MQT Old answers

MQT old answers May 18

 

 

Police station closures [1]

Question No: 2018/ 0530

Andrew Dismore AM

 

How much do you expect to save as the result of the closure of police front counters in a) Barnet, b) Camden, and c) across London?.

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

As set out in the Public Access Strategy the closure of front counters will save in the region of £8m per year.  In Barnet this is expected to be around £240k. In Camden, where no stations are being sold, this is expected to be around £80k a year.

 

 

Air pollution in Golders Green Road NW11

Question No: 2018/0890

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2018/0253

Do you share my concern about air pollution around Golders Green Road NW11 and the northern end of North End Road? There are now so many buses and coaches that there is no room for them all in the bus station. Some bus drivers, both in and out of the bus station still run their engines while parked.  When snow stopped the 268 and 210 from going up North End Road, they were immobile, with engines running. The south bound bus stop in Golders Green Road already serves several bus lines. National Express coaches en-route for central London, now stop at this bus stop to drop off passengers, leaving their engines running whilst luggage is unloaded. This fills the bus shelter with fumes. Will you take steps to remind bus companies that engines should not be left running when the bus is stopped?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2018/0253

 

 

C11 bus

Question No: 2018/0892

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2017/5159

I continue to receive complaints about the infrequency of the C11 bus after TfL timetable cuts, which mean that the bus is frequently full and therefore does not stop to pick up passengers, for example going to the Royal Free Hospital; will you review this service accordingly?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2017/5159.

13 bus

Question No: 2018/0893

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2017/5161

Despite reassurances from you by way of answers to MQs and from TfL in response to correspondence, the problems of the 13 bus continue as they have for many months now. I am still receiving complaints of fast and jerky bad driving by the drivers, unreliable and intermittent services, not stopping despite having a hand out to stop the bus, missing bus stops despite ringing the bell, and the poor design of the busses with inadequate seating. When will these problems be resolved, if ever?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2017/5161.

Policing operation concerning Julian Assange

Question No: 2018/0885

Andrew Dismore

How much has the policing operation concerning Julian Assange, ensconced in the Ecuadorean Embassy to avoid his arrest warrant cost in total?

Written response from the Mayor

The MPS withdrew the physical presence of officers from outside the Embassy on 12 October 2015.  The estimated cost of policing the Ecuadorian Embassy between June 2012 and October 2015 was £13.2m, of which £7.2m was opportunity costs (police officer pay costs that would be incurred in normal duties) and £3.8m additional costs (estimated additional police overtime as a direct result of the deployments at the Ecuadorian Embassy). Indirect costs (e.g. covering support departments and administration overheads) amounted to £2.2m.

The costs provided are an estimate based on averages, as actual salary and overtime costs would vary daily.

National Clean Air Fund [1]

Question No: 2018/0896

Andrew Dismore

What is your view on Theresa May’s decision to ban Londoners from benefiting from the National Clean Air Fund? What representations have you made, and to whom?

Written response from the Mayor

The purpose of the National Clean Air Fund is to minimise compliance costs and impacts on residents, drivers and businesses affected by new Clean Air Zone schemes like the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

I have proposed that London will have the largest ULEZ in the country so it is shocking that ministers are not allowing Londoners to benefit from this funding in the same way as citizens from other parts of the country will be able to. This is despite the fact that Londoners are contributing to this fund as a result of the changes to Vehicle Excise Duty announced by the Chancellor in November.

I have raised this matter with Philip Hammond, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling and Jo Johnson. In addition, Shirley Rodrigues, my Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, has raised this matter with Therese Coffey, the Minister responsible for air quality.

I am waiting for a formal response to my representations on this matter from Michael Gove.

Vehicle excise duty [2]

Question No: 2018/0897

Andrew Dismore

Have you sought legal opinion on the legality of Theresa May’s decision to ban Londoners from benefiting from the National Clean Air Fund? Would you consider legal action on behalf of Londoners and London’s Councils?

Written response from the Mayor

I have sought legal advice and have been advised that as ministers have considerable discretion in determining how funding of this type can be used it is unlikely any legal action would be successful. I continue to lobby ministers that it is essential that Londoners can access such funding. This will be essential to help minimise compliance costs on residents, drivers and businesses affected by Clean Air Zone schemes like the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Given I have proposed the largest Ultra Low Emission Zone in the country, and that Londoners are contributing to this fund as a result of the changes to Vehicle Excise, I think it is essential that Londoners can benefit from this funding in the same way as citizens from other parts of the country.

 

 

 

River and water safety [3]

Question No: 2018/0699

To: Mayor and Commissioner

Andrew Dismore

Will you work and co-ordinate with the Boroughs the inclusion of riverside public open spaces including foreshores and embankments within Borough risk registers?

Written response from the Mayor

Yes, via appropriate fora such as the London Resilience Forum.

