capabilities are you specifying for this new camera network?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The ANPR camera network will be replaced in 2020/21 subject to the necessary approval process. This planned work will replace the existing cameras, some of which will be over 12 years old, with high definition cameras improving the quality of the image captured and meaning fewer cameras are required on the street.
There are currently no new capabilities specified for this programme of work, however TfL is continuously reviewing this and will consider advances in technology that could be incorporated to reduce ongoing operational cost and improve services.
Page 80 Body worn video footage retained beyond 31 days Question No: 2017/3979 Sian Berry What proportion of the Metropolitan Police Service's body worn video (BWV) footage recorded so far has been flagged for retention beyond 31 days?
The Mayor
Since the MPS commenced roll out in October 2016, it has uploaded a total of 1,171,958 BWV clips to its back end management system.
Film not categorised as evidence is auto-deleted within 31 days. Retained footage is subject to regular review (in line with guidance from the Information Commissioner). Footage will be kept as evidence, for disclosure, or for other legitimate policing purpose as defined in Management of Police Information. Footage will not be kept for intelligence.
As of 5th October, 750,803 clips have auto-deleted, leaving 420,155 active clips on the system, approx. 36% retained after 31 days.
The % figure has remained relatively stable over the last 12 months.
Metropolitan Police Service biometric technology funding Question No: 2017/3980 Sian Berry Has the Metropolitan Police Service been given funding by the Home Office to develop biometric technology?
The Mayor
The MPS has not been given specific grant funding to develop biometric technology (fingerprints, DNA and face). However, the MPS does access the national fingerprint and DNA databases that are funded by the Home Office and are a critical tool in crime investigation.
Page 81 Hit and run casualties 2016 Question No: 2017/3981 Sian Berry Could you report the number of casualties relating to hit and runs in London in 2016, with a breakdown by a) road user mode, b) severity type, c) borough, and d) whether there was a prosecution? Please present this information in table format.
The Mayor
The capability to report this level of information was enabled when the MPS implemented the Case Overview and Preparation Application (COPA) for traffic collision reporting, processing and prosecution. The system was introduced in November 2016, so the data are only available from this date.
The attached table shows the number of casualties reported during November and December 2016, where the driver initially failed to stop at the scene of the incident.
Unfortunately, due to technical challenges in developing the full functionality for management information reporting, the MPS is presently not in a position to report the number of prosecutions resulting from these fail to stop collisions. The MPS is working to address this and it is estimated that this functionality will be available from November 2017.
MPS and DSEI arms fair (2) Question No: 2017/3982 Sian Berry Thank you for your response to my question 2016/3092. What was the total number of Metropolitan Police Officers that policed the 2015 Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair?
The Mayor
Total police officers employed at the DSEI arms fair 2015 was 2029.
Page 82 MPS and DSEI arms fair 2017 Question No: 2017/3983 Sian Berry What was the cost of policing the 2017 Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair? Could you break this down by a) police officer shifts, b) police staff shifts, c) number of police officers, d) opportunity costs, e) overtime costs, f) non-pay costs, and g) costs recovered from event organisers.
The Mayor
The MPS policing operation for DSEI covered a 12 day period. The total direct cost is £20,073 plus overtime costs - see below. The opportunity cost was £823,750.
The costs can be broken down as follows: a) police officer shifts - 2,841 b) police staff shifts - nil c) number of police officers - information not available d) opportunity cost - £823,750. e) Overtime costs - not yet known f) Non pay costs (snacks) £3,213.16 and costs of vehicles, £16,860 (excluding fuel) g) The MPS can only recover costs for policing provided inside the event footprint. The organisers provided private security for this and police activity was outside of the footprint. The MPS are therefore unable to claim money back from the organisers.
Advice to Londoners about knife crime Question No: 2017/3984 Sian Berry I was encouraged to read in your knife crime strategy, published in June 2017, that you will be providing reassurance and advice to young people and parents "on what they can do if they have concerns about an individual's involvement or risk of involvement in knife crime." How do you intend to do this, and when will you release more information about this to Londoners?
The Mayor
To support the anti-knife crime campaign, an online facility will be developed to host further information, reassurance and advice to young people, parents and communities.
This will include signposting to organisations and charities which work with young people and families who have been affected by knife crime.
We will release more information later this year.
Page 83 Knife crime incident toolkit Question No: 2017/3985 Sian Berry I was encouraged to read in your knife crime strategy, published in June 2017, that you will "produce a toolkit with information and advice on what to do in the aftermath of a knife crime, aimed to help front line workers such as teachers and doctors, faith groups and community groups to recognise the signs of trauma in family members and friends affected by a knife crime and to take the appropriate steps to support them." When will this toolkit be made available to Londoners?
The Mayor
It is envisaged that this toolkit will be available in 2018. Work will commence early next year to consult with communities and community groups as to what this toolkit should look like and the required content.
Moped theft - secure places to park Question No: 2017/3986 Sian Berry Tackling moped theft is important in reducing the number of crimes taking place on mopeds. Will you be supporting local councils to provide more secure parking spaces for motorbikes and mopeds on London's streets?
The Mayor
I certainly encourage local councils to provide secure parking spaces for motorcycles and mopeds across London. Preventing the initial theft of these vehicles is key to tackling moped based criminality at its root.
My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime recently convened a meeting of local authority representatives as well as the Met, City of London Police, TfL, Secure by Design and the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Community to discuss this very issue.
The meeting highlighted good practice across London and marked a key step towards ensuring a co-ordinated approach between partners to tackle this crime.
Page 84 Police on bikes (1) Question No: 2017/3987 Sian Berry In my response to your Police and Crime Plan, published in March 2017, I suggested that your focus on local policing and visibility could be better supported if more police officers, particularly dedicated ward officers, were able to use bikes for travel around their area. Do you have any plans to increase the number of police able to use bicycles?
The Mayor
I agree that visibility of police in local areas is key to preventing and reducing crime. Particularly, it is important to have officers on foot or on bicycles who are available and approachable to local residents.
As part of the MPS Neighbourhood Policing model, Dedicated Ward Officers (DWOs) are expected to patrol their ward on foot or bicycle. However in terms of specifics around cycle numbers, it is a local decision for each borough to determine how many cycle-trained officers are required in order to meet local needs.
Police on bikes (2) Question No: 2017/3988 Sian Berry What has been the cycling capacity within the Metropolitan Police Service in each of the years 2014-2017? Could you provide this in a table format, broken down by a) total number of bikes available and, b) number of cycle trained officers.
The Mayor a) The total number of bikes provided under the Babcock contract (SS3/08/309) which are live on the fleet register is 1988 (of which 432 were added during 2014 to 2017). Table 1 provides a full list of current assets (available for use) from the asset list since 2014. During 2017 the Met have added a further 9 bikes with 4 on order.
Year of bike added to Number of new Bikes on current asset Cumulative Total on Fleet list fleet 2014 228 1784 2015 103 1887 2016 92 1979 2017 9 1988 Grand Total 1988 b) The MPS devolves responsibility for pedal cycles and the training of officers to local Boroughs. Basic Cycle Familiarisation Training is delivered by local instructors in line with standard guidance. Emphasis is placed on the positive effects of high visibility bicycle patrols and adoption is left for local leaders to determine. Therefore, records of completion are retained at borough level.
Page 85 Diversity and direct entry detectives Question No: 2017/3989 Sian Berry I note that the Metropolitan Police Service direct entry detective recruitment campaign in July received 2,900 applications and that 33 per cent of applicants were BAME and 51 per cent were female. Please provide a breakdown of successful applicants by a) gender, and b) ethnicity, including the total number of successful applicants and the number in each group.
The Mayor
The selection process for direct entry detectives has not yet finished. Applicants are at various stages in the recruitment process, but the Met expects the first cohort to join in January 2018.
There are currently 1,721 candidates within the recruitment pipeline, of which 907 (53%) are female and 507 (29%) from a Black, Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) background.
MOPAC will continue to monitor the diversity of candidates throughout the recruitment process.
Homeless ex-offenders (1) Question No: 2017/3990 Sian Berry Do you share the concerns expressed by the Independent Monitoring Board for Thameside prison that ex-offenders are becoming homeless and reoffending due to the lack of "good hostel accommodation" in London?
The Mayor
There are many good hostels in London, but the reduction in approved premises to help ex- offenders back into the community has had an impact.
However, access to good accommodation is only part of the solution. We also need to provide good rehabilitation services in prison and the community.
Homeless ex-offenders (2) Question No: 2017/3991 Sian Berry According to your Police and Crime Plan, published in March 2017, 24 per cent of all offenders reoffend within a year of ending their sentence. To what extent do you think insecure housing is a contributing factor to this problem?
The Mayor
There is little doubt that insecure housing can be a contributing factor. However, we also need to do far more in the criminal justice system to rehabilitate and drive down reoffending.
Page 86 Help to prevent fraud - small and medium enterprises Question No: 2017/3992 Sian Berry City of London Police estimate that 80 per cent of fraud and cybercrimes can be stopped by a better understanding of how to be aware of and protect against potential cyberattacks. What are MOPAC and the Metropolitan Police Service doing to support London's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and educate them about the steps they can take to help protect themselves from fraud and cybercrime?
The Mayor
The MPS and City of London Police work in conjunction with the MOPAC-funded London Digital Security Centre to go into communities to raise awareness of the fraud and cyber- security threat faced by SMEs.
They provide, amongst other products, free bespoke security assessments, which identify vulnerabilities and provide cost-effective mitigation steps. So far, they have conducted security assessments for over 400 SMEs in London. The LDSC also has a comprehensive SME- engagement strategy, including engaging with more than 1,000 businesses through industry events, and have recently created and launched an application that hosts digital security training programmes and videos.
The MPS have also produced and circulated the Little Book of Big Scams and the Little Book of Cyber Scams (both linked below), which are delivered to SMEs by frontline staff to empower them to identify fraud and cyber- security threats, and consciously avoid becoming victims. These are supplemented by animation campaigns, found on the MPS website. https://www.met.police.uk/globalassets/downloads/fraud/the-little-book-of-big-scams- business-edition.pdf https://www.met.police.uk/globalassets/downloads/fraud/little-book-of-cyberscams.pdf
Page 87 Diversity in Schools Question No: 2017/3993 Jennette Arnold In the response I received to question no. 2017/3210 you said that you would be announcing further details of your plans to help with teacher retention and recruitment this autumn. Is it possible to get an update on this?
The Mayor
Attracting, nurturing and keeping great teachers is vital in ensuring the continued high performance of London schools and strong pupil outcomes. The teacher shortage is UK-wide, but recruitment and retention are particular challenges in London. London Challenge did help to address this but it has become a real problem for our schools once again.
I continue to speak out to make sure the government addresses this acute workforce crisis that disproportionately affects the capital. I am working to help the London Teaching Schools Council and London schools on specific areas. These include Londonwide research and analysis, a mapping tool to help potential teachers find the right trainee place in London and a web resource to highlight the great benefits of training and developing a teaching career in a London school. This is to inspire new and experienced teachers alike, and draw more of London's diverse communities into the teaching workforce.
Discounted or Free Travel for Carers Question No: 2017/3994 Jennette Arnold Many of my constituents with disabilities can only travel due to the help of their carers. Will anything be changing in TfL's fare policies to enable carers to travel for free or for a reduced price?
The Mayor
My decision to freeze all TfL fares for four years will make travel more affordable for all Londoners. I am maintaining all TfL's travel concessions, including the 60 plus free travel scheme and all the travel concessions for young people. I currently have no plans to introduce additional free travel concessions.
The Freedom Pass for older people and people with disabilities is provided by the London boroughs. The cost of the scheme in 2016/17 was approximately £356 million, the majority of which is funded by London boroughs. Due to the already large size and cost of the scheme London boroughs do not plan to extend this scheme.
Page 88 Affordable Rent Question No: 2017/3998 Tom Copley You have rightly said that so-called Affordable Rent homes let out at up to 80% of market rents in London are unaffordable. Why does your Housing Strategy include a section on Affordable Rent?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I do not consider 80 per cent of market rents to be genuinely affordable in most parts of London. That is why, through my Affordable Homes Programme, I am supporting delivery of London Affordable Rent homes with benchmark rents based on social rent levels.
Loss of Social Rented Homes Question No: 2017/3999 Tom Copley You have rightly pledged that there must be no net loss of social rented homes on estate regeneration schemes. Does this pledge include council homes rented out on temporary licenses, or just those rented on secure tenancies?
The Mayor
The intention of the policy is to ensure that homes at social rent levels are replaced. If a social rented home is rented out on a temporary basis in light of expected demolition then it should be replaced as a social rented home. Private homes purchased by a landlord to facilitate regeneration, and then rented out temporarily, do not count as social rented homes supplementary planning guidance on the design of new homes Question No: 2017/4000 Tom Copley Will you consider bringing forward supplementary planning guidance on the design of new homes?
The Mayor
Yes, with the help of my Design Advocates I will be developing Supplementary Planning Guidance that will support my new London Plan to deliver high quality housing at different densities through a range of housing typologies.
