Questions to the Mayor 27 May, 2021 ALL QUESTIONS LIST Report No: 4 Subject: Questions to the Mayor Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat Violence in London Question No: 2021/1947 Keith Prince Following the terrible murder of schoolboy Daniel Laskos in Harold Wood, I have been contacted by constituents who are deeply concerned about violence in London. I see that the MPS have recently been awarded £8 million to tackle serious violence. How will this be used in Havering? Delivering London’s Transport Strategy Question No: 2021/1484 Siân Berry Are you confident you can find the funding to deliver your Transport Strategy? Delivering Manifesto Commitments and the GLA Budget Question No: 2021/1781 Len Duvall OBE What are your key priorities for the next three years? Building Safety on Public Land Question No: 2021/1400 Hina Bokhari What do you consider to be your responsibility to Londoners living in unsafe buildings? TfL’s Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement Question No: 2021/1541 Elly Baker Please provide an update on the Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement for Transport for London that was due to come into effect on 19 May 2021? Edmonton Incinerator Question No: 2021/1919 Emma Best Will the Mayor meet with a cross party delegation of Members of Parliament who are calling for a pause and review of the new Edmonton Incinerator scheme? London Cancer Hub, Sutton Question No: 2021/2017 Neil Garratt Would you be willing to work with me to support the major regeneration, scientific and economic opportunity at The London Cancer Hub in Sutton? Violence reduction Question No: 2021/1743 Unmesh Desai Since the easing of lockdown measures, there has tragically been a spate of violent murders across London. What are you doing to address this and to try and prevent a further escalation in violence as we head into the summer months? London Drugs Commission Question No: 2021/1903 Andrew Boff Please can you update me on your plans for a Drugs Commission announced during your election campaign? Using Taxpayers’ Money Responsibly Question No: 2021/2139 Susan Hall How will you be ensuring you use taxpayers’ money responsibly throughout your second term as Mayor of London? Jobs, jobs, jobs Question No: 2021/1485 Marina Ahmad Your campaign slogan was “jobs, jobs, jobs”. Now that you have won a successful second term as Mayor of London, how you will support jobs in the capital over the next three years? Improving Air Quality Reporting in London Question No: 2021/1670 Leonie Cooper The recent Coroner’s report on preventing future deaths like tragic death of Ella Adoo- Kissi-Debrah states that there is low public awareness of air pollution levels and stated that ‘Greater awareness would help individuals reduce their personal exposure to air pollution.’1 How have you improved air quality reporting in London and how has this impacted upon the health and wellbeing of Londoners? 1 Judiciary.UK, ‘Regulation 28: Report to Prevent Further Deaths’, 20 April 2021 Reaching zero carbon in London by 2030 Question No: 2021/1431 Zack Polanski What new actions are you now taking to put London on course to reach zero carbon by 2030? Crossrail (1) Question No: 2021/1410 Caroline Pidgeon Will Crossrail be open by Christmas 2021? Housing in London Question No: 2021/1818 Sem Moema What challenges do you face over the next three years with regards to building affordable housing, the London Living Rent and the private rented sector in London? Supporting London’s Leaseholders Question No: 2021/1629 Anne Clarke What support have you offered to London’s leaseholders caught up in the cladding scandal and how do you intend to build on this during this mayoral term? Jobs for London’s Young People Question No: 2021/1801 Joanne McCartney London’s young people have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic in terms of employment; ONS statistics show that 80% of those who left the payroll were under 35 years old with the under 25s the most affected. What are your specific plans to support London’s young people into employment? Bexley and Bromley safety Question No: 2021/2059 Peter Fortune What is your top priority to keep the residents of Bexley and Bromley safe? New Police and Crime Plan Question No: 2021/1432 Caroline Russell What will be the priorities for your new Police and Crime Plan? Facebook’s end to end encryption Question No: 2021/2195 Tony Devenish Do you agree with Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu that Facebook’s end to end encryption will cost lives (The Times, 8th May)? If so, what are you doing to persuade the social media giants to behave responsibly? Economic recovery and inequality Question No: 2021/1787 Krupesh Hirani How will you work to redress inequality in London as you support London’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic? Londoners’ safety Question No: 2021/2110 