Congestion Charge Extension Will Be Scrapped

Today the Evening Standard carries a story claiming that Boris will renege on his election promise to scrap the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge Zone. The piece looks to be based on rumours that have been circulating in the blogosphere for a few days and a rather selective take on a quote from Transport Advisor, Kulveer Ranger.

The phones and emails are buzzing over this, and Boris has issued the following statement:

You may have heard the scurrilous rumour that I have reneged on my promise to remove the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge Zone. I am writing now to tell you that is emphatically not true.

When I was elected, I promised to give Londoners the consultation they never got. Londoners expressed the overwhelming view that it should be removed, and I promised to honour that judgement. I maintain that promise today, and to make it absolutely crystal clear: we will be removing the Western Extension next year.

We have to jump through a number of tedious bureaucratic hoops before the axe can fall, but fall it will. The extended zone will be no more. It will be an ex-zone, the area formally known as. It will be a dead zone!

So there we have it, from the Mayor's own mouth and in his own - unique - words.

Zil Lanes Criticised

A memorable feature of the Soviet Union was the exclusive 'Zil Lane', reserved for communist VIPs to be swept past the traffic jams in their limousines. London will have its own version of Zil lanes in 2012 thanks to the Olympic Route Network, providing a fast link between the five star hotels of the West End and the main venues at Stratford and Greenwich. Roads which will have reserved lanes include the Embankment and the Blackwall Tunnel.

We have raised concerns about the proposed network of exclusive lanes in the past, but today news of more criticisms emerged - courtesy of the BBC. It appears that the police and the ambulance service have both expressed concerns about the effect on response times, indeed I recall the last time the proposal was discussed there was some doubt if even the emergency services will be allowed to use the reserved lanes.

The exclusive network was one of the conditions imposed on London before the games were awarded to us. Lanes will be available for competitors naturally and Olympic officials, but other VIPs and journalists will also benefit - no squeezing onto public transport for them...

The Olympics organisers are due to appear before the Assembly for questions in a few weeks and it's a sure bet that the Olympic Route Network will feature high on the agenda.

London Isn't Burning

Yesterday the Fire Authority received a document reviewing the long term fire trends for Greater London. Bringing together data from the creation of Greater London in 1965 to the present day, the report paints a fascinating picture of how the capital has changed over almost half a century.


Population

In 1966 Greater London's population was around 7.8 million, having declined from some 8.6 million in 1939, at the outbreak of the war. Numbers continued to decline, reaching 6.7 million in 1988 - a year after I moved here - but then started to climb, achieving 7.5 million in 2007. The idea that London is more populous than at any time in its history is therefore incorrect, however there are other social trends which arguably have a greater impact.

The number of households - unlike the population - has steadily increased over the same period from 2.2 million in 1966 to 3.1 million in 2008, driving the demand for development and urbanisation. Behind these figures are large numbers of single parent families and people who live alone. I have always thought there was scope for someone to lobby on behalf of single Londoners, and these figures demonstrate the growth of this important group.


Fires

In 1976 the number of fires peaked at 63,524, declining to just 29,735 at the end of 2008 - the lowest total since 1965. The number of fires per year has fallen steadily since 2003. Fire deaths in 2008 (46) were less than a quarter of the numbers suffered in 1980 (196), which is very good news although of course the numbers don't yet include the recent Lakanal House tragedy.

In 1966 the London Fire Brigade responded to more than 10 chimney fires but by 2008 clean air legislation and the decline of coal as an energy source meant that only one such fire occurred every three to four days.

In 1966 50% of all the incidents attended by the Brigade were fires. In 2008 only 20% of callouts relate to fires. Much more time is spent responding to road accidents, flooding and people trapped in lifts.

Gants Hill Delays

Depressing news reaches me from TfL. During the work on the roundabout at Gants Hill, they have unearthed 'unidentified utilities', and this now means that the project is going to be delayed considerably. The pipes and cables need to be traced and then diverted to allow for the road works.

The original completion date of October 2010 has now been put back to April 2011 !! The carriageway will be returned to its previous capacity, with temporary traffic management measures in place.

TfL have undertaken to brief me regularly and to keep Redbridge Council and local stakeholders informed as the work progresses.