Page 89 Social Housing Green Paper Question No: 2017/4002 Tom Copley Does the Mayor welcome DCLG's signal it will bring forward the publication of the Green Paper on social housing and what representations will the Mayor make to the government, including and beyond the campaigning outlined in your Draft Housing Strategy?
The Mayor
I welcome Government's commitment to consult widely on the accountable and effective management of social housing and its purpose.
I have not yet received any detail on the scope and timeframe of the Green Paper, but Government officials have indicated that they are keen to work closely with the GLA on this exercise. I fully intend to engage with Government on behalf of Londoners who live in social housing and of Londoners who need it.
Page 90 Metropolitan Police Use of Victim's Survey Question No: 2017/4003 Unmesh Desai Following the decision of the Home Office to end mandatory victim satisfaction surveys, is this something that the Metropolitan Police Service will continue to do so that the satisfaction and treatment of victims remains central to policing?
The Mayor
There are no plans to end the use of the User Satisfaction Survey in London and the content remains unchanged since the end of the mandate from the Home Office.
MOPAC finances, conducts and routinely reports on this core survey to the Met and partner agencies to ensure that victims remain central to policing in the capital.
Key questions from the survey form part of the performance framework for the police and crime plan, with victims satisfaction monitored in regards to the following key areas:
Overall satisfaction with service
Satisfaction with Police Actions
Satisfaction with Police Follow Up post victimisation
Satisfaction with how Police treated the victim
The results of the survey are published as part of the new MOPAC Public Voice Dashboard which incorporates User Satisfaction Survey information alongside Public Attitude Survey results. The latest results, to June 2017, are available here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/data- and-statistics/public-voice-dashboard.
The survey also routinely informs wider MOPAC and Met work - such as the recent example of the September 2017 Justice Matters session that explored victims. https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/justice_matters_-_12_september_2017_- _presentation.pdf
Page 91 Child Sexual Abuse Question No: 2017/4004 Unmesh Desai Following the comments of chief constable Simon Bailey, the national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs' Council, that the police are going to have to consider working with so called 'paedophile hunters', what is the Metropolitan Police Service's policy on working with these vigilantes?
The Mayor
The Met has a specialist command (SCO40) that leads on proactively investigating Online Child Sexual Abuse.
The MPS is currently developing intelligence of child sexual exploitation and abuse vigilante activity in London. The MPS is engaged with the College of Policing, national police lead Chief Constable Simon Bailey and other stakeholders around developing national guidelines for all police forces, which will be adapted where required for MPS police officers and staff.
There are significant risks associated with the activity of so called `paedophile hunters and vigilantes', this can include little consideration for safeguarding vulnerable adults or children who may have contact with the suspect.
The MPS does not encourage such groups, but instead focuses on discouraging activity that is dangerous and which has the potential to undermine the nationally coordinated response of UK law enforcement agencies tackling online abuse
Page 92 Racist and Religiously Motivated Attacks on MPS officers Question No: 2017/4005 Unmesh Desai Racist and Religiously Motivated Attacks on MPS officers have increased by up by 56% in the last two years. What support is available to officers that are the victims of such an attack?
The Mayor
Police Officers and staff should not have to endure such behaviour. Both the Commissioner and I are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is currently working with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure that all perpetrators who abuse police officers and staff, either physically or verbally are held to account for their actions.
Officers and staff who are victims of any hate crime in the execution of their duty will be afforded the same enhanced and professional service as any other member of the public.
The allegation would be recorded and investigated by the Community Safety Unit. Staff would be offered support and advice by their line manager.
Additional support is available through Occupational Health and Wellbeing which offers a range of counselling and psychological support solutions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, real-time counselling and more specialist interventions if required.
There is also a counselling self-referral system and 24 hour psychological support through a duty and on-call counsellors contact service.
Armed Officer Base in Limehouse Question No: 2017/4006 Unmesh Desai What extra training capacity will the decision to set up a firearms base in Limehouse provide for the Metropolitan Police Service?
The Mayor
There is a need to increase training capacity for firearms officers.
At present, with regard to the new base at Limehouse, the police are speaking to architects and the design team about how training space within the building can be maximised. It is not yet possible to provide specific figures to the extra capacity that will be delivered.
Page 93 Hanging up of 999 calls Question No: 2017/4009 Andrew Dismore How many 999 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
The Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete. This may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal.
Where the caller's telephone number is passed by BT to the Met when connecting the 999 call, every effort is made to re-contact the caller if connection is lost. The monthly totals of incomplete calls are as follows:
Month Number of incomplete calls October 2016 5,626 November 2016 1,553 December 2016 2,269 January 2017 1,238 February 2017 1,618 March 2017 3,374 April 2017 1,960 May 2017 3,196 June 2017 7,908 July 2017 6,319 August 2017 3,460 September 2017 3,802
Page 94 Hanging up of 101 calls Question No: 2017/4010 Andrew Dismore How many 101 calls to the Met were not completed due to the caller hanging up in each of the last 12 months?
The Mayor
It is not possible to establish the reason for the call failing to complete; it may be due to the caller hanging up or the call dropping out from loss of signal. Additionally a recorded message provides alternative contact methods to callers.
Because there is no BT operator on the 101 service it is often not possible to obtain the caller's telephone number to enable call back. The monthly breakdown of incomplete call is as follows:
Month Number of incomplete calls October 2016 57,734 November 2016 34,116 December 2016 48,966 January 2017 24,025 February 2017 58,853 March 2017 84,428 April 2017 66,382 May 2017 92,730 June 2017 151,147 July 2017 102,644 August 2017 60,040 September 2017 78,008
Page 95 30th anniversary of the Kings Cross fire Question No: 2017/4011 Andrew Dismore Next month sees the 30th anniversary of the Kings Cross fire. What is being done to commemorate this tragic event which cost so many lives?
The Mayor
The 30th anniversary of the devastating King's Cross fire, where 31 people tragically lost their lives, is on 18 November 2017.
Transport for London will be commemorating this tragedy with the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the British Transport Police, Camden Council, The Metropolitan Police Service, the London Ambulance Service and NHS England.
The event will include wreath-laying at the Underground station and a multi-faith service at St. Pancras Church on Euston Road. Officials, survivors and families of those who died, as well as serving and retired LFB officers, will be in attendance.
Learning Disability Commissioner Question No: 2017/4012 Andrew Dismore Will you appoint a Learning Disability Commissioner for London, to speak out on issues that affect Londoners with learning difficulties, and champion their rights?
The Mayor
Issues that affect Londoners with learning disabilities - and appropriate actions to respond to those issues - will be identified within my forthcoming Diversity and Inclusion Strategy which is being led by Matthew Ryder, Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement. Londoners with learning disabilities have been involved in the development of the strategy. Engagement events were developed and run in partnership with organisations supporting learning disabled Londoners to ensure the views and pertinent experiences of people with learning disabilities can be reflected in all relevant areas of the GLA's work.
Although there are no plans to appoint a Learning Disability Commissioner for London, GLA Officers are developing work which responds to issues affecting Londoners with learning disabilities in the areas of transport, education, skills and access to employment.
Page 96 Ambulance Queuing at London's Hospitals Question No: 2017/4013 Andrew Dismore The queuing of ambulances outside many of London's A&E departments, is seriously affecting emergency services and potentially causing serious harm to patients. In July 2017 there were many breaches of the 30 minutes handover target from the arrival of ambulances at A&E to handover of patients to A&E clinical staff, including some of the worst:
June 26 2 hrs King's College Hospital
June 27 1 hour, 23mins University College Hospital
June 29 I hour, 32min Newham General Hospital
June 29 2 hrs, 10 mins Barts Hospital Cath Lab (Heart attack centre)
June 29 1 hr Charing Cross Hospital
July 6 3hrs, 10 mins Maudsley - Mental Health
July 12 1hr, 10 mins St Helier
July 15 1hr, 4 mins Hammersmith Cath Lab
July 18 2hrs,15 mins Royal Free Hospital
July 27 1 hr, 9 mins Barnet Maternity
Thousands of hours of ambulance time are being wasted due to queuing outside A&Es. What action can and will you take to try to get the Government and NHS to resolve this problem in our A and E departments, especially in advance of increasing Winter demands?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3454.
Page 97 CS11 and the Regent's Park Estate [1] Question No: 2017/4014 Andrew Dismore Can you confirm that TfL's modelling for CS11 takes into account the massively increased impact of HS2 traffic on Albany Street and if so what proposals are there to ensure that this will not result in traffic displacing into residential areas already heavily impacted by HS2 works, such as Regent's Park Estate?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 01/12/2017
I am aware of the level of concern among residents about the construction of HS2. HS2 Ltd will be expected to adhere with the roadworks permit conditions and approvals procedures that TfL has in place to manage complex works affecting London's roads. HS2 are also required to take account of existing schemes such as CS11.
When consulting on proposals for CS11 in February 2016, modelling outputs did not include the impact of HS2 construction because the information required from HS2 was not available. However, TfL will work to ensure that both sets of works are managed as effectively as possible to minimise disruption to all using the area, including residents on Albany Street.
Telephone Digital Investigation Unit (TDIU)
Page 98 CS11 and the Regent's Park Estate [2] Question No: 2017/4015 Andrew Dismore CS11 will displace 10,000 vehicles per day now using the east side of the Outer Circle and Park Square East. The consultation leaflet states that much of this traffic will divert east of the park, which means the A4201 Albany Street. If just half of this traffic is diverted onto Albany Street it would mean a 40% increase in traffic on this road. This year HS2 begins two years of roadworks on Albany Street; and next year they will also designate Albany Street and the Regent's Park Estate roads as diversion routes for long term road closures put in place around the area for the HS2 project. The Regent's Park Estate is on the east side of Albany Street and it is home to 6,000 people crammed into a quarter sq km. Much of the HS2 diverted traffic is likely to rat run through the estate. On top of all this HS2 will bring an average of 100 construction lorries through the estate every day for the next 5 years. Will you delay the implementation of those parts of CS11 in or around Regent's Park that will have the effect of contributing to this traffic chaos until this HS2 caused disruption is over?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The traffic modelling assessment of CS11 completed by TfL did not indicate that the proposals will displace 10,000 vehicles per day. However, TfL has already committed to delaying any closures of the Regent's Park gates until the construction of Swiss Cottage is largely complete and construction-related impacts have reduced.
I am aware of the level of concern among residents about the construction of HS2. HS2 Ltd will be expected to adhere with the roadworks permit conditions and approvals procedures that TfL has in place to manage complex works affecting London's roads. HS2 are also required to take account of existing schemes such as CS11. TfL's role is to make sure these works are managed as effectively as possible to minimise disruption.
Page 99 CS11 and the Regent's Park Estate [3] Question No: 2017/4016 Andrew Dismore Can the CS11 project be redesigned so as not to worsen traffic on and around the Regent's Park Estate through mitigation measures such as:
Signal Controlled Crossing with raised carriageway, by Chester Gate
Speed Camera.
20mph limit.
Coordination with other current development proposals, like HS2.
Alternative options for displaced traffic to prevent rat running through Regents Park Estate.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL carefully considered all the feedback received from the public consultation held last year. It has since been working on the proposals for Regent's Park with stakeholders before deciding the next steps for this section of the route.
HS2 [1] Question No: 2017/4017 Andrew Dismore Do you agree that, in order to minimise adverse effects on the future operations of London Zoo, and to reduce the risks to schoolchildren and other pedestrians in and around the route from the London Zoo car park via Albany Street and the Regent's Park Estate to the HS2 Euston site, every effort must be made to identify an alternative future location for the HS2 lorry holding area currently proposed at the London Zoo car park? Are you aware that the site of the Maria Fidelis school could potentially provide a much better location for the HS2 lorry holding area, and will you engage with the London Borough of Camden to explore further the viability of this option?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL and the GLA will continue to work with HS2 to reduce the impacts of construction on Londoners. TfL understands that HS2 is considering whether the Maria Fidelis School site could be used and would support this proposal if the associated traffic impacts on Hampstead Road are mitigated and the London Borough of Camden is content with this approach.
Page 100 HS2 [2] Question No: 2017/4018 Andrew Dismore Are you aware of the suggestion made by HS2, that people should keep their windows closed for the next 17 years against the toxic illegal air pollution that they themselves are creating, whilst they carry out their construction work, with HS2 offering to install ventilation, and pollution filters in homes, as a substitute for fresh air. What is your opinion of this proposal and what can you do about it?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I understand that HS2 did not make this suggestion, nor have they offered these specific measures. TfL and the GLA will continue to work with HS2 to reduce the impacts of construction on Londoners.
During the Hybrid Bill process, TfL and the GLA petitioned for more to be done to reduce construction impacts. Through this process, a commitment was secured from HS2 to remove a significant amount of spoil by rail rather than road, reducing the number of lorry movements and improving air quality. HS2 is currently developing proposals with Network Rail to deliver this commitment, these will be considered carefully by my officers to ensure we safeguard the community from long- term construction activity.