Shaun Bailey What are you doing to ensure Londoners’ safety? Manifesto Promises to Black Cab Drivers Question No: 2021/1946 Keith Prince In your 2016 manifesto you promised “special privileges built in… for those who become a licensed London taxi driver.” In your 2021 manifesto your offer to black cab drivers read: “Black cabs and private hire vehicles continue to play an important role in London’s transport offer, and I know how difficult the last 12 months have been for the sector. I will work with them while expecting the highest safety and environmental standards.” Why was your more recent offer such a downgrade in comparison to your 2016 pledge? Congestion Charge Question No: 2021/2185 Tony Devenish In December 2020 your Deputy Mayor for Transport told the Budget and Performance Committee that “in the TfL budget the planning assumption… is that the temporary changes to the Congestion Charge would remain in place for the whole of the financial year 2021/22.” Is that still your working assumption? The Green New Deal and Green New Jobs Question No: 2021/1890 Len Duvall OBE With predictions that the wind-down of the furlough scheme from July will impact on employment levels across London, how quickly can you upsize London’s green economy to deliver on your manifesto promise of new green jobs that are diverse, sustainable, meaningful and well paid? Queen’s speech Question No: 2021/1881 Sakina Sheikh How will the government’s plans for the next year, as set out in the Queen’s speech, impact on the capital? Health of Londoners Question No: 2021/1873 Onkar Sahota What are your plans for this Mayoralty to help improve the health of Londoners? QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER Questions not asked during Mayor’s Question time will be given a written response by 02 June, 2021. Co-ordinating Youth Activities and Opportunities Across London Question No: 2021/1361 Caroline Pidgeon There are many valuable youth projects across London, but many of these are small scale or struggle with access to funding. Will you look at working with boroughs and others to establish a central organising body for after school youth activities and opportunities across London, which can not only organise and promote youth activities but also support community groups, schools and other organisations to access funding and promote and advertise the work they are doing? Stop and Search Use by the Met Question No: 2021/1362 Caroline Pidgeon In an interview in September 2015 you said of stop and search “if I’m Mayor I’ll do all in my power to further cut its use. Overuse of stop and search can have a dramatic effect on communities. It undermines public confidence in our police if Londoners are being stopped and searched for no good reason.” Despite this we have seen a dramatic increase in the use of stop and search since you became Mayor of London. Do you commit to using your second term to cut the use of stop and search in our city and end the use of suspicionless stop and search altogether? Review of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy (1) Question No: 2021/1363 Caroline Pidgeon You have committed to a refresh of the VAWG Strategy for London so that it takes a public health focussed approach. When will this begin and how will you be consulting and working with key stakeholders to ensure they have input in this process? Review of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy (2) Question No: 2021/1364 Caroline Pidgeon Will you introduce a permanent Women’s Board made up of survivors and key stakeholder groups to directly advise and hold you to account on your refreshed VAWG Strategy? Concerns Over a Return to Crime Targets (1) Question No: 2021/1365 Caroline Pidgeon The performance of the Met should be measured against the delivery of a publicly available, well-rounded plan covering all elements of policing, not simply raw crime data. Do you share my concerns at the Home Office’s moves towards reintroducing crime targets for forces including the Met and what are you doing to challenge the Government on this approach? Concerns Over a Return to Crime Targets (2) Question No: 2021/1366 Caroline Pidgeon In its 2016 report into the way in which the Met dealt with child abuse and exploitation cases Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) specifically criticised crime targets, sighting them as part of the issue given resources were being directed into chasing priority targets. If such targets are once again introduced for the Met, how will you work with the force’s senior leadership to ensure we do not see a diversion away from important investigations and work on important issues such as child abuse? Women Feel London is Becoming Less Safe Question No: 2021/1367 Caroline Pidgeon Recent research conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 50% of women in the capital feel London is currently becoming more unsafe.