Choppy Water at MQT

Boris and the Conservative Group don't agree on everything - the mayor appealed beyond traditional party loyalties to secure his election so some dissent is to be expected. The other groups have commented on the somewhat independent approach of some Conservative members. "Ken would never have tolerated this from Labour." is a commonly expressed sentiment.

Past meetings have seen clashes over a proposed amnesty for illegal immigrants and the powers that TfL exercise in deciding the location of bus stops. Today things got rougher than usual.

With the coming year's budget in prospect, members lined up to make the case for a repeat of last year's precept freeze. Trenchant colleague Brian Coleman pushed a bit further, calling for significant cuts particularly in the Transport for London monolith. It probably got a bit more heated than envisaged but Boris was left in no doubt that we will be seeking to protect council tax payers during the budget consultation.

Andrew Boff then raised concerns about the LDA's funding of new academies. The worry - shared by other members - is that the mayor is extending his powers onto territory that is firmly under borough control. Andrew even suggested that the effect would be to recreate a smaller version of the ILEA, along with an 'Outer London Education Authority' - OLEA!

Some constructive criticism of the administration is, in my opinion, a good thing, and anyway it is our job. Visitors in the gallery told me how refreshing they find this after the toadying that is all too evident at Prime Minister's Questions. But perhaps things went too far this time...

I raised concerns - originally highlighted by Morris Hickey - about the standard of service on the 462 bus route, which often runs early at Fulwell Cross, 14 minutes early on one occasion documented by Morris. The Mayor promised further sanctions against Arriva if the service did not improve and told us that two drivers had been disciplined for failing to observe the timetable. Hopefully things will get better but I'm sure we will soon know if they don't.

Back to it...

Wednesday sees the first Mayor's Question Time of the autumn session.

My colleague Richard Tracey leads off the bowling with a question about the overflow of raw sewage into the Thames. It's the first chance to discuss the incident that occurred in July and with autumn storms in prospect it remains a live issue. Plans for a new storm sewer should ultimately prevent further discharges but the project remains many years and billions of pounds away.

The Greens and Labour are both raising the future of bus services, in the likely event that subsidies are cut by the government. Jenny Jones provides the more detailed question, offering a slew of potentially unpopular alternatives including fare increases and network cuts. Detail is likely to be sketchy as the government's intentions are unclear but the issue is likely to resurface in the coming months.

For the Lib Dems Caroline Pidgeon is asking a wider question about the coming annual fare package. Traditionally this is announced in September and implemented in the New Year. Will Boris use Caroline's question as an opportunity to make a statement?

Richard Barnbrook questions the Mayor's support for regularisation of London's illegal immigrants. Boris has stuck his neck out over this issue, disagreeing with national Conservative - and Labour - policy, and also with the views of our own group, so his current take on the situation will be interesting.

I have several guests attending from local accountancy firm Haslers ( http://www.haslers.co.uk/ ) and those who manage to sit through the full two and a half hours of questions will get a guided tour of City Hall from me as a reward for their dedication...

A Week In Bosnia

We returned last Friday but I deliberately waited before posting this. Bosnia is a hugely complex place with great contrasts, not least in the emotions it brings out in visitors, and bringing the country to life in print is challenging. Well, here goes, and this may take some time.

First the disclaimer - which is unfortunately necessary in the current political climate. This was a working visit, not a Parliamentary style fact finding mission. We did it in our own time and paid for our own flights and basic accommodation. All the material we used was donated by well wishers. No tax payers were harmed in the course of this event.


First Impressions

Bosnia was a part of the greater Yugoslavia which fell apart during the nineties. Sandwiched between Orthodox Serbia and Catholic Croatia, the moderate Muslim state soon became the target of a territorial 'carve up' orchestrated by its more powerful neighbours. Now enjoying a fragile peace, Bosnia is divided into Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian territories largely according to where the front lines ran when hostilities were suspended. The country has a three man presidency, one from each ethnic group and each taking turns to lead.

The capital, Sarajevo looks to be about the size of Reading. The city sits in a valley and was besieged by Serb forces during the war. We passed through on our arrival and spent some time there on our last day and the healing process looks to be going well. Prosperity has returned, new building is under way, crowded trams and trolley buses run in the streets, the airport is functioning.

Outside the city the story is different. Homes, mosques and churches are being rebuilt but there is still great poverty. Whole villages were destroyed during the ethnic cleansing and many ruined buildings remain - forlorn skeletons against the clear sky or just patches of rubble.

