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• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Murad Qureshi (AM): I just want to briefly go back to land valuation taxation if you don't mind, given Roger's [Roger Evans AM] comments. I hear what you are saying about local planning concerns that have to be addressed by local authorities, I hear what you say about anything being proposed having to be national and not just London, but you would accept that it would discourage land banking and a fair amount of empty sites? Forget empty properties, there are major sites lying empty. Would it not encourage those being moved on at least and the promotion of jobs...

• Question by: Richard Tracey
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Tony, you have already spelt out some of the complexities of trying to bring something like this in and you have discussed whether it would simply be London or whether it would apply to the rest of the country, but surely one of the other enormous unfairnesses of it would be at what level and percentage it came in and indeed who qualified. Liberal Democrat politicians have been talking about a mansion tax applying over £1 million or £2 million, which seems very unfair, but surely the really serious unfairness of this would be if young people trying to get...

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Roger Evans (AM): I too spent a pleasant lunch some years ago being lobbied on this matter by Dave Wetzel [President of the Labour Land Campaign]. Professor Tony Travers (Chair, London Finance Commission): It is always fun. Roger Evans (AM): Yes, and he made the point that Jenny [Jones] does that it would encourage better use of land in London. Does that not mean that if you are using a piece of land for residential purposes it will encourage you to put a block of flats on it, the higher the better, rather than just ordinary houses?

• Question by: Andrew Boff
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Andrew Boff (AM): Professor Travers, do you think that the localisation of business rates might assist local authorities in dealing with the blight of empty shops and derelict land?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

Nicky Gavron (AM): Picking up on what you were saying earlier about hypothecation and recognising that you are trying to do a very important, long term job which may pay off, in the shorter term, how far is your survey of other cities looking at the ways in which other city governments have been enabled to set charges like congestion charging, or have the powers to set levies and so on, which they can hypothecate? The Mayor has two opportunities in London: CIL and congestion charging, and there could be others like that. Are you going to come up with...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

I appreciate one size does not fit all and I totally agree with that. Would it be fair to say that the way to go forward would be where there is an excellent product, that you would like to use best practice principles in order to extend those practices across the capital?

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

You will obviously keep us updated as you make your progress round?

• Question by: Mike Tuffrey
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

Indeed. That is showing up in the home safety checks which I think have risen from around 9,000 a couple of years ago to approximately 20,000 in the year that has just ended and the target for the current year is approximately 30,000. Even if you add all that up, that is 40,000-50,000 home safety checks. One or two per cent of Londoners have had a home safety check. Should we not be looking for a real huge step forward in this area?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

On the Thames Gateway development issues, you said you have not specifically commented on the flood risk issue. Could I ask that LFEPA does look at the recommendations from the Assembly's Environment Committee that the plans be rigorously tested?

• Question by: Darren Johnson
• Meeting date: 08 November 2006

Even if that is not going to be a statutory function, obviously there is a direct pressure that flood risk places on LFEPA's activities. Should you not be pressing for stronger planning policies to limit new development in high-risk flood areas, and actually really take a key part in this debate about Thames Gateway?