HS2 [3] Question No: 2017/4019 Andrew Dismore A blanket application has been put forward by HS2 to use the whole Transport for London Route Network (the red routes) for HGVs - without numbers, or duration of specific routes required. Do you think this is reasonable or proportionate; and if not what will you do about it?
The Mayor
While encouraging HS2 to utilise rail as much as possible, TfL does recognise the importance of the TfL Road Network (TLRN) in facilitating the construction of HS2. However, this must take account of road danger , air quality and road network impacts.
In line with the HS2 Act, HS2 are required to submit lorry route applications to the relevant planning authority for each work site with over 24 movements per day. TfL will work with HS2 and the relevant planning authorities to determine the most appropriate routes for these vehicles.
Page 101 Dudding Hill Rail Line Question No: 2017/4020 Andrew Dismore Will you look at proposals from the West London Alliance to reopen the Dudding Hill freight line as an Overground line from Old Oak Common to the new Brent Cross Cricklewood station, which would open HS2 to more residents of North London?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL and the relevant boroughs are examining the feasibility of delivering a new London Overground link between Hounslow and Old Oak and assessing options for an extension to Cricklewood.
A proposal to consider this is included in my draft Transport Strategy, which can be found here https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/transport/our-vision-transport/draft-mayors- transport-strategy-2017?intcmp=46686 on page 209, proposal 83.
My Deputy Mayor Val Shawcross undertook an extended site visit to the existing freight line along its length (from Cricklewood to Hounslow) on Friday 29th September with the West London Alliance of council leaders and considered their detailed proposals as part of the consultation process for the draft Transport Strategy.
Page 102 Pedicabs Question No: 2017/4021 Andrew Dismore Residents in central London and in particular the West End experience on a daily basis noise nuisance, anti-social behaviour and in some instances illicit activity like drug dealing. However, there is currently no licensing scheme in place for pedicabs and pedicab drivers. What steps can you take to help bring about a licensing scheme; and will you do so?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
As I set out in my Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan, the introduction of legislation in London is urgently required to bring pedicabs within TfL regulatory framework so they are subject to its licensing standards.
Being able to control, regulate and ban unsafe pedicabs is essential for public safety and for dealing with the significant congestion they cause, especially in the West End.
In 2016 the Government announced that it would bring forward new legislation to bring pedicabs within TfL's regulatory framework. I will continue to press it to fulfil its commitment.
In the meantime, TfL will continue to provide funding and support to the police, who undertake regular operations throughout the West End to tackle dangerous and antisocial behaviour from pedicabs that cause a nuisance.
Page 103 Metro newspapers on buses Question No: 2017/4022 Andrew Dismore Go-Ahead London have entered into an arrangement with Metro newspapers to install boxes on some buses on a trial basis, resulting in the luggage compartment being made a lot smaller than usual due to this metal container. Did TfL approve this arrangement; is there any payment to TfL and/or Go Ahead from the Metro; are you aware of some passenger's concerns over the restricted luggage space, leading to bags ending up in the passenger areas which can be hazardous; and what action do you prose to take about it?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL approves the distribution of Metro newspapers on some London buses, initially as part of a trial. Once the newspapers were in place TfL conducted a survey of passengers to gauge their reaction to this change and found more in favour of having papers available to customers than against. Prior to this change, the space would largely be left empty as many passengers who brought bags on board took them with them to their seats or placed them in the wheelchair bay area when it was not occupied by a disabled passenger or pushchairs.
TfL is aware of some passengers' concerns about reduced room for stowing items such as shopping and will keep this under review.
TfL does not receive any payments as this agreement is between the newspaper distributor and Go Ahead Group.
Page 104 Electric car charging point works on A1 Market Place Question No: 2017/4023 Andrew Dismore TfL has recently submitted a planning application to Barnet Council for the installation of electric charging points at two sites in the Market Place. Despite there being no decision due for some weeks, on the afternoon of 19th September TfL issued advance parking suspension notices throughout the Market Place in connection with the installation of charging equipment. The suspensions planned for the whole of the north side of the Market Place to be without parking between 21st and 29th September and the entire south side between 25th September and 2nd October. Between 25th and 29th September there will be no parking on either side of the road depriving the entire area of vehicular access and displacing traffic into existing heavily parked residential roads. Disruption for residents who use the Market Place shops will be significant and trade for those small local businesses will be badly affected. Why was no advance warning given to residents or local businesses, or consultation with them; and why are these suspensions taking place before Barnet has made a decision on the planning application?
The Mayor
The works currently being undertaken are preparatory works for the installation of rapid charge points. Works related to the actual installation of rapid charge points will follow once a planning application has been approved.
To minimise the impact of the works on local business and residents, TfL only intended to suspend three parking bays on the north side of Market Place. Due to an administrative error with the permit for the works twelve parking bays were indicated as being suspended. TfL has updated their permit accordingly.
TfL will also reschedule works on the south side of Market Place so there is no overlap with the works on the north side of Market Place. road safety on A1 Question No: 2017/4024 Andrew Dismore Residents have raised with me concerns for road safety especially for pedestrians, about what is a race track on A1 between Henlys Corner and a 40mph sign just south of Market Place. What will you do to make this stretch of the A1 safer?
The Mayor
TfL has undertaken detailed surveys to assess speed limit compliance along this section of the A1 and later this month will also conduct pedestrian surveys at a number of locations.
Analysis of these results will determine whether there are any key issues with speeding and road danger to pedestrians. TfL expects to have an update before the end of the year on whether there is a case for safety improvements.
Page 105 A406 Staples Corner flyover maintenance Question No: 2017/4025 Andrew Dismore Whilst it is good to see that the A406 Staples Corner flyover maintenance temporary full closures were completed early, why could this work not have been done in the school holidays when traffic is quieter so as to minimise disruption at this busy junction?
The Mayor
TfL normally aims to undertake disruptive roadworks during school and public holidays when traffic levels are typically lower. However, this is not the case on the A406 where there is very little difference in traffic volumes during the school holidays.
Following careful consideration TfL decided to undertake the works in September in order to complete them before a number of other planned works and events take place in the coming months.
Tube noise, Belsize Road NW6 next to Swiss Cottage tube Question No: 2017/4026 Andrew Dismore From about 7th August tube noise, which previously was of no concern, has become a serious problem for residents in Belsize Road NW6, next to Swiss Cottage tube station, with every 30 seconds loud rumbling and vibrations and Fridays and Saturdays bringing 24 hour disturbance with the night tube. There have been constant track works/repairs this year, and it seems something has drastically been changed, affecting the soundproofing. Residents have complained to TFL but have had no response back. What is the cause of this sudden change in noise; and what will you urgently do to stop it?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is aware of the issues at Swiss Cottage underground station. TfL's appointed noise experts are in contact with all residents who have made their concerns known. TfL is undertaking inspections of the track to see if the cause can be identified and will update the residents as soon as possible.
TfL will endeavour to provide the results as quickly as it can but as there are a number of investigations already underway these results are expected by the end of this month. A comprehensive set of measurements aligned with data from the track ensures that TfL has all the information it needs to carefully plan any mitigation work that is necessary.
Any work will be planned alongside the existing work that TfL has in place to reduce Tube noise, which prioritises areas suffering the highest noise levels. In the meantime, TfL will continue to engage with the residents and closely monitor the noise levels.
Page 106 Speeding in Finchley Question No: 2017/4027 Andrew Dismore Residents have complained to me about speeding on TfL's A1000 High Road in Finchley, between the North Circular and Summers Lane. Short of police being present, what other solutions will you implement?
The Mayor
The London Borough (LB) of Barnet is the highway authority for the A1000 High Road between the North Circular and Summers Lane. As the highway authority, LB Barnet would be responsible for initiating any road safety schemes at this location. illegal flyposting in bus shelters Question No: 2017/4028 Andrew Dismore A group called London Palestine Action was putting posters inside the official poster board covers in bus shelters calling for the cancellation of the Tel Aviv in London festival and making no secret of the fact. While it is of course their right to oppose almost anything they want this should be done lawfully. Whilst TfL removed the posters when it was brought to their attention, what action is being taken against those involved in this illegal flyposting activity to deter future flyposting of this nature?
The Mayor
TfL is aware of the issue of illegal flyposting and is actively investigating it with JC Decaux, who manage TfL's advertising estate. When unauthorised posters are brought to their attention, they are removed promptly. Members of the public are encouraged to report offending posters to TfL or JC Decaux and to share any information as to who they believe may be responsible for posting them.
In order to take action against those responsible for illegal flyposting, it is necessary to be able to identify the individuals involved and to obtain their names and addresses. Given the nature of their activities, this is not always straightforward. TfL has reported the issue to the British Transport Police.
Page 107 Camden and Islington Borough Merger Question No: 2017/4029 Andrew Dismore How much do you expect to save in a year, as a result of the Camden and Islington police borough merger?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The full business case to enable final decisions to be taken on the Strengthening Local Policing programme is still being developed and therefore savings cannot be confirmed at this stage.
Borough Merger Savings Question No: 2017/4030 Andrew Dismore How much do you expect to save in a year if the roll out of borough mergers takes place across London?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The full business case to enable final decisions to be taken on the Strengthening Local Policing programme is still being developed and therefore savings cannot be confirmed at this stage.
Bus route contract
Page 108 Water Cannon Question No: 2017/4031 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3300:
What is the present position over the disposal of the water cannon? How much has been spent on the maintenance and storage since their purchase and what is the annual cost of maintenance and storage? Has consideration been given to 'cutting the losses' and scrapping them?
Your response being:
'The water cannon remain available for sale via the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which is helping to find the highest and most reputable buyer from a European policing or civil protection organisation, according to conditions set by the German Federal Police. We will only permit a sale to a buyer who meets the most rigorous ethical standards, to ensure the water cannon are not in any way misused in the future.
Buying, modifying, evaluating and maintaining the vehicles cost £322,834.71 under the previous Mayor. Since they were put up for sale, the cannon have incurred no further storage or maintenance costs, and no training with the vehicles has been undertaken.
If a suitable purchaser cannot be found, we will have no other option but to scrap the vehicles. It beggars belief that, because the previous Mayor rashly purchased them before he even had permission to use them, such a huge amount of taxpayers' money has been wasted on these redundant machines.'
How many expressions of interest from 'a European policing or civil protection organisation' have there been; are there any current negotiations that have any realistic prospect of success; and if there is no realistic prospect of their sale for a reasonable price, when will a decision be taken to scrap them?
The Mayor
The water cannons remain available for sale via the Ministry of Defence and this will be kept under review. While this remains the case, we will not be able to comment on interest received given the need to ensure commercial confidentiality and maximise the receipts of any sale that can be redirected towards youth projects.
Page 109 Help for PC Kris Aves Question No: 2017/4032 Andrew Dismore PC Kris Aves was an officer on duty at the time of the Westminster terror attack earlier this year. Due to his severe injuries, his home in Barnet requires significant adaptations to support his rehabilitation needs, and the BBC show DIY SOS have put out a call asking for volunteers to help do this. What can you do to assist with this call to help make the necessary adaptations to PC Aves' home?
The Mayor
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is supporting the BBC DIY SOS production team and is working to supplement their tried and tested approach; including facilitating officers who wish to help but do not necessarily have a specific trade skill.
The programme has been overwhelmed with offers from trades' people to give up their time to help.
Kentish Town Section House Question No: 2017/4033 Andrew Dismore For many years the Police Section House behind the Police Station in Holmes Road
NW5 3AE has stood empty. At a time of desperate housing shortage, it seems strange that it is not in use. Is the building part of the police or GLA estate, and if so will you consider developing the building into keyworker housing?
The Mayor
The building known as Section House building at Holmes Road NW5 is used as operational accommodation (offices etc.) by the Metropolitan Police Service as an extension to Kentish Town Police Station and is not vacant or available for other uses at the present time.
Page 110 Drug dealing near Burnt Oak Station Question No: 2017/4034 Andrew Dismore Residents have reported to me that the back alleyways and staircases on Watling Avenue next to and opposite the entrance to Burnt Oak tube station have severe problems with street drinking and drug dealing. It will not be tackled by a one-off operation but a sustained and coordinated approach with Barnet Council is required . Will you ask police in Barnet to lead coordinated and persistent action to tackle this?
The Mayor
The police and council have been and will continue to utilise operation Tungsten which involves working closely with Environmental Health, Traffic Enforcement and Licensing units to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area. The police have been using uniformed and undercover officers to target offenders which has resulted in arrests for drug dealing and possession.
The police have also issued community protection warnings and community protection notices to street drinkers. This targeted approach has led to a reduction in offences and resulted in several prolific offenders being accepted onto drug and alcohol programmes through the Westminster Drugs Project. In these circumstances, local problem solving solutions have the potential to make a difference and I encourage local residents to work with the police and local authority to reduce this type of offending.