The countryside is attractive but sombre, rolling hills and mountains, all cloaked in dark forests. The roads are winding and poorly maintained in many places. The climate is warm and humid, but in winter heavy snow falls and whole areas are isolated.


The Tragedy of Srebrenica

Srebrenica is a three hour drive from Sarajevo. We arrived as dusk was falling on the first night. Here, in 1995, Bosnian Serbs led by General Ratko Mladic attacked the town, clearing its Muslim inhabitants. Supposedly a UN protected enclave, in reality the Dutch peacekeeping troops were powerless to prevent the murder of some 8,000 civilians by the heavily armed Serbs. There is a genocide memorial here, constructed with the help of London's Imperial War Museum, and it is a deeply moving place. I remember seeing the awful events unfold on television at the time, but nothing can prepare you for actually being here.

At home, we commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day and we send visitors to Auschwitz so that the grim lessons of history are not forgotten, yet here in Srebrenica another ethnically inspired massacre took place just fourteen short years ago. Many of the bodies were never recovered and the forests around the town conceal numerous mass graves. It takes a lot to silence a group of politicians yet we were left unable to speak.

The town itself has a haunted, watchful, atmosphere. Not content with cleansing the population, Mladic also destroyed the homes of non Serbs so they could not return. Many of the houses and blocks of flats stand derelict and empty. Most of the inhabitants, the town officials and the police are Serbs and there is an air of sullen hostility, a wariness of outsiders.


Getting Our Hands Dirty

The Fund For Refugees had requested our help with three projects. With the help of Microsoft, computers were to be installed in Srebrenica's school. There was work to be done painting and finishing off new houses for the villagers up in the hills. Finally, a team led by Tobias Ellwood MP would help to create a football pitch for the local youngsters and we hoped to play a match against them before we left.

I got to work on the house and it soon became clear that my painting skills weren't up to Bosnian standards. The local builders and the old lady who owned the place soon took the roller off me and gave me a cloth to clean up after my more expert colleagues. Deborah Dunleavy - our candidate for Bolton - had clearly missed her vocation and her painting efforts were rewarded with cries of 'Super! Super!' from the admiring locals.

For the rest of the day I was banished outside to help break up a stone outhouse and cart away the huge lumps of slate. Pushing a wheelbarrow around over the following three days was not the most skilled of tasks, but at least I kept up my exercise regime. There were vicious scorpions amongst the debris and we were plagued by blood sucking flies, but the spirit of the team - led by my old Assembly colleague, Eric Ollerenshaw - now the candidate for Lancaster and Fleetwood - remained high and on the last day we hosted a picnic under the trees and were joined by the old lady and her neighbours.


Why?

Clearly people were surprised to find politicians who were willing to roll their sleeves up and join in, but why do it? The contribution we made was meaningful but given a few more days the Bosnians could have done the job themselves. For me, the opportunity to talk to the people at the sharp end, unsupervised by local political figures, was the most valuable part of the exercise. Politicians visiting trouble spots are usually fed an official message, toured around a local showpiece, given a slap up meal then put back on the plane, so this was refreshing.

Over three days we were able to communicate, even though the old lady and her neighbours knew very little English, and we knew no Bosnian. They were cheerful and stoic people but beneath the surface was great tragedy. Everyone we met had lost relatives in the war and many had been displaced. They had some truly harrowing personal stories. Grief was never far away.

There are no easy solutions to the world's problems and intervention cannot always be the answer. There is however no excuse for lack of preparation or a confused response. At Srebrenica peacekeepers were deployed but could not be used effectively, leading to a disastrous loss of confidence in the UN.

Enjoying a farewell barbecue on the last evening, we raised our gaze to look across the valley at the towering cliffs and mountains, as close to us as Canary Wharf is to The City. 'That's Serbia. They shoot at us from over there.' we were told.

Project Maja

With the final meetings of the Assembly, the Fire Authority and the Police Authority completed last week, members can turn their minds to the opportunities afforded by the summer break. I'm going to Bosnia next week to take part in Project Maja together with a team from the Conservative Social Action Unit.

Project Maja is a follow up to Social Action's efforts in Rwanda. We will be helping the Fund for Refugees to rebuild properties following the tragic civil war in the area around Srebrenica. Project leader, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi says:

As Conservatives we believe that having guiding principles is not enough, rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck in on the ground shows that we don't just believe in tackling poverty and injustice, but through a new type of politics we can make a real, worthwhile difference.

