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• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 02 December 2015

Fiona Twycross AM: I wanted to correct the impression that was given that the way it has been operating at the moment has been simply about opposition Members [on LFEPA] getting at the Mayor. The fact is that the Mayor has insisted on managing by Direction even when there has not been an impasse, including on issues over which there has been cross‑party agreement by LFEPA Members. I just wondered if you could focus a little bit on what impact the Mayor’s insistence on management by Direction has had. To be honest, we have had Directions on all sorts of...

• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 02 December 2015

Fiona Twycross AM: We obviously have to make sensible use of resources in the face of cuts. Some of the new technology that could come online is really interesting and will offer exciting possibilities, but do you agree with the Londoner who contacted me yesterday to say that £283,000 for a website rebuild is bordering on scandalous?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

My final question is about the quality of advice that the Mayor gets. I know this has been probed a little bit earlier, but I think we all know that, yourself excluded, the Mayor's advisors include a range of people who have political baggage behind them. How do you ensure that the Mayor gets good advice, notwithstanding thatadvisors may carry with them prejudices that help to inform their advice?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

I think, to all intents and purposes, your average Londoner would assume that you are, with great respect to my colleague the Deputy Mayor, effectively a deputy mayor of London. Do you imagine there could be circumstances where a different Simon Fletcher or a different mayor might employ someone in your position who would have a more public persona and would, for example, be interviewed and speak on behalf of the Mayor to TV cameras?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

You are in an interesting position in British politics. I think you are almost uniquely a heartbeat away from redundancy, in your position. It's a nice sound bite.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

Do you envisage following up an earlier line of questioning that you might resign from your position in order to enable you to campaign for the Mayor's re-election?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

Thank you, Simon. As I understand it, your role falls into three parts. Within the Mayor's office you act as essentially the Mayor's procurer of information and advice, making sure that it's timely and so on. Is that just within the Mayor's office, or is that more generally? Is that throughout the structure of the Authority?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

Right, so that's that aspect of your work. Is the process then that 24 hours before a meeting you would then see the sum total of the advice and decide whether the Mayor's advisor has done the job properly and there is sufficient advice for the Mayor?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

So that's a process you engage in, deciding whether the advice is sufficient?

• Question by: Toby Harris
• Meeting date: 12 June 2002

And how often is the Mayor flying without lights, in the sense of taking part in meetings without the benefit of filtered advice?