How will the Mayor's 'No one needs to sleep rough in London' campaign and new London Homeless Charities Group contribute to reducing homelessness in the capital?
Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM: Thank you. I have three specific questions I would like to ask you. To fulfil your vision, your modelling shows you are going to need a nursery in place by 2020 and another two years later. I am pleased you have made progress on this in your work. We are rapidly approaching 2018 now. Are you confident the funding is going to be in place and that they will be completed on time?
Tom Copley AM: Thank you very much, Chair. I wanted to ask you about the levels of affordable housing and specifically the London Affordable [Living] Rent which is the Mayor’s new form of tenure that is going to be benchmarked at social rent levels. Are you going to have a target specifically for London Affordable Rent across the OPDC site?
Given the extensive political opposition to a third runway at Heathrow and the inevitable legal and planning challenges that will arise it is almost certain expansion is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future at Heathrow. In light of these realities do you believe sufficient attention has been given to improving surface transport to ensure that the significant spare air capacity at existing airports in the south east is fully utilised.
Given the Government's proposals to force London's local authorities to sell high value assets, do you think the revenue generated should be hypothecated for building homes in the capital?
In your Housing Strategy you outline that you "would like to see new arrangements for prudential borrowing for new housing so that it is not counted as Government debt, which would distinguish it from more mainstream public borrowing, along the lines that apply in much of the rest of Europe". What progress have you made in lobbying the government to implement this change?
Mr Armitt, let us just get this straight. You approved Mr Higgins' package which is £641,000 a year, but your own package is £250,000. That is part time isn't it?