Most of the team are Parliamentarians or candidates for Westminster, so it was a real coup for the London Assembly Group to be involved. We will be blogging our experiences over at Conservative Home. I will provide a fuller report back on my return next week, meanwhile comment moderation will take place when the opportunity arises.

Gallows Corner Re-opens

Transport for London tell me that the Gallows Corner flyover returned to normal two way working from 3:00pm today. They are delighted to have achieved this some five weeks ahead of schedule and I am grateful for their efforts during a particularly trying time.

However this is no time for mutual back slapping. The whole problem only arose because of poor maintenance over a number of years and it has taken an unbelievable length of time to sort out. Replacement steel panels had to be specially made abroad and shipped to London, taking many months, during which drivers were seriously inconvenienced by closures and one way working. The flyover is now good for another ten years but this temporary structure should really be replaced with a permanent solution - this will require money from central government and there is likely to be very little available over the coming years.

Drivers on the A12 can breathe a sigh of relief but shouldn't relax just yet. A 40 week resurfacing project gets under way at Gants Hill roundabout on Friday...

Audit Panel

This morning I chaired the first meeting of the City Hall audit panel, since I took over the gavel, courtesy of the Lib Dems at the Assembly AGM.

I suspect they put me in charge because they felt it would be a sleepy backwater with no media profile (I could be wrong, perhaps they rate my abilities...), however thanks to Ian Clement and Lee Jasper there was rather more attention than usual. The agenda was also about three times its usual length.


Apologies for Absence

Dave Hill at The Guardian had expressed concerns about BNP member Richard Barnbrook's presence on the panel (the Assembly had to put him somewhere) particularly as reports about funding to minority organisations and politicians' expenses provided perfect material for one of his trademark rants. This was probably one of his best opportunities yet to make an impact since he was elected so he SENT HIS APOLOGIES!!!


District Auditor's Report

The main item for consideration was the District Auditor's double report into the distribution of grants under the previous regime. The first report dealt with the allegations of impropriety at the GLA, the second with the handling of an official complaint made by Assembly Members at the time. Allegations around the LDA are still being investigated and will be considered by that body, so they are unlikely to be discussed by our audit panel.

Report one concluded that rather a lot of rules had been broken with respect to declaring interests in a timely manner. The then mayor's advisor on equalities and policing had signed off grants to organisations with which he had personal involvement. The funding agreements by which money was distributed did not enable measurement of value for money, so although the auditor felt some value had been derived, he was unable to satisfy himself that Londoners had received everything that was paid for. A general lack of record keeping made it difficult to find an audit trail for decisions that had been made. There was no evidence of criminal activity, but the procedures for controlling and monitoring the situation fell well short of an acceptable standard.

Report two concluded that a complaint from Brian Coleman - regarding allegations that the advisor had improperly used GLA resources in a conflict with Equalities Commissioner Trevor Phillips - was not effectively investigated under the authority's whistle blowing policy. Indeed the Finance Director informed the committee that officers did not consult the existing policy and the District Auditor added that he was unaware of its existence! The staff who failed to carry out the investigation correctly had - we were told - all left the GLA since then. The panel members were stunned and genuinely angry about this.


Putting it Right

The Panel is not looking for evidence of dishonesty, and we are not conducting a campaign against individuals - rather, we are overseeing a transition from a culture where this situation could occur to one of greater transparency and higher standards. All members of the panel - those who were present - agree that we want to see officers turning stones over to discover what lies beneath and we want GLA probity rules enforced. The good news is that reports were tabled detailing the work being done to improve record keeping, risk management, funding agreements and the register of interests. This is work in progress and we have instructed senior management to provide us with an update at our next meeting in October.

Mayor's Questions

Parts of yesterday's question time became quite heated and perhaps it is just as well that everyone will have the August break to cool off.


Abuse of Process

Five minutes before the meeting started I received the unwelcome news that the Lib/Lab/Green alliance had decided to suspend standing orders so that the usual proportional timings would not apply on the first question which was - predictably - about the Ian Clement episode. There was a heated exchange, which could have been avoided if they had actually discussed their proposal with my team rather than springing it on us at the last moment.

