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• 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...

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

Fiona Twycross (AM): I think you made some really interesting points on English devolution and in one sense localism represents a very basic form of devolution. Did the recommendations of the report represent radical localism? If so, what benefits could devolving revenue-raising powers bring to the rest of England?

• Question by: Nicky Gavron
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Nicky Gavron (AM): Thank you for the report and thank you so much for the way you are amplifying it, Tony. This is a little bit different from what Jenny Jones and Murad Qureshi have been saying but it is building on that. Do you think if there was a targeted form of land tax on those sites which have planning permissions, and we know now we have 211,000 homes sitting on land with planning permission at the moment, that would help bring forward housing?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 05 June 2013

Murad Qureshi (AM): Can I be bold enough, Tony, to ask you things that you have not really touched on in your report? The first is mansion taxes. Our sister city New York has a 0.5% mansion tax for properties over $2 million. Do you see a place for something similar if it was hypothecated to build social housing, for example?

• Reference: 2012/0220-1
• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 24 October 2012

What are the principal weaknesses in, and opportunities for, London's funding?