Tonight:
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Your chance to quiz Boris as he opens up City Hall
Paul Waugh8 May 2009
Boris Johnson will use tomorrow's annual State of London debate to reaffirm his pledge to open up City Hall to the public and put accountability at the heart of his reign.
The Mayor will commit to ensuring Londoners know how every penny of their money is spent as he drives through efficency savings to freeze the Greater London Authority council tax for the first time since it was set up nine years ago.
Every resident in the capital is invited to the free event at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster to raise questions with the Mayor and other senior figures. Mr Johnson will highlight that he has improved transparency and drawn a line under the issues that dogged Ken Livingstone. Measures include publishing job description and salary of every deputy mayor and adviser on the GLA website. Mayoral advisers also have their interests published and the GLA publishes details of all payments over £1,000.
Mr Johnson will say that by focusing on doing fewer things better, he has found £104.4 million of savings this year without impacting on key services, such as the delivery of 440 uniformed police on buses.
In his speech, Mr Johnson will say: "I promised that I would open City Hall up to scrutiny and that is what I have done. By holding regular public meetings and increasing the number of People's Question Time events, my administration has given Londoners the opportunity to directly quiz me and my team."
He will point out that his administration has brought in a £3 billion economic recovery plan to help tackle the financial downturn and highlight the new Time For Action plan to address youth crime. The Mayor will also seek to dispel doubts over a £5 billion housing strategy to deliver 50,000 affordable homes.
He will outline his transport plans to push through Crossrail and a "£111 million cycling revolution".
● The State of London Debate takes place from 10am to 3pm tomorrow.
Reader views (9)
I remember having my bank card stolen and only found out a few days later. The card had been used to withdraw two lots of £950 out of my account within 15minutes of one another in the same branch of a bank some miles away. It turned out the bank, the RBS, didn't require card holders to use the pin number for amounts under £1000 at the counter and the thieves had gone into the branch. My point? An awful lot of money can be hived off to Boris's chums with a limit of £1000 on the level of scrutiny. I'm an engineer and what we do with safety systems is check all of the important systems, analogous to the payments over £1000, but we also check a random sample of the less important systems, usually we check 10% of those. Now is Boris going to bring in a system like that or will he be passing money to his favourites in £950 chunks? I think we should be told don't you? We had enough of this nonsense under Red Ken's administration without Boris leaving himself open to exactly the same charge. Also all of these checks, all, should be put on the web within three months. Can't be done of course, too much hassle, so how come the Scottish parliament manages to do it?
- John, Dundee, UK, 09/05/2009 21:46
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Boris: Why do you always steal from the poor & give it to the rich? Favors for favors?? Why are the ticket inspectors only on buses in East london? Why are all the big contracts on the olympic park going to west london based firms? And why do you pretend to like minorities? just following orders?? your secret is safe with me mr B.
- Oilthieves, london, 09/05/2009 01:09
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@David, Southwark: The State Of London Debate is not being held in City Hall - read the article. Contrary to your comment about Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor made sure the public could visit City Hall on ten annual open weekends and Boris Johnson is now cutting that access: http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3868
You could have also attended the monthly Mayor's Question Time and other public meetings of the London Assembly at City Hall on weekdays.
- Helen, West London, 08/05/2009 22:56
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Its great Boris is opening up City Hall, I've always wanted to visit the building but Red Ken made sure the public could never go inside.
- David, Southwark, 08/05/2009 17:01
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I want to ask Boris why he persistently runs red lights and cycles on the pavements of London when he is the man responsible for safety on London's roads
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 08/05/2009 16:55
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Helen and Melvyn, Boris doesn't need to be held to account. He was voted in by the majority of Londoners who trust him to do what is necessary to get this city back on its feet after eight years under a disastrous mayor. Perhaps if Ken had done less of these silly question and answer sessions he might have got more work done! Boris is doing an excellent job so far, let him get on with it.
- Kimberley, London, 08/05/2009 13:37
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Perhaps all opposition GLA Members should attend as it seems the only opportunity they may get to question Boris!!
Just like PMQ's Ken had MPQ's every week!!!
Boris has same problem as Cameron when it comes to questions and answers ony with Boris he DONT DO ANSWERS!!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 08/05/2009 12:28
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This year's State Of London Debate features a greatly reduced programme of sessions and (unlike debates under the previous mayor) there will be no direct employees of Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police Authority, the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority, the London Development Agency or Visit London to answer the public's questions, merely bureauocrats who are not involved in day-to-day control of these constituent bodies of the GLA.
Boris Johnson cut down the previous mayor's weekly press conferences to monthly and now has not held a press conference since November 2008. His dislike of being questioned and held to account was demonstrated by his petulant, childish behaviour in front of the Transport Select Committee when he was taken to task for the failure of Transport for London to cope with the snowfall in February this year.
- Helen, West London, 08/05/2009 12:13
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Is there really a need for a London Mayor? Personally I'd like to see City Hall and its cahoots removed if it means we pay a lower share of council tax. London is under control of Parliament anyway, and with the Conservatives in power from next year is there a need for Boris? I say remove the GLA and see how much more money we can save; this country needs all the tax cuts it can get.
- Frankie, London, 08/05/2009 09:47
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