Under the new Chair - Darren Johnson - we see constant attempts to introduce devices to give the smaller parties a disproportionately large influence, which reflect the problem that bedevils the so called Progressive Alliance - Labour have the numbers (8 members), so they get the larger time allocation, but they lack the ability or inclination to work effectively. Liberals and Greens are better operators but they lack the numbers (3 and 2 members respectively) and therefore the time, to bring their skills to bear. Also any attempt to give more influence to the smaller parties could benefit the BNP. They waste time and effort on attempts to rearrange the deckchairs.

The justification in this case was that Boris refused to attend an Assembly committee to discuss the Clement matter, so the aim was to create a mini version of that meeting within the Question Time. As it was, the Lib/Lab/Greens failed to ask any questions they had not raised before so it is probably just as well that they didn't get the special committee they wanted.


Rape Protest

One thing that Darren does do well is dealing with protests. With Ken out of office - and propped up in the front row of the gallery like El Cid - the London Left are rediscovering the joys of disrupting meetings. It was Tube unions last time. This time feminists set off rape alarms during Richard Barnbrook's contribution. They were swiftly escorted from the building. I support their stand against rape and domestic violence and they made their point in a reasonably dignified way. However I was surprised by how quiet the rape alarms were, and I hope they would make a lot more noise in a real emergency - more like my smoke alarm which went off a few weeks ago and was impossible to ignore.


Issues

I took the opportunity to welcome members of the North East London and Essex Group of Advanced Motorists to the gallery - probably a first at City Hall.

I also raised several important local issues with the Mayor.

Gallows Corner - Boris assured me that the disruptive work on the Gallows Corner Flyover would be completed on time in August. We all look forward to traffic returning to normal here.

Gants Hill - Work is due to start at Gants Hill next week. Rumour has it that the foundations beneath the road are in poor condition and this means that the work will take longer and be more disruptive. Traffic on the A12 and A406 can expect long delays as a result. There are also plans to divert a number of bus routes that pass through the roundabout. Access to the Central Line station and pedestrian subways could be impeded too. It's all a bit of an unknown as TfL have omitted to brief me and Redbridge Council also have limited information. Boris promised me a swift update from TfL, so more about this later, no doubt...

Woolwich Ferry - One of the boats has been out of service recently, leading to delays. With the limited number of crossings downstream of Tower Bridge, the ferry remains an important facility, particularly for lorries that are too high to use the tunnels. The boat is now back in service and Boris promised me an update as things return to normal.

MQT Tomorrow

It's that time again. Tomorrow's question time at City Hall starts at 10:00am and will feature questions on:

- Openness and transparency in City Hall's expenses and benefits framework.
- Government targets for new travellers' sites in the London Plan.
- Transport infrastructure for the Thames Gateway.
- Offering leadership to clamp down on abuse of City Hall's expenses and benefits framework.

Following the Ian Clement episode and publication of a critical audit report on the Lee Jasper affair, we expect the financial controls at the GLA to come under the spotlight.

Waste, Recycling and New Technologies

I've just come up for air after a seemingly endless meeting of the Environment Committee. You know it's going to be rough going when there are more expert witnesses (8) than members (7) - anyway, here goes:

This morning we looked at the development of new methods to extract energy from the waste that can't be recycled. One witness suggested that this technology is at the same stage as the computer industry 25 years ago, on the verge of life changing innovations. The Microsoft of waste management waits in the wings.


Anaerobic Digestion

Known as 'AD' to the waste community, this is the most favoured option and it is already used for sewage, with Thames Water operating 60 plants. The idea is to allow bacteria to digest the organic waste element, producing gas that can be used as fuel. Essentially the same process happens in landfill sites but most of the gas escapes into the atmosphere, whereas AD ensures it is captured for the community.

The gas can then be cleaned up and injected into the national grid of gas pipelines. Alternatively the plant can be connected to a local housing estate so the immediate residents get the benefit, but this is expensive and difficult where existing buildings require a retrofit. Local distribution is more viable for new build or for a single large industrial or public sector customer. Another alternative is to use the gas as fuel for a vehicle fleet, usually operated by the public sector.

Friends of the Earth favour AD and campaign in support of the technology but they acknowledge that the need to transport residues away by road creates some problems in the city.

Planning permission for AD seems to be relatively easy to secure, unlike incineration - the Belvedere incinerator took 16 years to approve...


