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• Reference: 2010/0181-1
• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 10 November 2010

What preparations have the LDA made for the transition into the GLA?

• Question by: Tony Arbour
• Meeting date: 10 November 2010

I would like to return, please, to the question which was raised by John Biggs about the possible burden on London council taxpayers of the change of control. It is clear that there are going to be some continuing obligations which the LDA has entered into which are going to have to continue to be paid for. I want to know how you decide how the payments are going to be made? If those payments are going to be made, where is the money coming from? As I understand it, the vast bulk of the money which Government is going...

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 10 November 2010

The question has regularly been asked by those of us certainly from this side in the past about handing regeneration back to the boroughs. Where does this current situation leave us on that question, if I can follow the line that Tony was taking about on localism?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 10 November 2010

Anthony Browne gave us evidence that he knew of 15 potential LEPs across London that were being proposed. Why would you turn them down if they have made a good local case?

• Question by: Steve O'Connell
• Meeting date: 10 November 2010

Back to the fascinating subject of LEPs, by the look on your face you knew I would raise this. I would like your thoughts around Croydon's aspiration - already signed-up - to a coast-to-coast LEP with the Gatwick Diamond and Brighton? I sense your earlier comment was a rather lukewarm welcome for that concept. I would like your thoughts around that. Also, to be supportive of my learned colleague, Andrew Boff, do you agree that there is no reason why a borough could not be a member of more than one LEP, so it may see the attractions of a...

• Reference: 2010/0070-1
• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

The coalition government is keen to promote localism. How will boroughs be allowed to control planning in their areas?

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

Minister, you have talked about devolution to the boroughs as a whole. Recently I read the suggestion by a former Parliamentary colleague, Rob Hayward [former Member of Parliament for Kingswood], that perhaps there are too many London boroughs; currently there are 32, and some of them are rather small. He said that he had been an advisor to the Secretary of State when he was in the Shadow Cabinet. Are you aware that your Department might be looking at reducing the number of London boroughs?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

Minister, the Act you referred to, which in 2007 gave the London boroughs and the residents of the Greater London area the right to serve up parish councils, also changed the legislation to the point where establishment of parish councils was removed from the Secretary of State and given to the primary authority. In a London context I am assuming that is the London boroughs. That would mean that the only requirement that a London borough would have if it was being pressured to set up a parish council would be to conduct a community governance review which could prevent...

• Question by: James Cleverly
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

Minister, one of the challenges that I think is going to be faced by the coalition Government is that the very people that you rely on to help you drive this localism are the very people who are going to be disempowered. I am thinking particularly of your civil service team; it is from their desks that the power is going to be taken. Is there a structural plan? Is there a mechanism in place to make sure that, after this initial set of proposals are put forward, there is a way of providing a constant review and maintain that...

• Question by: Steve O'Connell
• Meeting date: 21 July 2010

Around the same theme on planning controls; in the prospective Green Paper we have talked about third party planning appeals. I think we will recognise that there is an imbalance in the planning system whereby only a developer can appeal against and the residents cannot. I think we all tend to agree that that is a grotesque imbalance that needs addressing. The Open Source document did put some thoughts around that and I would like your amplification on it as well. It seemed to me that it is a very good point to address, but the Open Source document talked...