ASB in Oakhampton Road, Mill Hill Question No: 2017/4035 Andrew Dismore Residents report to me that the junction of Oakhampton Road and Ashley Walk in Mill Hill has severe problems with late night Anti-Social Behaviour including reports of daily street drinking and drug dealing. Residents also report a lack of timely police presence when called. Will you look into this and ask the Police in Barnet to have a targeted operation here?
The Mayor
The anti-social behaviour team and ward officers are aware of the difficulties with this location and have been working with local residents, businesses and ward panels in an effort to prevent further offences.
Officers working in the area have issued community protection notices to those involved with ASB and have recently completed weapon sweeps and made arrests for drug offences. In an effort to deter drug users from the area the police have publicised their use of cannabis warnings to the community through social media. It is promoted that this area is a no drinking zone and encouraging work with partners, the local authority and residents will be key in influencing change.
Page 111 Policing Football Question No: 2017/4036 Andrew Dismore What was the cost of policing the Europa League football match between Arsenal and Koln on 14th September; and how much is it anticipated Arsenal will contribute to the cost?
The Mayor
The total cost of policing the match was £122,840. The MPS will seek to recover all appropriate costs as per the Special Police Services Agreement that is in place.
Shortage of police pursuit drivers in the Met Question No: 2017/4037 Andrew Dismore Only about 315 of drivers out of the 5,050 officers trained to carry out pursuits have reached the "tactical pursuit and containment" level since 2014. This small number are the only officers authorised to force a suspect to stop during a pursuit. With Moped-enabled crime rising dramatically, what is being done to increase this number of qualified officers?
The Mayor
Moped enabled crime is a priority for the MPS and a dedicated operation (Op Venice) has been established to tackle it. This includes research into the best methods for bringing a pursuit to a prompt and safe conclusion. Whilst Tactical Pursuit and Containment (TPAC) is a vital tool it is often not the most effective or safest means to apprehend offenders.
The MPS is diversifying and significantly expanding the tactics it uses to address this challenge. These include in excess of 1000 officers to be trained in Stop Stick / Hostyd tyre deflation systems and Rigid Stop tactics, the acquisition and roll out of the innovative PROspike immobilization system, the development of tactics for all MPS officers to remove riders from mopeds and the use of spray systems. This is in addition to maintaining the current TPAC capacity.
The intention is to ensure that all 5,050 drivers will be also be trained in the use of Rigid Stop and Stop Stick tactics by 2020. The adoption of this broad range of tactics should prove to be the most effective means of tackling moped enabled crime.
Page 112 I and S calls Camden and Islington BCU Question No: 2017/4038 Andrew Dismore For each of the last 12 months, will you please provide the response times for I and S calls in the merged boroughs; and the overall performance of the Met as a whole, as a percentage of the target time for each of the two types of call
The Mayor
Please see the below table indicating the proportion of I and S calls per month that were attended within the target times of 15 mins and 60 mins respectively. This covers Central North BCU (Camden and Islington boroughs) in comparison to the average across the Met for each of the last twelve months (October 2016 - September 2017 inclusive).
I Calls in Target (15 mins) S calls in target (60 mins) Month Year Central North MPS Central North MPS Oct 2016 89% 85% 81% 76% Nov 2016 87% 86% 82% 77% Dec 2016 86% 86% 81% 78% Jan 2017 90% 88% 85% 81% Feb 2017 85% 87% 79% 80% Mar 2017 79% 86% 69% 77% Apr 2017 79% 86% 69% 78% May 2017 70% 83% 60% 76% Jun 2017 69% 82% 60% 73% Jul 2017 74% 82% 60% 73% Aug 2017 78% 85% 73% 79% Sep 2017 82% 86% 82% 80%
Page 113 Police 101 number Question No: 2017/4039 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3682
Are you satisfied with the performance of the police 101 number; and if not, what are you doing about it?
Your response being:
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly'
Will you now provide a substative reply?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3682 which you should have now received.
Night time economy Question No: 2017/4040 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3683
Further to Question No: 2017/3289:
50,000 people visit Camden Town each Friday and Saturday evening. This is equivalent to the crowd at a Premier League football match. Camden Town have a dedicated Police team of 6 officers on duty as well as the usual SNT team.
At a "category A" football match with 50,000 fans in London there would typically be 150 police officers. There would also be 200 stewards. Football crowds are usually easier to police. The majority of fans are home fans who know what the best routes are and what the police will worry about. They follow the same routes every 2 weeks or so. Many night time economy customers come only once every 3-6 months and are going to different places and don't have such an understanding of how to move around the area. Given this much lower policing ratio, is it any surprise that the streets of Camden Town (and other areas of London affected by night time economy crowds) see the level of incidents and anti-social behaviour that they do?
Your response being:
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.'
Will you now provide a substantive reply?
Your response being:
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly'
Page 114 As this is third occasion on which I have now asked this question, will you now provide a substative reply?
The Mayor
London's diverse night time economy is second to none and forms an essential part of the city's cultural offer, from our theatres and pubs, to our restaurants, music venues and nightclubs. It brings £26.3bn to London's economy every year and employs one in eight people in the capital.
Like you, I would welcome having more police officers to keep the city safe. As you know, after years of cuts, with more savings to find and with demand increasing in both volume and complexity, the Met is facing unprecedented challenges. That's why it is so important that we keep up the pressure on the Government to give the Met the funding it needs. This includes fully funding the National and International Capital Cities grant which currently does not cover the policing cost for a 24/7 global city like London.
My Police and Crime Plan sets out how the Metropolitan Police Service, Transport for London, British Transport Police, London Councils, London's business community and my Night Czar, Amy Lamé, work together to address safety including anti-social behaviour and crime at night. For example, by improving consistency in licensing across London and building partnerships between the police and businesses through business crime reduction partnerships and business improvement districts.
Philip Kolvin QC, the Chair of my Night Time Commission, recently gave evidence to the Assembly Economy Committee where he highlighted that the police, venues, councils and businesses all have a part to play in ensuring safety in the night time economy.
13 Bus Question No: 2017/4041 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3697
As there is inadequate seating for the many elderly or disabled passengers, what access requirements were assessed in awarding the contract for the 13 bus route?
Your response being:
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly'
Will you now provide a substative reply?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3697.
Page 115 Bus stop FJ in Swiss Cottage Question No: 2017/4042 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3700
Bus Stop FJ has been temporarily sited outside Mullion Court, 112 Finchley Road. Residents of Mullion Court have now been informed that the bus stop will retained in this location permanently, with no consultation and against the wishes of the residents. Will you endeavour to reinstall the bus stop at the original location, or at least not outside 112 Finchley Road?
Your response being:
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly'
Will you now provide a substative reply?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Bus route contracts Question No: 2017/4043 Andrew Dismore Further to Question No: 2017/3701
What criteria do TfL apply when awarding contracts to run bus routes and where are the criteria published?
Your response being
'Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly'
Will you now provide a substantive reply?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3701.
Page 116 Exercise Unified Response Question No: 2017/4044 Andrew Dismore The evaluation report of Fire Brigade Exercise Unified Response has just been published. Do you agree this was a good example of EU emergency services co-operation, the exercise also having been supported by EU funding. What do you see as the future of exercises and co- operation such as this, post Brexit?
The Mayor
Exercise Unified Response was an excellent example of European emergency responders working together to test the UK's ability to activate the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism.
The UK International Search and Rescue Team (UK-ISAR) team is co-funded by the Department for International Development and the UK Fire Service. While used primarily to support the UK Aid agenda, UK-ISAR remains available to provide additional expertise to EU participating states upon request and it is currently anticipated these arrangements will remain available post Brexit.
Zoning of Woolwich Arsenal Station Question No: 2017/4045 Len Duvall You may be aware that a petition is underway to have Woolwich Arsenal Station re-zoned from zone 4 to zone 3-4 when Crossrail opens next year. What is your view on this station being re- zoned in this way?
The Mayor
I appreciate that local residents and commuters across London would like to see zone boundaries changed to minimise their own particular fares, but I have no plans to make changes to the zoning of individual stations.
Instead I have focused on making travel more affordable for all Londoners, rather than particular areas, by freezing all TfL fares for four years. In addition, I am maintaining all TfL's travel concessions, including the 60 plus free travel scheme and all the travel concessions for young people.
Once the Elizabeth line opens it will provide huge benefits for Woolwich but I do not believe there is a strong case for altering the zoning of Woolwich Arsenal.
Page 117 London Suburban Taxi Coalition - 02 Rank Driver Survey Question No: 2017/4046 Len Duvall Thank you for your response to my written question 2017/3704. I note that you state that the Cab Ranks Committee engaged with the taxi drivers before accepting the 02 proposals and that this included a driver survey. Are you aware that this survey did not include drivers who are members of the London Suburban Taxi Coalition? Do you not share my view that their continued exclusion is unfair?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Prior to accepting the proposals, the Cab Ranks Committee sought the views of local drivers to inform its decision regarding the Intercontinental Hotel. The Cab Ranks Committee is trade-led.
TfL does engage with trade groups and drivers to discuss any specific issues as it has done with the London Surburan Taxi Coalition (LSTC) on a number of occasions, through correspondence and meetings.
In addition to the Suburban Forums, the latest being on 3 October, TfL has undertaken significant additional engagement with the LSTC. This included a meeting with them, Lewisham Council and yourself on 1 August 2017.
I understand TfL also arranged a compliance visit around the area which you attended with the LSTC on 6 October.
Suburban Sector Forum Question No: 2017/4047 Len Duvall In your response to my written question 2017/3704 you state that the LSTC has the opportunity to meet with TfL on a regular basis through the Suburban Sector Forum and that the next meeting was to be held on October 3rd 2017. The LSTC have informed me that this Sector Forum meets only once a year. Do you consider this to constitute meeting "on a regular basis"?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/4046.
Page 118 Black Cab Organisations and TfL Question No: 2017/4048 Len Duvall Over a period of many months I have been asking questions about TfL's failure to engage equally with all representatives of Black Cab drivers. This included meeting the Deputy Mayor for Transport and correspondence with one of her senior officers. I have also submitted a number of written Mayor's Questions to which I have still not received an answer to the main thrust relating to who TfL choose to have a dialogue with. They have chosen to consult in a particular way which excludes certain groups of black cab drivers. In my view this is a continuation of the favouritism shown under the former Mayor Johnson's term of office. As Mayor and Chair of TfL why do you think this is acceptable?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL holds regular meetings with the five main trade associations as part of its Taxi Engagement Policy. This policy is detailed at the following: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/taxi-engagement- policy-april-2017.pdf
New organisations wishing to join these meetings will need to demonstrate to TfL that they meet the criteria in the engagement policy.
TfL does continue to meet other associations on an ad-hoc basis, at their request.
Please also see my response to MQ 2017/4046.
Page 119 Mayor's Vision for a Diverse and Inclusive City (1) Question No: 2017/4049 Len Duvall I have received comments on this document from constituents who whilst welcoming it, feel it falls short in its inclusion of older Londoners. What plans do you have to address what appears to be a "downplaying" of the issues which relate to older people in a diverse and inclusive city?
The Mayor
My Vision for a Diverse and Inclusive City highlights the important place older Londoners have within our communities and in the life of our city. I am committed to addressing the needs and challenges faced by older Londoners in their everyday lives and to make the most of the contributions they make to the capital.
We worked with Positive Ageing in London (PAIL) to develop and run a joint engagement event which sought views and evidence on issues affecting older Londoners. Furthermore, very robust responses were received to the consultation on the Vision from older Londoners and stakeholder groups. We will ensure their needs are integrated across relevant GLA policy areas and within the forthcoming Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
You may be interested to note that last week, to mark the UN's International Day of Older
Persons, I took the opportunity to publicly re-affirm my commitment that London is a place where the fastest-growing population group can thrive. I marked the occasion with a short film and an outline of some of my current commitments to making London more age-friendly. These can be viewed via this link: https://twitter.com/MayorofLondon/status/914477751859589121
Page 120 Mayor's Vision for a Diverse and Inclusive City (2) Question No: 2017/4050 Len Duvall What practical steps is your Mayoral London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) taking in relation to age discrimination in the work place, specifically in regard to retention, retraining and reskilling?
The Mayor
Whilst tackling age discrimination in the workplace is an important issue, it is not one that falls specifically within the remit of local enterprise partnerships. However, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, the LEAP always considers how its activities can help eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities. This includes specific activity to help younger and older Londoners, to access the support they need to gain the skills and experience required to be successful entrepreneurs as part of the activity delivered under the London Growth Hub.
Through LEAP's funded programmes, it is overseeing significant investment in London's colleges and FE estate to ensure that younger and older Londoners have the skills they need to gain employment, progress at work or set up their own business.
LEAP is also investing £70m to deliver good growth throughout the capital by funding projects that are inclusive, innovative and which demonstrate an outstanding approach to challenges faced across London. Projects that support the retention, retaining and reskilling of older workers would of course be welcome.
Finally, LEAP provides strategic oversight of London's essential European Structural & Investment Funds, which include specific projects to support older workers gain employment and upskill.