Other Technologies

Including gasification and pyrolysis are as yet unproven. They burn waste gas in an engine to create electricity but the ultimate aim is to use fuel cells - which work like batteries - to generate power. These have the advantage of no moving parts so they are more efficient but current models don't work well with impure gas.

Developing solutions face problems obtaining funding, particularly in the current economic climate. Financial institutions prefer to see at least one pilot plant working, preferably in this country, before risking their money.

Friends of the Earth were less impressed, describing some of the technologies as no better than landfill or incineration.


Large vs Small

Operators prefer larger applications because one big site can achieve economies of scale and can attract the sort of large waste contracts that make investing significant sums a viable prospect. However large sites tend to attract greater public opposition so they take longer to pass through the planning process. In addition, a plant handling more than 50,000 tonnes of waste requires approval by the Mayor, so large applications will face delays and paperwork.

Commercial considerations favour large sites but public opinion and planning law tends towards smaller installations.


Waste Map

All this means that the plan to locate waste disposal sites around London is likely to change, with fewer sites designated. The current map identifies many potential sites particularly in East London. In my own patch, Hainault, Harold Hill and Rainham are identified as suitable locations for such facilities.

With the recession the volume of waste has actually started to fall so less capacity is going to be needed in the short term, however not everywhere is well served. One witness pointed out that Hackney residents seeking to dispose of objects like fluorescent light tubes are instructed to take them to Islington's civic amenity site at Hornsey - it seems unlikely that everyone will take the trouble to embark on such a journey.

Deja Vu at the Transport Committee

This morning I filled in at the transport committee for an absent colleague. Now chaired by capable Lib Dem, Caroline Pidgeon, the session focused on Tube overcrowding and the effect of PPP related line closures.


Overcrowding Psychology

Dr Glenn Williams, a senior lecturer in psychology, gave us his take on modern day tube travel. Crowding can cause stress, ill health and poor productivity. Introverts suffer the effects more than extroverts, who are happier to meet new people and get close to them. Crowding encourages passengers to shut themselves off, falling silent, averting their gaze, playing ipods and all the rest, which is ultimately dehumanising - and that is why so few people come to one another's aid on public transport.

Crowding can be positive where the shared experience is enjoyable such as concerts and sporting events, but this does not apply to commuting.


Crowding at it's Worst

Morning peak measurements revealed that the greatest crowding occurs on the Central Line between Liverpool Street and Bank, and on the Northern Line between King's Cross and Angel. Here you are likely to find three other people sharing your personal square metre of space.

In our patch things are more bearable, however parts of the Central Line loop can get busy, with up to two people per square metre between South Woodford, Leytonstone and Gants Hill. In Havering the District Line is a veritable haven of peace with less than half the seats occupied from Upminster to Elm Park, where the remainder start to fill up. Conditions get more intimate at Upney.


Jubilee Line Closures

Work to replace signalling on the Jubilee has resulted in weekend closures over recent months. Witnesses from the Excel Centre and the O2 shared their experiences.

Closure of the line posed a big challenge to the O2 venue, who have arranged extra river services - through Thames Clippers -, replacement bus services, and a boat service linking to the DLR in Docklands. The Clippers carry up to 3,000 people for a major concert and the introduction of Oyster in November will be a further help. O2 were pleased with the relationship they had with TfL but were looking forward to the end of engineering as they felt nothing could really replace the Jubilee Line.

At Excel, closure of the Jubilee Line and the DLR had contributed to the cancellation of seven events and the loss of revenue totalling £1.8 million. Obviously they were not happy although they did feel the DLR managers had been more helpful than London Underground. Most seriously, the closures had disrupted exams being held at the centre, with students struggling to turn up on time.


Piccadilly Planned Closures

Alexander Nichol, representing Covent Garden landowners, gave evidence about the impending Piccadilly Line works. Busy months in Covent Garden are July, August, December and April, so he hoped that disruption could be arranged for other months. He felt there was an opportunity to encourage more walking between stations in the area during closures. Clearer signposts at street level could make a significant contribution to informing travellers' choices.

For example, travelling by tube from Leicester Square to Covent Garden requires a longer walk - up and down stairs and through tunnels - than doing the journey on foot on the surface. The walk is also much more interesting and less crowded - better for introverts and extroverts.

Assembly Expenses Go Online

This morning you can see the expense claims of London Assembly Members for the last year on line at the GLA website. They are itemised in some detail.

