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• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 06 February 2015

Nicky Gavron AM: Sir Edward, thank you very much for that introduction. The big headline out of this Plan is that the Mayor’s target is not high enough to meet the housing that London needs. It does not even take the target that is given in his own evidence. We have a housing crisis. Why are you content to move forward with a Plan that does not meet London’s housing need?

• Question by: Tom Copley
• Meeting date: 06 February 2015

Tom Copley AM: I want to move on to talk about affordable housing. Would a London-wide percentage target for affordable housing be more effective at delivering the homes that Londoners need the most?

• Question by: Navin Shah
• Meeting date: 06 February 2015

Navin Shah AM: Good morning, Sir Edward. In your introduction, you made a reference to the long-term future. Can we look at that in the context of safeguarding London’s skyline? Can you tell me, please, what policies in the altered London Plan could be used to ensure that in the short and long term we do not end up with out-of-character buildings like 1 Merchant Square popping up across London?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 06 February 2015

Murad Qureshi AM: Sir Edward, can I bring up the particular issue of subterranean basement developments? Last night I heard from residents of Bayswater that they have had 15 of these developments in the last 18 months. It has caused sinkholes, flooding and structural damage to properties. It is a problem not only in the City of Westminster but in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in Hammersmith and Fulham and I understand in other boroughs in north London as well. We also unanimously passed a motion in March proposing that some limits should be made on these excessive...

• Reference: 2013/0010-1
• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Given the legislative changes that would be required to devolve some of the more far-reaching revenue raising powers identified in the London Finance Commission's Raising the Capital report, what measures could be implemented more quickly and without recourse to Parliament?

• Question by: Tom Copley
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Tom Copley (AM): The report outlines the need to shift from, in terms of housing, subsidising rents towards subsidising capital instead. Could you tell us how you anticipate this could be done, particularly in terms of timescales and also the necessary transitional measures, which are mentioned in the report?

• Question by: Fiona Twycross
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Fiona Twycross (AM): I want to go back to the point about the borrowing cap on local government in relation to borrowing and at a recent meeting of the Assembly's Housing Committee we heard that, although there are only 10,000 new social housing properties currently in the pipeline, if the cap was removed there was scope for building 800,000. I just wondered, obviously that is down to the political decision-making issue as suggested, but how likely do you think it is for the Government to relax or remove the limits on borrowing?

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Valerie Shawcross CBE (AM): It is a really excellent piece of work and it gives us a good agenda for the future. Last week the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) made some comments that I think we all know intuitively are true about the importance of transport infrastructure investment for long-term growth. How do you think transport investment decisions would change in this city if we did have much more local control?

• Question by: Joanne McCartney
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Joanne McCartney (AM): I wanted to continue the theme, really, about the transport infrastructure. Jennette and I represent constituents in the Upper Lee Valley who are very excited at the prospect of Crossrail 2. But looking at the length of time it took Crossrail 1 to actually get off the starting blocks, obviously it gives is great concern that this wonderful idea may actually take many years or decades in the making. Did you have a view as to whether the better fiscal autonomy for London as well as that certainty would actually speed up the timescale for these big...

• Question by: Jennette Arnold OBE
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Jennette Arnold OBE (AM): You have touched on the issue of governance, so my question is about that. If the measures outlined in the LFC's report were to be implemented, what, if any, new powers or scrutiny roles do you envisage the London Assembly and/or local government in the capital requiring? You said in February that it was Ed Koch, former Mayor of New York, who played a great role in bringing the development of city mayors to London. Do you envisage a New York City-style of council in future where the 51 members there have sole rights of approval...