Appendix 1 Oral Update to the Mayor’s Report (Supplementary) [2] Question Number: 2021/0393 21 January 2021 Unmesh Desai AM Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Can I thank the Assembly Member for writing to me. I also give him the news that I have been in touch with the interim General Secretary for the fantastic trade union GMB, Warren Kenny, and I have also written to British Gas. The Assembly Member raises some really important issues. What we cannot see is a situation where employers are using the pandemic as an excuse to make changes that, frankly speaking, are unacceptable. What I will do, Chair, is continue to keep the Assembly Member in the loop in relation to representations I have had with British Gas. Cost of Living (Supplementary) [1] Question Number: 2021/0133 21 January 2021 Keith Prince AM Keith Prince AM: Mr Mayor, as you know, there is cross-party support for that argument around the VED. I tell you what; I will put a challenge back to you. I will, jointly with you - and I suspect the other Group leaders - write to the Secretary of State [for Transport] asking for the VED to be given to Londoners. How about that? Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, can I thank the Member. People think we have knockabout stuff, but this is a really good example of joint working on a cross-party basis. As ever, the Member has risen to the occasion. Chair, with your agreement, the leaders of the various Groups could do a joint letter. Keith Prince, I hope, will speak for the Conservatives, save for their candidate for the mayoral contest. We will see if we can get agreement from cross-party leaders to do a joint letter. New Years’ Fireworks Display Question Number: 2021/0043 21 January 2021 Peter Whittle AM Peter Whittle AM: Can I ask a couple of questions to begin with? Can you confirm that the amount of taxpayers’ money used on the fireworks was, as has been reported, £1.5 million? Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): I do not have the exact figure, but that sounds about right. I can send the Assembly Member the accurate figure once we have that in. Net loss of council homes Question Number: 2021/0040 21 January 2021 Sian Berry AM Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Firstly, I am not sure I accept those figures but I am sure that is just a question of dates, not because your figures are not accurate. The figures I have show that the number of council homes demolished is far less than council homes started. That is one of the reasons we have policies in place now both in the London Plan and in relation to funding. The London Plan is quite clear. If councils, for good reason when it comes to regeneration, want to demolish homes, they must replace each home lost with at least one new home but often more. That is why I referred to density. Secondly, if it is the wish of anybody to receive funding from the GLA when it comes to estate regeneration, there must be an affirmative ballot of those residents living on an estate before regeneration can take place. Siân Berry AM: I support those policies, Mr Mayor. I am really sorry. I am running out of my time now. I need to leave some for my colleague. I will keep talking to you about this. If I can send you the data, that will probably clarify things for you as well. Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): As ever, we are on the same side of the argument here. It is a question of how we get to the end. I am more than happy to work with the Member, who is very constructive on these issues. Oyster Auto Top-Up Question Number: 2021/0118 21 January 2021 Keith Prince AM Keith Prince AM: Thank you, Mr Mayor. That was very helpful. It was following a discussion with [London] TravelWatch. They asked me to raise the question and so credit to them. Credit to you and the team for recognising that there are limitations on where you can go cashless, although I understand the reasons for wanting to go cashless. I would re-emphasise that at this moment in time, if there is not the technological barrier that there was previously on the amount of top-up, if you could reduce it to £10, it would really help and probably would encourage even more people to take that route in using the Oyster card. Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Yes. Chair, to reassure the Member, I have seen the letter London TravelWatch wrote to the Commissioner [of TfL]. They make some really good points in the letter. I am sure they shared it with you as well. TfL is planning some changes to the way auto top-up works. To give you the reassurance I am sure you are looking for, TfL is exploring the feasibility of a new £10 top-up option as part of this. Chair, I agree to keep the Member in the loop and I will keep all of the Assembly in the loop because other Members, I am sure, will be keen to get progress on this. Action on the cladding and fire safety scandal Question Number: 2021/0057 21 January 2021 Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: I was also shocked to learn that under current legislation leaseholders have no legal right to see the fire risk assessment for the building in which they live. Will you consider trialling a public register of fire risk assessments in London so would-be renters and owners can check the fire-safety status of their potential new home? Such as the one that is used to register domestic energy performance certificates. Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): The Building Safety bill is currently going through Parliament. We are speaking to legislators about tweaks and changes there. That is one of the ideas that we are discussing with them. I am really happy to report back once we have had those discussions. My concern is also the obligations on the firefighters to do the inspections. One of the problems in London is we have more than twice as many of these buildings than the rest of the country put together. But also it is quite difficult to work out who the owners are. It is difficult. So those who manage the building, those who own the building. But I am more than happy to look at this issue in relation to whether the Building Safety bill is the way to force owners to give this information. Because often there is no obligation on them to do so. Rough sleeping in the second wave - during winter Question Number: 2021/0360 21 January 2021 Murad Qureshi AM Murad Qureshi AM: This time of year, as you have said, is a critical time of year and you have had to twice get things into operation because of how cold it is. One of the things you did not quite give us information on is how much of the extra £10 million that the Government has suggested is London getting at all. Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): We are getting a portion of that. I do not have the exact figure here but I can write to you in relation to that. The £35 million is national, £10 million plus £25 million. Just for London, we need £24 million. You will be aware that in previous schemes we got a fraction of the amount we need. Traffic issues at Kew Green Question Number: 2021/0228 21 January 2021 Tony Arbour AM Tony Arbour AM (Deputy Chair): Can I ask you, please, to reconsider your advice to Richmond Council on this one and say to them that the coaches should continue to park in Kew Road? I fear for your reputation on this one, Mr Mayor. It is an unusual thing for me to say. Currently, Richmond Council is getting all the blame for this, quite rightly. But I fear that if you give this one the nod, you will get the blame, the GLA will get the blame and, coincidently, I fear that I may get the blame as well. Can I ask you, please, to look into this one? Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London): Chair, the Member is assiduously raising legitimate concerns from local residents. I always take on board what he says and he is hugely experienced in these issues. He is right to remind me and those watching as to the Richmond Council scheme, but there are concerns. Why do I not ask my Walking and Cycling Commissioner to speak to the Council, Kew Gardens and Assembly Member Arbour - Will Norman does speak to residents as well - to see if there is a way to navigate the various interests here so we can get to a resolution that satisfies as many people as possible? Rickets in Children Question Number: 2021/0252 21 January 2021 Jennette Arnold OBE AM Jennette Arnold OBE AM: Can I urge you to keep the nutritional needs of these vulnerable children and young people on the list of the issues for your meetings with the London Regional Director of Public Health as one way forward would be for the Government to introduce an outstanding 2012 recommendation from the then Chief Medical Officer of Health, who recommended a Healthy Start vitamin programme? This, as we know, would then enable it to be a matter of course rather than something that is just highlighted during a pandemic.