 

382 bus at Mill Hill East
Question No: 2016/1795
Andrew Dismore
The 382 bus at Mill Hill East is not co-ordinated with the times of the Tube shuttle, going at the same time in the same direction. If it was staggered to the mid-point of the 15 minute tube schedule, it would mean no-one would have to wait more than 7.5 minutes for a tube or bus heading south.  Can this be organised please?

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

 

TfL has identified opportunities to improve the reliability of Route 382 and better align the route with the southbound Tube schedule.  TfL will provide an update by autumn 2016. I have asked TfL officers to write to you with an update once they have concluded their investigations.

 

Air pollution in Golders Green Road NW11

Question No: 2018/0890

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2018/0253

Do you share my concern about air pollution around Golders Green Road NW11 and the northern end of North End Road? There are now so many buses and coaches that there is no room for them all in the bus station. Some bus drivers, both in and out of the bus station still run their engines while parked.  When snow stopped the 268 and 210 from going up North End Road, they were immobile, with engines running. The south bound bus stop in Golders Green Road already serves several bus lines. National Express coaches en-route for central London, now stop at this bus stop to drop off passengers, leaving their engines running whilst luggage is unloaded. This fills the bus shelter with fumes. Will you take steps to remind bus companies that engines should not be left running when the bus is stopped?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2018/0253.

C11 bus

Question No: 2018/0892

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2017/5159

I continue to receive complaints about the infrequency of the C11 bus after TfL timetable cuts, which mean that the bus is frequently full and therefore does not stop to pick up passengers, for example going to the Royal Free Hospital; will you review this service accordingly?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2017/5159

 

13 bus

Question No: 2018/0893

Andrew Dismore

Further to Question No: 2017/5161

Despite reassurances from you by way of answers to MQs and from TfL in response to correspondence, the problems of the 13 bus continue as they have for many months now. I am still receiving complaints of fast and jerky bad driving by the drivers, unreliable and intermittent services, not stopping despite having a hand out to stop the bus, missing bus stops despite ringing the bell, and the poor design of the busses with inadequate seating. When will these problems be resolved, if ever?

your response being:

Officers are drafting a response which will be sent shortly.

Will you now give a substantive response?

Written response from the Mayor

Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2017/5161

 

Green Belt and covenants (2)

Question No: 2016/ 4375              

Andrew Dismore

 

As paragraph 87 of the National Planning Policy Framework states “As with previous Green belt policy, inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances”, do you agree that a London Borough should not be considering a course of action that ignores or destroys a protective covenant, when the land was originally procured to stop such developments happening; and that such covenants should be considered as added protection to the definition in the NPPF?

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

I am committed to protecting London’s Green Belt from inappropriate development and to enhancing it where possible. My new draft London Plan includes strong protection of the Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and other open spaces and habitats, as well as policies to support my aim to make more than half of the capital green by 2050.

 

Restrictive covenants, however, are not a land-use planning matter and therefore cannot be managed or enforced through the planning process.

 

 

Air pollution in Golders Green Road NW11

Question No: 2018/0253

Andrew Dismore

 

Do you share my concern about air pollution around Golders Green Road NW11 and the northern end of North End Road? There are now so many buses and coaches that there is no room for them all in the bus station. Some bus drivers, both in and out of the bus station still run their engines while parked.  When snow stopped the 268 and 210 from going up North End Road, they were immobile, with engines running. The south bound bus stop in Golders Green Road already serves several bus lines. National Express coaches en-route for central London, now stop at this bus stop to drop off passengers, leaving their engines running whilst luggage is unloaded. This fills the bus shelter with fumes. Will you take steps to remind bus companies that engines should not be left running when the bus is stopped?

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

Transport for London (TfL) and I take air quality and engine idling seriously, and we are taking steps to improve things in both the short and long term.

 

TfL has reminded operators of routes 210 and 268 that bus drivers should switch off engines if vehicles can’t go anywhere. Victoria Coach Station has also asked National Express to issue a drivers’ bulletin about manually switching off coaches. TfL is also checking on buses and coaches at Golders Green Bus Station to ensure engines aren’t left running. I trust this will bring about immediate improvement.

 

As well as addressing engine idling, TfL and I are working hard to rapidly upgrade the bus fleet to cut harmful emissions to a fraction of previous levels. This will bring air quality benefits to all areas, including Golders Green Road, North End Road and the bus station. On some of the newest and cleanest buses, the engine already automatically switches off if the vehicle is stationary.

 

 

C11 bus

Question No: 2017/5159

Andrew Dismore

 

I continue to receive complaints about the infrequency of the C11 bus after TfL timetable cuts, which mean that the bus is frequently full and therefore does not stop to pick up passengers, for example going to the Royal Free Hospital; will you review this service accordingly?