My own relate solely to travelling costs and are as follows:

Zone 1-6 Travelcard £1,784.00

Taxi journey, Bromley Civic Centre to Romford Town Centre, 6.11.08, following Peoples' Question Time £71.83


And that's the lot.

The Daily Politics

I'm on The Daily Politics this morning at around 11:30. We will be discussing the mayor's first year in office, covering the high points and the lows. My fellow guest will be the novelist and commentator, Will Self.

I haven't posted much recently because my home PC picked up a virus - from Facebook, I think - and it is taking some time to resume normal service...

Budget Committee Examines Fares

Thursday's budget committee took evidence from TfL witnesses and Kulveer Ranger - the mayor's director of transport policy - on the contentious subject of fare rises.

Setting the fares is a power exercised by the mayor, with reference to the TfL budget and professional advice. TfL forecasts its requirements annually in the October business plan and these are firmed up in the March budget. A number of factors are making predictions unusually challenging this year.


Current Position

Recent months have seen London Underground ridership - and therefore revenue - falling. The number of Underground passengers correlates closely to the number of people commuting to jobs in the capital, so the recession is having an effect, although the impact is less damaging in London than in other parts of the country.

However bus ridership remains unchanged, partly because a different demographic group uses buses and partly because inability to afford Tube fares pushes passengers onto buses as an alternative.

And the good news is that the number of tourists is up, responding to the favourable exchange rate. This particularly affects passenger numbers in zone one.

So given the turbulent position, TfL were reluctant to hazard a long term forecast at this time.


Budget Objectives

Obviously TfL is required to balance its budget, but key objectives in the coming year include:

Protecting the capital programme, most importantly Crossrail. Lower inflation rates in the construction sector may actually lead to savings against this budget heading.

Progressing with the introduction of Oyster pay as you go on main line rail services.

Continuing migration from cash payment to Oysters - interestingly, only 1.4% of bus revenue is now generated by 'on bus' ticket sales. And the figure is probably lower for bendies.


Bus Miles

The committee briefly considered an idea for TfL 'loyalty cards' floated by Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon. The idea would be to reward passengers for travelling during off peak periods. It is an intriguing suggestion which the committee may well return to in detail on another occasion.

Mayor's Question Time

It's MQT this morning and the first three questions all concern London Underground. We can expect some robust discussion around last week's RMT strike and I also plan to use the opportunity to raise concerns about the modernisation of Wanstead Station.

Wanstead is due to close for refurbishment next week with passengers expected to use nearby Snaresbrook Station instead. Unfortunately the capacity of Snaresbrook is limited and the station may become overcrowded. A lot of the older residents worry that the extra 15 minute walk will be too much for them.

Jenny Jones has a question about violence against women - something that we all (I hope) want to tackle. Expect some debate around the new approach to this problem being pioneered by Boris.

James Cleverly is going to ask the Mayor about rising rates of tuberculosis in some boroughs. He wants Boris to promote vaccination in boroughs with high TB rates.

John Biggs is raising questions around City Hall expenses. Our regime is rather limited and very transparent compared to goings on at Parliament and the matter was raised briefly by Richard Barnbrook last month, without much success. John refers to expense accounts as the troughs of the professional classes - how revolutionary...

And we have demonstrators opposing the removal of kerbs on main roads. They raise a real worry that blind or partially sighted people might stray into the path of oncoming traffic.

The Paris to Dakkar of question times will begin at 10:00am.

LBC Saturday Morning

I'm off to do the morning paper review with Ken Livingstone on LBC tomorrow. Now what shall we talk about???

Assembly Condemns The RMT

This morning saw the monthly plenary meeting of the Assembly and most members struggled in despite the Tube strike. We took the opportunity to comment on the unwarranted industrial action in the following terms:

We condemn the RMT's irresponsible strike action, which will cause huge disruption to over three million Londoners and cost the London economy £100 million.

This motion was approved by all the members, although Labour did seek to make the following amendment:

This Assembly also condemns Mayor Johnson's failure to work towards improved industrial relations within TfL and his lack of leadership on this issue.

For a change they were left on their own, with the Greens abstaining and the Lib Dems opposing their amendment.

We also took the opportunity to thank the other unions, including ASLEF, who turned up to work, along with a considerable number of RMT members who braved the picket lines to keep services running. By lunch time London Underground were running trains on nine of the eleven lines.