Local Authorities and Planning Decisions Question No: 2017/4051 Len Duvall Do you think it is time to have a debate on the appropriateness of Local Authorities hearing major planning applications where they have a significant interest? Do you not think it would be more appropriate for a neutral 3rd party to be the decision maker in such cases?
The Mayor
Planning legislation sets out that applications must be decided on the basis of their compliance with development plan policies. Planning authorities must act independently of other Council departments to make decisions on planning applications on this basis. Any decision which is not independent, reasoned and transparent would be open to legal challenge.
Page 121 Good Growth Question No: 2017/4053 Nicky Gavron What role does heritage play in your concept of good growth?
The Mayor
London's heritage assets and historic environment are irreplaceable and an essential part of what makes London a vibrant and successful city, and their effective management is a fundamental component of achieving good growth.
London Waterways Commission Question No: 2017/4054 Nicky Gavron Can you please provide an update on the review of the London Waterways Commission?
The Mayor
The London Waterways Commission and the Mayor's River Concordat have been merged to join up all river and waterways considerations across the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Val Shawcross, my Deputy Mayor for Transport, launched the newly formed Thames and London Waterways Forum on 20 September.
The Forum supports the relevant goals set out in my Transport Strategy, London Environment Strategy, and upcoming London Plan and the Culture Strategy, as well as the Port of London Authority's Thames Vision, which I support.
The GLA, Transport for London and Port of London Authority have collectively developed a structure for the Forum. Valerie will chair a steering group that will lead the Forum by overseeing progress and prioritising waterways issues for action. The detailed work of the Forum will be led by three working groups, each of which looks at an area of vital importance to the future success of London's waterways these are: Passenger Transport, Development and Freight and, People and Places.
Good Growth and Sustainable Development Question No: 2017/4055 Nicky Gavron How does 'good growth' in the new London Plan relate to sustainable development, and can the Mayor assure us that there will be an explicit link between the two in the Plan?
The Mayor
Good growth is sustainable growth that works for everyone. There will be an explicit link between the two in the new London Plan.
Page 122 heritage and local character in the new London Plan Question No: 2017/4056 Nicky Gavron The NPPF sets out a series of strategic core planning principles and strategic priorities that should run through and underpin plan-making, including conservation of the historic environment. Will there be an explicit reference to heritage and local character in the new London Plan's vision and strategic policies?
The Mayor
My new London Plan will pay significant attention to heritage and local character. For example, it will require that an evaluation of heritage and its contribution to local character informs development strategies in London.
Please also see my oral answer to your question 2017/ 4064.
UNESCO and the London Plan Question No: 2017/4057 Nicky Gavron How will the new London Plan respond to the recommendations made by UNESCO, several of which were directed to the GLA, following their Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Westminster World Heritage Site this February?
The Mayor
As recommended by the World Heritage Committee, my draft new London Plan will have a policy for London's World Heritage Sites which is clearer about protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Sites. The London Plan will also highlight the need to consider the cumulative impacts of development on these sites.
My officers will be working with other members of the Westminster World Heritage Site Steering Group to address the other recommendations of the World Heritage Committee.
Contaminants in recycling Question No: 2017/4058 Nicky Gavron To what extent does the recording system for recyclables take into account contaminants? Is the data recorded on collection or after recyclables have been removed?
The Mayor
Waste authorities are required to submit data to government on the amount of material collected for recycling. They are also required to report the amount of material collected for recycling that has been rejected by the Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs). Recycling rates are then calculated as: The total amount collected for recycling minus the amount of material rejected by the MRFs divided by the total amount of waste and recycling collected.
Page 123 Edmonton Incinerator [1] Question No: 2017/4059 Nicky Gavron Is there a degree of modularity built in to the Edmonton Incinerator? How is the plant intended to be structured, and what specific lines of processing will there be?
The Mayor
North London Waste Authority have been issued with a Development Consent Order that authorises the development of a facility fuelled by up to 700,000 tonnes of waste per annum. The order specifies that the development will include a tipping hall, waste bunker, two processing lines each with a capacity of up to 350,000 tonnes of waste per annum (mainly black-bag waste), facilities to recover bottom ash for recycling, steam turbines for electricity generation and heat off take, control room and air pollution abatement technology. The Order also allows for the construction of a resource recovery facility including a recycling and fuel preparation facility and a reuse and recycling centre. The two processing lines could technically operate in isolation, and therefore offer some modularity, however this would be a decision for the operator taking into account commercial viability. More detail can be found at http://northlondonheatandpower.london/.
Edmonton Incinerator [2] Question No: 2017/4060 Nicky Gavron Could parts of the Edmonton Incinerator be decommissioned or mothballed if waste incineration diminishes over time?
The Mayor
The Development Consent Order for the replacement Edmonton Incinerator gives permission for a facility comprising of two lines each capable of processing up to 350,000 tonnes of waste per annum. On that basis, it would be technically feasible to operate either one or two lines depending on demand.
Page 124 Business waste [1] Question No: 2017/4061 Nicky Gavron Under the new definition of municipal waste, how are we going to tackle the fact that business waste is going to be included in the total waste processed figures? Are we going to measure business waste separately to domestic waste?
The Mayor
The inclusion of waste from businesses in the draft London Environment Strategy targets will help increase the amount of waste similar to household waste that is recycled in London, improving London's overall environmental performance and help support and grow London's recycling sector. Data on local authority collected waste (LACW), which is waste from households and some waste from businesses, is reported to government quarterly. This data is granular enough to see what material was collected for recycling and whether it was collected from households or businesses. Waste from businesses that is not collected by local authorities is not currently reported to government regularly.
GLA officers are working with the Environmental Services Association, large waste collection companies and government to agree an approach whereby non-household municipal waste that isn't collected by local authorities is reported to the GLA regularly, so that this waste is also measured.
Business waste [2] Question No: 2017/4062 Nicky Gavron How will business waste collection be accounted for?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/4061.
Page 125 Business waste [3] Question No: 2017/4063 Nicky Gavron What is the impact of including business waste on the ambition to increase the recycling rate of domestic (household) waste?
The Mayor
I have set a London-wide target to recycle 65 per cent of London's waste by 2030.
To ensure this is achieved, as with previous Mayoral strategies, the draft London Environment Strategy has a 50 per cent Local Authority Collected Waste (LACW) recycling target which is achievable by collecting household waste, and similar waste from businesses, for recycling. Modelling undertaken by WRAP for Resource London and used to inform the draft London Environment Strategy suggests that London boroughs are unlikely to exceed a combined household waste recycling rate of 42 per cent by 2022. To ensure that the recycling of household waste is maximised to this level, I am requiring London boroughs to provide a recycling collection of six materials and food waste for recycling from all kerbside properties and from flats where possible.
I have set the 65 per cent recycling rate by 2030 in order to ensure we recycle more of the waste produced by business in London and capture its economic value irrespective of whether it is collected by local authorities or the private sector. Including business waste in achieving the 65 per cent recycling target is not expected to have a negative impact on increasing the recycling rate of domestic (household) waste.
Harrington Humps at Highbury & Islington Question No: 2017/4066 Joanne McCartney I have been asked by rail users in Enfield & Haringey to see if you are able to help install a "Harrington hump" on the Great Northern national rail platforms at Highbury & Islington? This would allow step-free interchange with the Victoria Line for wheelchair users.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) would be responsible for delivering this upgrade, and I have asked TfL - which supports the installation of the hump - to press GTR to deliver it.
Page 126 Great Northern Metro Devolution Question No: 2017/4067 Joanne McCartney Following the Gibb Report for the Department of Transport, which suggested devolving the Great Northern Metro routes which run from Moorgate station through Enfield & Haringey to TfL, is TfL engaged in discussions on this proposal? I have written to Chris Grayling to urge this devolution to take place.
The Mayor
I welcome your support on this matter. I continue to discuss it with the Secretary of State for Transport. Department for Transport officials are examining the feasibility of a transfer either before or at the same time as the renewal of the relevant franchise in September 2021.
TfL Journey Planner Maps Question No: 2017/4068 Joanne McCartney Can you explain why the TfL Journey Planner has been changed so that the maps for each stage of the journey has been removed, only to be replaced which a full map which is not as accessible?
The Mayor
In September 2017, TfL updated its Journey Planner results page to make the site easier to navigate for customers. The changes made more information available with fewer clicks, including accessibility information and the map view. The single map shows the same information that was previously displayed across multiple maps, and it is still possible to zoom into each stage of the journey for a more detailed view.
TfL regularly reviews the website, and any proposed new features, against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 accessibility standard.
TfL uses a number of tools to test against the standard, and carries out usability testing and expert reviews
Page 127 Sign Language Question No: 2017/4070 Navin Shah This year, International Week of the Deaf unites under the theme 'Full Inclusion with Sign Language!' was celebrated from 18 to 24 September 2017. The week was in tandem with the 3rd International Conference of the World Federation of the Deaf which believes and promotes that full social inclusion of deaf people is possible when sign language is recognised and used widely within the society. In March 2016 through an unanimous motion The London Assembly urged the Mayor Johnson to set an example and sign up the Greater London Authority (GLA) to the British Deaf Association British Sign Language (BSL) Charter. In 2016 you said "I've seen first-hand the discrimination faced by some members of the deaf community. I'm committed to tackling all forms of discrimination and will work hard to remove the barriers faced by the deaf community when accessing services and employment. If elected as your Mayor, I pledge that all public services under the direct control of the Mayor will implement the BSL charter to empower deaf people and remove discrimination." Can you please indicate actions you've taken to fulfil your pledge?
The Mayor
GLA officers have met with the British Deaf Association (BDA) to progress my commitment to give Deaf Londoners better access to information and services across the capital. This work will sit within a wider programme addressing barriers faced by Deaf and Disabled Londoners to participating fully in London life. More details will be announced later in 2017.
Page 128 Queens Park Station - Step Free Access Question No: 2017/4071 Navin Shah I am extremely concerned that the implementation of step-free access for Queens Park Station is delayed. For a number of years my constituents and local organisations like QPARA with the support of Brent Council have campaigned extensively for installation of lifts at this station. Having secured government's funding in 2014/15 under Access for All programme the works were due to be completed in 2018/19. I understand that there is delay of some 2 years to the original completion date. Can you please let me have the reasons for delay and when will my constituents have the lifts at this station?
The Mayor
Queen's Park is a Network Rail owned station and plans to provide step free access between the street and the platform at Queen's Park are wholly funded by the Department for Transport's Access for All fund.
Unfortunately, the Department for Transport (DfT) has taken the decision to defer the scheme as part of their review of all National Rail projects planned for the period from 2014 to 2019. This review was initiated because of greater than planned expenditure levels on National Rail projects across the rail sector.
It is currently anticipated that the step free access works at Queen's Park will be completed during the period from 2019 to 2024. Transport for London will continue to lobby the DfT for improved access arrangements at this station to be implemented as soon as possible, and I urge you do the same.
Double Decker Buses on Rushout Avenue Question No: 2017/4073 Navin Shah Local residents on Rushout Avenue (Brent) have brought to my attention problems being caused by double decker buses operated on this road casing damage to the bottom of Rushout Ave and impact of vibrations felt in the house by speeding buses. There are complaints that residents were not consulted about double decker buses or informed residents. Please state reason for the introduction of double decker buses and why there was not consultation. When replying can you also let me know whether the bus route can justifiably moved to Kenton Road?
The Mayor
TfL converted one vehicle on routes H18/H19 to double deck operation on 2 September 2017 to accommodate increased demand in school journeys during the AM and PM peak. As this was a response to capacity requirements and there was no change to the structure of the route, no consultation was required.
TfL is not considering diverting route H18/19 away from Rushout Avenue onto Kenton road as this would result in 900 passengers having a lower frequency service; and would particularly impact those trying to access Northwick Park Station.
Page 129 Planned STP Bed Cuts Question No: 2017/4074 Navin Shah A report commissioned by the Mayor indicates that proposals to cut the number of beds and reduce the use of hospitals outlined by London's STPs are not credible even if extra investment is made in community services. The report suggests that Mayor can make a "distinctive contribution" and provide strategic leadership across London through measures such as preventing ill health and health inequalities etc. How and when does the Mayor to address the issues raised in the report?
The Mayor
Through my leadership of the London Health Board, I will ensure strong political oversight and a powerful voice for Londoners as the STP plans develop. I have developed a set of assurances that I expect to see met before any of these plans go ahead. More broadly, I will use my leadership to continue to drive London's efforts to make progress against our shared ambition to become the world's healthiest major city.
I am consulting on my Health Inequalities Strategy (HIS) for London which will shape how, with partners from all sectors, we will collectively tackle health inequalities and their root causes. The HIS has five key aims: healthy children, healthy minds, healthy places, healthy communities and healthy habits.
Recognising the complexity of the underlying issues, I will deliver health through all my other strategies for example improving air quality, housing and spatial planning, economic development, social integration, transport and policing. I want to ensure we keep a focus on mental health across the GLA and GLA family.