Written response from the Mayor

Route C11 has suffered from poor reliability, with significant delays experienced towards the end of 2017. This was due to a number of roadworks affecting the route, which led to delays of up to 30 minutes. This in turn led to an increase in customer complaints. However, Transport for London (TfL) is pleased to confirm that, since December, when the roadworks were completed, the route has performed well, exceeding its reliability targets, and is providing sufficient capacity. This much-improved performance will hopefully have been noticed by passengers all along the route.

As set out in my response to MQ2017/5034, TfL reduced the frequency of the C11 to run every 10 minutes following a decline in passenger numbers. TfL will continue to keep the C11’s capacity and performance under review.

 

 

C11 bus

Question No: 2017/5159

Andrew Dismore

 

I continue to receive complaints about the infrequency of the C11 bus after TfL timetable cuts, which mean that the bus is frequently full and therefore does not stop to pick up passengers, for example going to the Royal Free Hospital; will you review this service accordingly?

Written response from the Mayor

Route C11 has suffered from poor reliability, with significant delays experienced towards the end of 2017. This was due to a number of roadworks affecting the route, which led to delays of up to 30 minutes. This in turn led to an increase in customer complaints. However, Transport for London (TfL) is pleased to confirm that, since December, when the roadworks were completed, the route has performed well, exceeding its reliability targets, and is providing sufficient capacity. This much-improved performance will hopefully have been noticed by passengers all along the route.

As set out in my response to MQ2017/5034, TfL reduced the frequency of the C11 to run every 10 minutes following a decline in passenger numbers. TfL will continue to keep the C11’s capacity and performance under review.

 

 

 

 

                

13 bus

Question No: 2017/5161

Andrew Dismore

 

Despite reassurances from you by way of answers to MQs and from TfL in response to correspondence, the problems of the 13 bus continue as they have for many months now. I am still receiving complaints of fast and jerky bad driving by the drivers, unreliable and intermittent services, not stopping despite having a hand out to stop the bus, missing bus stops despite ringing the bell, and the poor design of the busses with inadequate seating. When will these problems be resolved, if ever?

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

Transport for London (TfL) takes all complaints very seriously, and is working with the bus operator of route 13, Tower Transit, to improve the service. TfL has undertaken independent assessments via its mystery traveller surveys, where inspectors travel on the route and record how the service is being operated, and these results show scores are improving.  In addition, the number of driver-related customer services complaints received by TfL has more than halved over the last three periods.

 

Reports of route 13 buses not stopping when a customer signals for the vehicle continue to be tackled through customer experience training and specific feedback. It is the case that sometimes a bus may be full and therefore unable to stop, and this may not always be obvious to customers. TfL is investigating options for improving how it communicates this.

 

The current actions put in place by Tower Transit include managers spending a day on route 13 to engage with drivers, discuss any issues experienced, and provide support and feedback as necessary. Tower Transit has also appointed agency AA Drivetech to conduct internal driving assessments on this service and others to identify areas where improvement is required, and has created a new Business Operations Manager position, whose duties include monitoring customer experience.

 

 

Police station closures [1]

Question No: 2018/ 0530

Andrew Dismore AM

 

How much do you expect to save as the result of the closure of police front counters in a) Barnet, b) Camden, and c) across London?.

 

Written response from the Mayor

 

As set out in the Public Access Strategy the closure of front counters will save in the region of £8m per year.  In Barnet this is expected to be around £240k. In Camden, where no stations are being sold, this is expected to be around £80k a year.

 

 

 

MQ 2017/0215 Impact of HS2 on Euston

Further to Question No: 2016/4854:

Further to Question No: 2016/4380:

Andrew Dismore AM

 

In August you wrote a very welcome letter to the Secretary of State for Transport about the impact of HS2 on Euston setting out your concerns on behalf of residents after you met with local representatives. Details of this appeared in the Evening Standard last month. Have you received a reply yet; and if so, will you publish it; and if not what are you doing to press for a reply?

Your response being:

The Secretary of State responded to my letter on 10 October, stating that he shares my desire to maximise the opportunity HS2 presents locally and wants to see a comprehensive redevelopment of Euston.

His response also recognises that it is critical to mitigate the impacts of construction on people living and working around the Euston area. Whilst the SoS’s response provides some reassurance, I will continue to push for a better outcome at Euston to reduce the impacts of HS2 and protect peoples quality of life and livelihoods.

Will you now publish the Secretary of State’s letter of 10th October?

 

Written answer from the Mayor

 

It has been brought to my attention that you submitted MQ 2017/0215, on 18 January 2017, has not received a response. I apologise sincerely for this oversight.

 

A copy of the letter to which you refer has been sent to your office. It has also been published, along with other correspondence to the Transport Secretary, on the london.gov.uk website at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/9937-attachment-redacted.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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