Page 130 Door to Door Service Question No: 2017/4075 Navin Shah Service users and stakeholder groups are critical of the Door to Door service, which lacks integration, and the Draft Transport Strategy does not address the issues surrounding this service and proposals to improve it.
Assembly's Transport Committee has also raised its concerns about poor integration of services such as Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard. Can the Mayor assure me that the Draft Transport Strategy will come up with clear proposals for coordination and improvement of this service to meet the aspirations and requirements of service users?
The Mayor
My draft Transport Strategy, which sets a plan for Assisted Transport Services (ATS), aims at delivering greater reliability, convenience and flexibility of door-to-door services together with better integration with mainstream public transport.
Door-to-door and other ATS, such as Travel Mentoring, are also being reviewed by TfL's Customer Service and Operational Performance (CSOP) Panel. The findings of the review being carried out by the panel will inform TfL's broader vision for these services.
TfL's CSOP Panel will be receiving progress reports on improvements to ATS every six months. TfL will share these reports with the London Assembly Transport Committee.
Page 131 Teacher Recruitment Question No: 2017/4076 Navin Shah In November last year the London Assembly's Education Panel examined why it was harder to recruit new teachers for London schools and the National Audit Office report published this month also concludes that secondary England's schools are struggling to recruit enough teachers. There are also particular concerns about recruitment of teachers in Outer London Borough Schools. How can the Mayor help to address this issue in order to support better recruitment prospects?
The Mayor
More than half of headteachers said in GLA research that retaining newly qualified teachers has become harder in London, with high housing and living costs driving experienced teachers out of the capital and deterring applications from outside the city. We're working hard to address this, supporting the London school system on recruitment and retention, and creating more affordable homes through my London Housing Strategy and bringing in the London Living Rent. I want to help promote the great benefits of starting your training or career teaching in a London school, in Outer as well as Inner London.
Teacher recruitment is a further challenge to our London schools at a time when they continue to be hit by budget challenges and the government's proposed changes to the National Funding Formula, which will result in many schools across London losing funding affecting teaching and other school staff posts. Please also see my answer to MQ 2017/3993.
Page 132 Chiltern Railways Service between Marylebone and West Ruislip. Question No: 2017/4077 Navin Shah At present Sudbury railway station only has 3-car platforms, meaning Chiltern has to run short trains especially to serve them. Longer platforms would enable them to be served by existing longer services, e.g. the "local" service to/from High Wycombe, meaning Chiltern could save money and free up precious line capacity for other services by not having to run those special short trains. It would also enable more trains to call at Sudbury, thus enabling a better service to be provided to their users and potential users and giving better direct links with stations further west. The Sudbury area has expanded substantially with major new housing schemes and require accessible and efficient train services. The Mayor's help to improve the service is vital. is vital service. A local resident group asks if the Mayor could provide short term assistance by joint funding platform extensions at Sudbury railway station?
At present Sudbury railway station only has 3-car platforms, meaning Chiltern has to run short trains especially to serve them. Longer platforms would enable them to be served by existing longer services, e.g. the "local" service to/from High Wycombe, meaning Chiltern could save money and free up precious line capacity for other services by not having to run those special short trains. It would also enable more trains to call at Sudbury, thus enabling a better service to be provided to their users and potential users and giving better direct links with stations further west. The Sudbury area has expanded substantially with major new housing schemes and require accessible and efficient train services. The Mayor's help to improve the service is vital. A local resident group asks if the Mayor could provide short term assistance by joint funding platform extensions at Sudbury railway station?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
The responsibility for improvements on these platforms falls to the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the relevant train operator, Chiltern. These parties could work with Harrow and Brent councils to see if developer contributions might be available.
Taylor Review Question No: 2017/4078 Fiona Twycross Further to MQ 2017/3750, will you keep me informed of the outcome of your discussion with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy with regards to the Taylor Review?
The Mayor
Yes.
Page 133 Ticket touting Question No: 2017/4079 Fiona Twycross Following recent news about the O2's strict admittance policy for a Foo Fighters gig and the announcement of Islington Assembly Halls only selling tickets via the DICE app on phones, how can you work with London's venues to eradicate ticket touting whilst making attending events as safe, accessible and stress-free as possible in order to maintain the night-time economy?
The Mayor
Safe and fair access to music concerts and live events is paramount to a thriving night time economy for all Londoners.
My Night Czar, Amy Lamé, is Chair of the London Music Board which brings together London venue representatives and is involved in ongoing conversations with the music industry about ways to protect Londoners and visitors from ticket touts.
I support the work of the music industry who are united to address this challenge, including through new technologies and schemes such as the FanFair Alliance, led by the Music Managers' Forum.
Brexit Question No: 2017/4080 Fiona Twycross Do you agree that calls for a hard Brexit, including those of the former Mayor, fail to acknowledge the concerns that businesses have raised with you about the impact of a hard Brexit to London's economy?
The Mayor
I have consulted widely with businesses who consistently highlight to me the advantages that unfettered access to the single market brings to London and the UK economy. Crashing out of Europe without a long-term agreement would see new tariff and non-tariff barriers impede trade with our single largest export market, which would undoubtedly impact London's economy.
This is why I'm advocating for continued membership of the single market to form the basis of our new relationship with the EU, and for a status quo transition period long enough to ensure businesses aren't faced with a regulatory cliff edge.
Page 134 Toilets in London (1) Question No: 2017/4081 Fiona Twycross How many public toilets are open at night in each London borough? Can you specify how many are urinals which cannot be used by women?
The Mayor
I am afraid we do not hold specific information on the number of public toilets in London.
My draft new London Plan will contain policy requirements which aim to increase the number of free publicly-accessible toilets in London.
Toilets in London (2) Question No: 2017/4082 Fiona Twycross How many of the public toilets are there in total in London? Can you also tell me how many of these are free?
The Mayor
Please see my response to MQ 2017/4081.
Toilets in London (3) Question No: 2017/4083 Fiona Twycross How many public toilets at stations are closed at night? What more can be done to keep them open?
The Mayor
TfL is fully committed to providing access to toilet facilities during operating hours. Toilet facilities are available at 100 Tube stations, 44 of which are on the Night Tube network.
TfL is working closely with local authorities and businesses to ensure that more toilet facilities are kept open throughout the night.
To help passengers find public toilets on its network, TfL has published a map showing the location of facilities. The map is available here: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube or http://content.tfl.gov.uk/toilets-map.pdf.
Page 135 Toilets in London (4) Question No: 2017/4084 Fiona Twycross What specific plans do you have to increase the number of free and accessible public toilets in London?
The Mayor
In recognition of the fact that public toilets are a vital facility, both for Londoners and visitors to the city, my draft new London Plan will contain policy requirements which aim to increase the number of free publicly-accessible toilets in London, providing facilities which are suitable for a range of users including disabled people and families with young children.
These requirements will focus on development proposals that include large-scale commercial developments that are open to the public, such as shops, leisure uses and large areas of public realm, and not only the initial provision of facilities, but also their future management and cleaning.
Workplace sexism Question No: 2017/4085 Fiona Twycross A recent report by The Young Women's Trust found that 63% of HR directors and decision- makers thought sexism still existed in most workplaces, increasing to 76% among female employers. How will workplace sexism be addressed in your Good Work Standard?
The Mayor
As a proud feminist in City Hall, I am determined to do everything in my power as Mayor to break down the barriers women face at work.
In July, I launched a call for evidence to understand how employers could be supported to adopt good employment practices, including promoting gender equality within the workplace.
My officers are currently looking at the responses to the call for evidence from a range of organisations which will help inform how we will work with employers to address this important issue within the Good Work Standard.
Careers Guidance Question No: 2017/4086 Fiona Twycross Do you have plans to expand London Ambitions so that careers guidance can be accessed by people not in full-time education?
The Mayor
In the forthcoming Skills Strategy for London, I will be setting out my plans to create an all-age careers offer for all Londoners expanding on the work of London Ambitions.
Page 136 Debt (1) Question No: 2017/4087 Fiona Twycross Can you provide an update of the actions you have taken to address problem debt in London?
The Mayor
Further to my previous answers, my economic fairness team are looking at how we can promote financial inclusion and tackle levels of problem debt through the Good Work Standard and further initiatives.
Debt (2) Question No: 2017/4088 Fiona Twycross Will you lobby the Government to introduce the "breathing space" scheme which is now a year overdue?
The Mayor
Where debtors are taking the responsible course of action and seeking to acknowledge their position by agreeing to a debt management plan, I believe the right thing to do is protect them by freezing interest and charges.
I believe the government was right to agree to the recommendation of the independent reviewer of the Money Advice Service to put such 'breathing space' arrangements on a statutory footing. I would encourage ministers to make good on their commitment to bring forward a further review of additional statutory consumer protections.
Page 137 London Living Wage Question No: 2017/4089 Fiona Twycross What actions have you taken to increase the uptake of organisations paying the London Living Wage since becoming Mayor and what success have you had so far?
The Mayor
I said in my manifesto that I want London to become a Living Wage City, where everyone benefits from the capital's success. I've been clear since my election that paying a fair wage is not only a responsibility, but a benefit to businesses who enjoy higher productivity, lower absenteeism and a boost to their profile upon becoming accredited. I've always believed it's important to lead by example, and that's why one of my first tasks was to improve the GLA's performance on the Living Wage. My team found a couple of examples where we weren't up to standard, which we have now put right, but we are still working to ensure we're leading the way. I also gave strict instructions for the sub-contracted staff at the Olympic Stadium to be paid the London Living Wage, and welcome the recent announcement from E20 that they have committed to do so.
I continue to support the Living Wage Foundation, to promote the living wage to businesses, and have committed to once again provide them with free advertising space on the TfL network during Living Wage Week. I will also be announcing the new London rate in November.
The consultation on my proposals for the Good Work Standard has now closed and my team and I are reviewing the responses. Once launched this will constitute a key part of encouraging the very best employment standards across London, including the London Living Wage.
Since I became Mayor the number of living wage accredited employers in the capital has increased by over 500, and I'm proud that now over 1,500 organisations in London pay at least the living wage.
Self-employment and low-pay data Question No: 2017/4090 Fiona Twycross Further to MQ 2016/4490, you committed to liaise with the Living Wage Foundation to look into collecting data on low pay and self-employment so that the issue of low pay amongst self- employed Londoners can be adequately addressed. Can you provide an update on these discussions?
The Mayor
As identified in my previous response these data are difficult to accurately collect.
Discussions with the Living Wage Foundation are ongoing about how we can develop a robust picture of low pay amongst the self-employed.
Page 138 London Ambitions (1) Question No: 2017/4092 Fiona Twycross How many schools have now signed up to the London Ambitions portal? Can you provide this data by year since the programme began?
The Mayor
Over one third of London's secondary schools have signed up to the London Ambitions portal.
In addition to the original 65 pilot schools and colleges, 99 joined in 2016, and 49 more have joined in 2017 so far.
London Ambitions (2) Question No: 2017/4093 Fiona Twycross What action is being taken to promote the London Ambitions portal?
The Mayor
The portal is promoted through a wide range of channels targeting both schools and colleges, and businesses and intermediary organisations which broker schools/business relationships. We use a digital toolkit when targeting businesses which includes quotes, flyers and key lines. It has been featured in CBI, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and FSB business newsletters and is included on the Growth Hub website.
We regularly include articles on the portal in the GLA's Schools Newsletter which reaches circa 3,000 London schools. We have trained Team London Enterprise Coordinators who promote the portal through their network, we promote to schools through London Councils, and also maximise other routes such as the National Careers Service. A termly newsletter is sent to all organisations on the portal.
Self-employment and low pay Question No: 2017/4094 Fiona Twycross Further to MQ 2017/3743, what initiatives are you undertaking, or planning, to support Londoners defined as self-employed but earning less than 1) the London Living Wage and/or 2) the National Living Wage? These are Londoners that are genuinely self-employed and are unable to pay themselves a living wage.
The Mayor
I intend to respond to the consultation on the Government's UK Labour Market Enforcement Strategy, which was published in July 2017 and will close on 13 October.
Page 139 Universal credit and self-employment Question No: 2017/4096 Fiona Twycross Research by the Social Market Foundation and Trust for London estimates that around a fifth (19%) of families with an individual whose main job is self-employment are claiming in-work benefits such as tax credits and housing benefit that will be replaced by Universal Credit. Over 190,000 families have earnings below the minimum income floor and so are likely to be worse off under Universal Credit. London is particularly affected as 18 per cent of those in work are self-employed, the highest rate of self-employment of all UK regions. Furthermore, 67 per cent of self-employed Londoners don't earn the London Living Wage. Will the Mayor raise this as an issue with the DWP, calling for low-paid self-employed individuals being moved from tax credits to Universal Credit to be given a 12-month exemption period from the minimum income floor to give them time to take steps to increase their earnings?
The Mayor
I have previously written to the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to raise the specific issue of the detrimental effect of the minimum income floor on Universal Credit claimants in low-paid self-employment. His response referred to the six-month exemption period that claimants who are moved from legacy benefits to Universal Credit will receive before the floor is applied. Clearly a 12-month exemption period would be preferable.
As the roll-out of Universal Credit accelerates, pulling in more London households, my officers will actively explore opportunities to work with boroughs and civil society organisations to ensure the effects of this policy's shortcomings are fully evidenced.
Self-employment Question No: 2017/4097 Fiona Twycross What other measures will the Mayor undertake to help the self-employed boost their earnings (e.g. employment and skills funding)?
The Mayor
My Skills for Londoners Taskforce will oversee the consultation about to take place on the new Skills Strategy for London. Up-skilling and re-skilling will feature as part of the strategy, setting out my vision for a skills system that supports all Londoners, including those who are self-employed to progress and boost their earnings. The strategy will be published in spring 2017, in advance of devolution of the Adult Education Budget to London.
Page 140 Good Work Standard (1) Question No: 2017/4098 Fiona Twycross What resources (financial, staffing, etc) will you commit to ensuring as many employers sign up this as possible?
The Mayor
I want employers of all sizes and sectors to be able to participate in my Good Work Standard and in July launched a call for evidence to understand how they could be supported to adopt good employment practices. I thank the Assembly Member for her submission. My officers are currently looking at the responses to the call for evidence and will provide me with advice on what actions and resources are needed to take this forward.
Good Work Standard (2) Question No: 2017/4099 Fiona Twycross Do you have targets for how many employers you would like to sign up to the Good Work Standard?
The Mayor
I want employers of all sizes and sectors to be able to participate in my Good Work Standard and in July launched a call for evidence to understand how they could be supported to adopt good employment practices. I thank the Assembly Member for her submission. My officers are currently looking at the responses to the call for evidence and will provide me with advice on what actions and resources are needed to take this forward.
Good Work Standard (3) Question No: 2017/4100 Fiona Twycross Will the Mayor take action to support the establishment of an Employment Rights Unit to tackle poor practice and establish an advice portal on workers' rights, which would complement the work of the Good Work Standard?
The Mayor
I intend to respond to the consultation on the Government's UK Labour Market Enforcement Strategy and will be encouraging the Director of Labour Market Enforcement to consider what support is needed at a local level to promote awareness of rights and responsibilities - of both workers and employers.
Page 141 Student poverty Question No: 2017/4101 Fiona Twycross What actions can be taken to address student poverty in London?
The Mayor
No student should be excluded from a university education because of poverty or access to finance. I want to see a broader range of higher level learning and training opportunities offered to students in London, including apprenticeships, two year degrees, part-time and flexible learning. This needs to include high quality careers advice, fair access to paid internships opportunities and opening up of the professions to a more diverse range of trainees - my forthcoming Skills Strategy and Good Work Standard will address these. Housing and travel costs also need to be affordable, and my affordable student accommodations planning requirement will help manage the cost of purpose built student accommodation.
Taxi and Private Hire Accident Statistics Question No: 2017/4104 David Kurten The Mayor/TFL's 2016 Action Plan stated that separating Taxi and Private Hire accident statistics would commence in August 2016 and be initially published in Spring. TfL failed to do this, citing delays from the Met Police and that publication was postponed to the Summer. Is this data now available? You will note that MQ 2017/2639 asked the same question.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3868.
Page 142 Coin Street Community Builders Question No: 2017/4105 David Kurten Why does Coin Street Community Builders' (CSSB) current development plans not include any social housing. Given the GLC's exceptional generosity to CSSB in 1984 in selling the 13 acres concerned for a fraction of its market value, will the Mayor exercise his statutory powers and call in the CSSB's current development plans.
The Mayor
Coin Street Community Builders Ltd was granted planning permission for a 43-storey residential tower containing 329 private residential units by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in August 2008. This was permitted for a number of reasons including the provision of a sports centre and swimming pool at no public cost. This permission has been partly implemented and I have no jurisdiction over the scheme. I am not aware of any other planning applications for the site, but should one come forward, I would robustly apply my London Plan policies and seek the maximum reasonable level of affordable housing any new scheme could support.
Conflict of Interest Question No: 2017/4106 David Kurten You tasked Philip Colvin QC with reviewing London's night-time economy in December 2017. However, it has since emerged that Mr Colvin is the barrister for three Uber drivers being prosecuted by Reading Council for operating in their area, despite the council having refused Uber an operating licence in March 2016. Given the hugely controversial role played by Uber in London's private hire market, does this not represent a conflict of interest?
The Mayor
Philip Kolvin QC has made full disclosure to the Greater London Authority of the case in question and the matter was been reviewed by both the GLA Monitoring Officer and the Ethics department of the Bar Council. Both have confirmed that there is no conflict of interest.
As a barrister, his duties are governed by the Code of Conduct for the Bar, which requires barristers to take on cases unless a specific exception applies. None of the possible exceptions apply in this case. The code of conduct is an important part of the justice system as it ensures that members of the public are able to engage expert barristers of their choice to represent them in court.
Philip is not employed by TfL and has no influence over licensing decisions by TfL. The Night Time Commission has no decision-making powers. It is an advisory body and the interests of all members are publicly declared.
Page 143 Heatherwick Studio Question No: 2017/4107 David Kurten Are there any projects currently underway in the 'GLA family' that involve the Heatherwick Studio, or its founder Thomas Heatherwick - of Garden Bridge and 'Boris Bus' renown.
The Mayor
No.
Waterloo Traffic Question No: 2017/4108 David Kurten What was the outcome of the TfL public consultation on reorganising traffic and pedestrian arrangements in the Waterloo area.
The Mayor
Since the public consultation closed on 20 August, Transport for London has been reviewing the feedback received and intends to publish the formal consultation report by the end of the year. This will include responses to key issues raised and proposed next steps.
Policing The Emirates Stadium Question No: 2017/4109 Peter Whittle What was the outcome of the police investigation into the chaotic scenes at The Emirates Stadium on 14 September 2017, in the Europa League clash between Arsenal and Cologne? German fans entered the arena via Arsenal turnstiles and climbed into the away fans section, with stewards powerless to stop them.
The Mayor
There is a current active investigation by detectives within the Specialist Crime and Operations Unit of the MPS; however, I can tell you that five arrests were made on the evening for assault and public order offences.
Page 144 Bus Drivers' Protest at City Hall Question No: 2017/4110 David Kurten I note that bus drivers held a demonstration outside City Hall on the morning of 14 September 2017. I would like to ask the Mayor why these workers were protesting over their working conditions and ask what TfL are doing to address their grievances.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (1) Question No: 2017/4111 David Kurten How do you think the London 'Black Cab' Taxi service can survive if the Mayor does not consider the impact of changes to the operating conditions of the PHV Industry will have on the taxi market?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/4113.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (2) Question No: 2017/4112 David Kurten A good example of a change to operating conditions would be allowing PHVs to virtually ply for hire via an App (UBER). Why did TfL not carry out an Economic Impact Assessment before allowing Uber to operate using a modus operandi where the Driver accepts the hiring and the Operator only records the transaction?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/3482.
Page 145 Taxi and Private Hire Trade (3) Question No: 2017/4113 David Kurten Why did the Mayor state that he believes that a new Taxi/PH Plan was necessary to help the London Taxi Trade and why haven't there been an Impact Assessments Consultations held during any of the previous Private Hire Regulations Reviews despite a submission from the London Cab Drivers Club asking that question and subsequent emails to TPH asking the same question?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
My Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan recognises how important the taxi trade is to London, and seeks to ensure the markets for licensed taxi drivers and private hire drivers are fair. It recognises the importance of ensuring that driver safety standards are rigorously enforced across both industries, and it sets out the need for greater enforcement and compliance, as well as stricter entry requirements, for the private hire trade. It sets out a number of initiatives that will directly benefit taxi drivers, such as continued and expanded access to bus lanes and delivering the Ranks Action Plan. I believe the Action Plan as a whole will deliver significant benefits to both trades.
The new regulations were developed after extensive discussions and consultation with stakeholders, including with representatives of the licenced taxi trade when TfL conducted a review of Private Hire Regulations. TfL undertook a detailed Integrated Impact Assessment on the proposals which recognised that the proposed changes would bring benefits to the legitimate taxi and private hire trades.TfL will continue to assess the benefits and costs of all policies as they are taken forward.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (4) Question No: 2017/4114 David Kurten How does the Mayor expect London's Cabbies to be able to afford the new Electric Taxi that is priced at £63-65,000 if he fails to protect the Taxi Market from the Private Hire one in a two- tier strategy?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my answer to MQ 2017/3474.
Page 146 Taxi and Private Hire Trade (5) Question No: 2017/4115 David Kurten Can the Mayor show when TfL carried out a Consultation on the change allowing PHVs to virtually ply for hire via an App on a smartphone?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL has not changed its interpretation of pre-booked hirings. There have been no changes to taxi or private hire policy and no new legislation has been made that permits private hire vehicles to ply for hire. Only licensed taxis can ply for hire in the street.
Private hire vehicles must always be pre-booked in advance through a licensed private hire operator and this must be done prior to the commencement of a journey. Where there is evidence of unlawful plying for hire taking place, TfL's compliance team will investigate and appropriate action will be taken.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (6) Question No: 2017/4116 David Kurten Is the Mayor aware that an FOI has shown that TfL do not have an 'e-hailing' policy and did not carry out any work on the modus operandi used by smartphone app technology by Taxi or PH Drivers?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (7) Question No: 2017/4117 David Kurten Is the Mayor aware that TfL TPH did not carry out any Consultations, whatsoever, on the impact on the Taxi Trade of allowing PHVs to use a Taxi dispatching system where the Driver accepts the booking?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to 2017/4115.
Page 147 Taxi and Private Hire Trade (8) Question No: 2017/4118 David Kurten How does the Mayor manage the balance between Taxi and the PH Industry?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
I have set a clear objective to ensure the markets for licensed taxi drivers and private hire drivers are fair. To do so means reinforcing the two-tier system between taxis and private hire services.
My Taxi and Private Hire Action Plan is an important step and sets out how Transport for London will deliver my commitments to both passengers and the trades themselves
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (9) Question No: 2017/4119 David Kurten Is the Mayor aware that PH Drivers are now 80% of the Industry?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Yes, I am aware that the number of private hire drivers currently makes up over 80 per cent of the London taxi and private hire trade. TfL must issue a licence to any individual that meets the criteria for licensing.
Due to the significant increase in the number of private hire drivers and vehicles in recent years, I am actively lobbying Government for the power to cap the number of private hire vehicles in London, alongside introducing new legislation to address cross border hiring withough which, as things stand, would make any cap ineffectual.
Page 148 Taxi and Private Hire Trade (10) Question No: 2017/4120 David Kurten When did TPH last carry out an Impact Assessment on the effect of the PH Trade's standards on the Taxi Trade?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my response to MQ 2017/4113.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (11) Question No: 2017/4121 David Kurten Black Cab drivers and all the organisations and businesses associated with the trade, numbering 35,000 people, have been requesting a complete separation of Black Cabs from Private Hire, two separate departments at TFL, for some time now. Who does the trade go and see to discuss this? Who is the mediator? Who holds TFL to account?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
It is logical for TfL to consider the licensing and regulation of both services together in London. If two separate departments were to be created this would significantly increase all licence fees owing to the duplication of roles and responsibilities.
As we discussed in MQ2017/3467, TfL is accountable to me and the TfL board, and I am directly accountable to Londoners. TfL is also subject to the jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman and considerable public scrutiny including by the London Assembly and London TravelWatch.
Page 149 Taxi and Private Hire Trade (12) Question No: 2017/4122 David Kurten Heavy encryption is used in the operation and execution of the Uber app. Nobody seems to be exactly sure how it works, including its regulator, Transport for London. An ombudsman is needed to ensure that Transport for London exercises due diligence and only licenses Private Hire companies whose practices and operations are transparent and fully understood by its regulator.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
All private hire operators must meet the statutory and regulatory criteria in order to be licensed. TfL keeps all operator licences under review to ensure they continue to meet the standards required for licensing in London.
For information on TfL's accountabilities please see my response to MQ 2017/3467.
Taxi and Private Hire Trade (13) Question No: 2017/4123 David Kurten On 28th July, I asked the Transport Commissioner Mike Brown and the Deputy Mayor for Transport Valerie Shawcross in the Plenary Session of the London Assembly how many private hire drivers and vehicles have Uber as their operator; they both said there would be no problem in giving me this information if I asked in general terms, but I am still waiting for an answer nearly three months later. How many private hire drivers and vehicles are licenced to each private hire operator with over 1,000 drivers and/or vehicles on their books?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my answer to MQ 2017/3469.
Page 150 Uber (1) Question No: 2017/4124 David Kurten What are the reasons why LTPH have suddenly ordered 13k PH drivers, mainly working for UBER, that their DBS done by a third-party provider Onfido is no longer valid? Have LTPH identified lapses and negligence in the checking process provided by this company? Have TfL been made aware of criminality carried out by drivers who have been licensed via Onfido?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Please see my answer to MQ 2017/3782.
Uber (2) Question No: 2017/4125 David Kurten Until recently Taxi drivers who incurred delays to their DBS application were denied a temporary licence to continue to work by LTPH. TfL/LTPH said this was necessary for public safety. Many drivers were out of work for a lengthy period and suffered serious financial hardship. Why is it then that 13,000 PH drivers have been given 28 days to make their application and allowed to continue to work? Do you agree this puts public safety in jeopardy? Do you agree that this displays bias by TfL in favour of UBER and that TfL should compensate taxi drivers who were refused a temporary licence?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
TfL and Mobile Phone Data Question No: 2017/4126 David Kurten I was somewhat perturbed to read in the Evening Standard on 28 September 2017 that during a four-week trial before Christmas last year, TfL followed the mobile phones of some 5.6 million passengers, to allegedly identify what passengers were doing at various points in their journey, such as entering or exiting a station, or changing lines. I understand that TfL is currently considering a full-scale roll-out of data collection from passenger's mobile phones. What is TfL going to do with all this data and what consideration is being given to the fact that many commuters will be uncomfortable with their data automatically being harvested by TfL, as they go about their business.
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 151 Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is committed to being open and transparent about its use of data.
Prior to the trial last year, TfL considered guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) on WiFi location analytics and the ICO's Code of Practice on Privacy notices, transparency and control. In addition, TfL met with the ICO to outline its approach during the planning stages of the pilot.
The four-week TfL pilot, which ran between November and December last year, studied how depersonalised WiFi connection data from customers' mobile devices could be used to better understand how people navigate the London Underground network, allowing TfL to improve the experience for customers.
TfL adopted the ICO's advice to inform customers that it was collecting WiFi data and the benefits from doing so. TfL updated customers about this activity using in-station posters, press releases, a Metro newspaper article, social media, and a dedicated webpage and told customers they could opt-out by switching off their WiFi.
TfL's practice during the trial was praised by both the Information Commissioner and Big Brother Watch at the GLA Oversight Committee in September.
TfL published its findings from the WiFi on their website, the link to which is here: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/wifi-data-collection. The findings show the potential value of the information for customers and for TfL's operations and commercial revenues.
The trial showed that TfL is justified in looking for benefits to customers and its own operations through WiFi data and any future data collected will fully comply with data protection legislation and best practice.
Page 152 Hammersmith & City Line Question No: 2017/4127 David Kurten Will the Mayor support extending the Hammersmith & City Line to Upminster at peak times, to give commuters from Zone 5 and 6 in Barking, Dagenham and Havering a more frequent service and make full use of all resources?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
Passengers are already benefitting from TfL's major upgrade programme on the District, Hammersmith & City, Circle and Metropolitan lines. In spring this year, TfL completed the rollout of 192 air-conditioned, walk-through S-stock trains across all four lines. New signalling is gradually being rolled out over the next few years, until the project completes in 2022.
At the east end of the District line, once new signalling has been installed, the frequency of Upminster services will increase from 12 trains per hour (tph) to 16 tph by 2022, and the frequency of Barking to central London services will increase from 24 tph to 32 tph.
Additionally, with straight stretches of track on this part of the District line, we will run trains faster to reduce journey times as a result of the upgrade
Hate Crime (1) Question No: 2017/4128 David Kurten What are the 30 separate daily figures for racially motivated, religiously motivated, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, homophobic, disability and transphobic hate crime for each of the 30 days between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017?
The Mayor
Please see the daily recorded levels of each of the strands of hate crime as requested.
Racist Faith Anti Sexual Disability Date Islamophobic Transphobic Crime Hate Semitic Orientation Hate 01/09/201 50 9 0 8 10 0 3 7 02/09/201 55 7 2 3 10 1 3 7 03/09/201 37 0 0 0 15 1 0 7 04/09/201 38 10 0 5 11 0 4
Page 153 7 05/09/201 42 5 1 3 7 0 2 7 06/09/201 34 3 1 1 2 0 2 7 07/09/201 34 10 1 9 7 2 0 7 08/09/201 35 12 2 6 7 1 0 7 09/09/201 46 5 1 4 5 1 1 7 10/09/201 50 3 0 0 5 1 2 7 11/09/201 35 5 1 4 8 1 0 7 12/09/201 32 5 1 2 3 0 0 7 13/09/201 39 4 2 1 3 0 2 7 14/09/201 37 2 0 1 4 0 1 7 15/09/201 44 9 1 8 5 1 5 7 16/09/201 30 3 0 3 4 1 0 7 17/09/201 38 8 2 4 8 0 1 7 18/09/201 34 11 2 4 3 0 1 7 19/09/201 62 12 3 8 2 1 0 7 20/09/201 38 9 3 6 8 0 0 7 21/09/201 44 14 4 6 5 0 3 7 22/09/201 42 9 3 6 6 0 0 7 23/09/201 48 1 0 1 5 1 1
Page 154 7 24/09/201 53 2 2 0 6 0 3 7 25/09/201 44 9 2 5 2 0 3 7 26/09/201 48 5 0 4 3 1 1 7 27/09/201 35 6 2 4 5 1 0 7 28/09/201 41 8 1 5 6 1 3 7 29/09/201 38 4 1 2 6 0 1 7 30/09/201 37 6 2 4 9 0 1 7 Grand Total 1240 196 40 117 180 15 43
Hate Crime (2) Question No: 2017/4129 David Kurten How many hate crimes for the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017 were reported directly to the Metropolitan Police and how many were reported via the CST, Tell Mama, Galop and Stop Hate UK.
The Mayor
It is not possible for the MPS to produce data from recorded crime that shows the organisation that the reporting individual belongs to.
Hate Crime (3) Question No: 2017/4130 David Kurten How many hate crimes for the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017 actually took place in the period 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017?
The Mayor
Of the 1535 total crimes recorded in September 2017, 1384 were committed in that month.
Page 155 Hate Crime (4) Question No: 2017/4131 David Kurten How many hate crimes for the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017 were reported by the victim of the alleged hate crime and how many were reported by someone else on behalf of the victim?
The Mayor
There were 1535 hate crimes recorded by the MPS between 1 and 30 September 2017. The MPS data indicate that of this total number of crimes, 141 were reported by someone other than the victim.
Hate Crime (5) Question No: 2017/4132 David Kurten For the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017, what percentage of crimes recorded each day are committed on that day and what percentage of recorded crimes are committed a week or more before the date of recording?
The Mayor
During September 2017, half of all hate crimes were recorded on the day they were committed, with a further 10% having been committed a week or more before being recorded. The remaining proportion of were recorded less than a week after the original offence.
Hate Crime (6) Question No: 2017/4133 David Kurten How many hate crimes for the period between 1st August 2017 and 31st August 2017 actually took place in the period 1st August 2017 and 31st August 2017?
The Mayor
Of the 1, 721 total crimes recorded in August 2017, 1,534 were committed in that month.
Page 156 Hate Crime (7) Question No: 2017/4134 David Kurten How many hate crimes for the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017 were online hate crimes?
The Mayor
Between 1st and 30th September 2017 there were 52 crime reports were identified as having an online hate crime element.
Hate Crime (8) Question No: 2017/4135 David Kurten For the period between 1st September 2017 and 30th September 2017, what specific criminal offences (e.g. assault, attempted murder, malicious communications) were committed for those crimes designates as hate crimes, and how many were in each category?
The Mayor
Please see the below table for the types of offences flagged as hate crime during September 2017.
Crime Classification Offences Violence with injury 129 Violence without injury 400 Sexual Offences 5 Robbery 9 Burglary 7 Theft from MV 3 Theft 33 Arson and Criminal Damage 65 Possession of Weapons 6 Public Order Offences 873 Miscellaneous Crimes 5
Page 157 Hate Crime (9) Question No: 2017/4136 David Kurten Was there a spike in hate crime on 16 September 2017.
The Mayor
There was no recorded spike in hate crime offences on 16 September 2017.
Hate Crime (10) Question No: 2017/4137 David Kurten On 20 August 2017, Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders announced a radical expansion of the Crown Prosecution Service's 'hate crime' definitions, thus further circumscribing the right of the British People to free speech. (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/21/cps-to-crack-down-on-social-media- hate-says-alison-saunders) How many hate crimes in the 'unfriendliness' category have been recorded by the Metropolitan Police since that date.
The Mayor
There has been no change to the definition of what constitutes a hate crime and no circumscribing of the right to free speech. What the police record are allegations of criminal behaviour.
What the Director of Public Prosecutions announced in August, and is clear in the article you reference, was that prosecutors will treat criminal behaviour carried out online as seriously as criminal behaviour carried out face to face. As perpetrators increasingly use the perceived anonymity of the internet to spread hatred and intolerance, it is a development that I welcome.
Grievances and the Met Question No: 2017/4138 Peter Whittle How many sworn and warranted police officers have initiated the Met's grievance procedure over the last five years?
The Mayor
Between 1/10/2012 and 5/10/2017, the MPS received 1419 grievances which were submitted by MPS warranted officers.
Page 158 Arrests for Terrorism Question No: 2017/4139 Peter Whittle How many people have been arrested under the terrorism laws by the Metropolitan Police over the last three years and how many of that number were charged?
The Mayor
The data below shows the number of terrorism related arrests made by MPS officers over the last three years. It is important to note that not all of these arrests took place in London as MPS officers may have made arrests in other regions.
It is also important to note that the charge rate in more recent years is likely to be lower than previous years; this is because a number of cases in the arrests for the period ending August 2017 are incomplete, as the person may have been released on bail pending further investigation. Given that these cases will eventually lead to a charge, release, or alternative action, charge rates will change over time.
*Until all cases in a given period are complete, caution should be taken when comparing charge rates over time, as described above.
'TACT' includes arrests made under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 which gives the police the power to arrest a person whom they reasonably suspect to be a terrorist, without a warrant. This is similar to the powers of arrest contained in wider criminal legislation.
'Other legislation' includes arrests under non-terrorism legislation, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
Bus Crash Covent Garden Question No: 2017/4140 David Kurten What was the outcome of the investigation into the No.8 double-decker bus, which crashed into a pillar outside the Central St Giles development, Covent Garden at 10:30 on Sunday 17 September 2017?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Page 159 Accidental Discharges Question No: 2017/4141 Peter Whittle How many accidental discharges of firearms have taken place in the Metropolitan Police over the last three years?
The Mayor
The MPS has around 2500 authorised firearms officers. The numbers of unintentional discharges (UDs) of firearms by those officers are shown below. Most UDs occur when firearms are being loaded or unloaded whilst being booked in or out of MPS armouries at the beginning and end of a shift when officers use specially designed loading bays to minimise the risk.
The figures illustrate the total number of UDs and those which have been in a public place whilst the officer was deployed operationally.
2014 - 6 UDs. 2 of which were in a public place.
2015 - 9 UDs. 2 of which were in a public place.
2016 - 8 UDs. 2 of which were in a public place.
Heathrow Villages Private Hire Civil Offences Question No: 2017/4142 David Kurten How many Private Hire drivers committed civil offences in the Heathrow Villages and reported by Hillingdon Council to TfL have resulted in a suspension or revocation of their TfL Private Hire driving licence?
The Mayor
Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.
Written response from the Mayor received 10/11/2017
TfL is working in partnership with the London Borough of Hillingdon to address the anti-social behaviour by issuing fixed penalty notices for various offences. TfL Taxi and Private Hire compliance officers and Hillingdon's Environmental Enforcement Team continue to patrol and carry out enforcement activities in the area. In 2017, TfL has issued 72 written warnings to private hire drivers and there are no records of repeat offences taking place.
A suspension or revocation of licence is unlikely to happen unless there is a repeated pattern of behaviour. In those circumstances, TfL will then look closely as to what action is appropriate and proportionate depending on the particular circumstances of the case.
Page 160 Community Relations Question No: 2017/4143 David Kurten The iconic Golders Green Hippodrome which was built as a theatre and was also used as a BBC concert venue for decades has now reopened as an Islamic Centre. Is the mayor concerned that having a centre for the Shia Muslim community in London in such a strongly populated Jewish area will increase community tensions and what strategies have you discussed with the Met Police to alleviate potential problems?
The Mayor
Muslim and Jewish communities across London have a long and well documented history of working together to prevent and detect crime, and protecting each other against hatred and intolerance. Numerous examples exist of Muslim/Jewish community partnerships, including in areas with historically large Jewish populations such as Stamford Hill and Golders Green.
Local press coverage - including in the Jewish Chronicle, highlights the commitment articulated by local Muslim leaders to work closely and positively with other local communities, and reach out to local Churches and Synagogues.
On this basis there is no evidence to suggest that this will be anything other than a positive move for developing even stronger interfaith relations in the area. However, we expect local police teams will continue to monitor and act on any rise in community tension in the area, as they do in communities all across the capital.
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