July MQT answers
Question No: 2019/14511
Andrew Dismore
Has Brexit intensified austerity in London and led to a decline in living standards for Londoners?
Brexit and austerity
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Yes. Since the referendum result, a weakened pound has inflated food and energy prices and exacerbated an already challenging cost of living. Economic growth has slowed down and as a result, household incomes are some two per cent lower than they would be had the UK not voted to leave the EU.
This has intensified austerity, which as I set out in MQ 2019/12123 is squeezing the crucial services that vulnerable Londoners rely on. The economic damage that any form of Brexit will bring will push even more Londoners into poverty, and into an already-failing welfare system.
The first priority of the new Prime Minister must be to put an immediate end to the chaos and confusion of Brexit. That means revoking Article 50 and giving the British public the final say on Brexit. This is the only way to protect jobs, growth and prosperity for the next generation.
Question No: 2019/14513
Andrew Dismore
On average how frequently do wooden sleepers on tube lines need replacement?
Tube Noise [1]
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Typically, timber sleepers are replaced approximately every 30 years.
Transport for London regularly monitors and repairs timber sleepers on its Tube network to ensure that they remain safe.
Question No: 2019/14514
Andrew Dismore
What is the annual or other periodic cost of replacing old wooden sleepers with new concrete sleepers?
Tube Noise [2]
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Transport for London (TfL) does not have a separate budget for replacing wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers or ‘slab track’. This work is undertaken as part of the planned renewal of the track, to ensure the continued safety and reliability of the Tube network.
TfL spends approximately £150m a year on track improvements.
Question No: 2019/14515
Andrew Dismore
What is the estimated cost of replacing the new concrete sleepers that have been installed in areas that now suffer tube noise with wooden sleepers?
Answer for Tube Noise [3]
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Information and Briefings on Police Operations (1)
Question No: 2019/14516
Andrew Dismore
Taking into account the following story in the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/iran-linked-terrorists-caught-stockpiling-explosives-in-london), how do the Metropolitan Police Service make decisions on whether to provide public statements on police operations?
Information and Briefings on Police Operations (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Where people are arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will liaise with the Directorate of Media and Communications (DMC) to put in place a media strategy for the investigation. In the first instance, the DMC will always look to encourage a proactive approach in issuing details of such arrests to the media and the public and in the majority of cases, this is the approach taken.
However, on occasion, there will be operational reasons why officers will not want to release details of arrests on a proactive basis, in which case lines will be held by DMC on a reactive basis only. The decision to do this ultimately rests with the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) who is leading the investigation. There may be various reasons why an SIO may not wish to issue details of arrests proactively to media, but any such decision will be in line with and to support their overall investigative strategy.
Information and Briefings on Police Operations (2)
Question No: 2019/14517
Andrew Dismore
Taking into account the following story in the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/iran-linked-terrorists-caught-stockpiling-explosives-in-london), how do the Metropolitan Police Service make decisions on which politicians should be given briefings on police operations?
Answer for Information and Briefings on Police Operations (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Information and Briefings on Police Operations (3)
Question No: 2019/14518
Andrew Dismore
Was the then Mayor, Boris Johnson, informed about a 2015 operation in which four properties associated with Hezbollah were raided and found to contain thousands of potentially dangerous chemicals? (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/iran-linked-terrorists-caught-stockpiling-explosives-in-london)
Answer for Information and Briefings on Police Operations (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Question No: 2019/14519
Andrew Dismore
What did you discuss with the Mayor of Shenzhen at your meeting on 10 May 2019?
A meeting of Mayors
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
I hosted an introductory meeting with Mayor Chen Rugui and his accompanying delegation on 10 May. We discussed the important links and collaboration between London and Shenzhen, in business, education, culture and environment. Mayor Chen commended on the continuous effort from London & Partners to support trade & Investment initiatives between our cities. I also acknowledged the valuable contribution of Shenzhen based electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and their partnership with UK based Alexander Dennis Limited, who have produced new double decker electric buses being used on London’s roads.
Electrical appliance safety (1)
Question No: 2019/14520
Andrew Dismore
In your response to my question 2019/9239, you said you would expect “all Londoners to heed the advice of London Fire Brigade”. What actions has the GLA, including LFB, taken, to make developers of housing on GLA land aware of LFB advice regarding unsafe electrical appliances and to encourage them to heed this?
Electrical appliance safety (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The London Development Panel (LDP2) is the GLA’s framework of developers and builders which can be used to deliver residential-led development on public land. There are already standard clauses in LDP2 contracts which require developers to do all things required by any regulations relating to the works and the use and occupation of the premises.
Officers in Housing & Land are working with the LFB to review the standard form of contracts for LDP2 to make sure that new homes delivered on the GLA’s land through the panel meet the highest standards of fire safety. The review will consider including measures relating to the fire safety of electrical appliances in new LDP contracts, and sharing this guidance with existing developers building on GLA land.
Electrical appliance safety (2)
Question No: 2019/14521
Andrew Dismore
Do LFB fire safety visits include a check of electrical appliances in the premises in order to make residents aware of any that are on LFB’s danger list?
Electrical appliance safety (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) current Home Fire Safety Visits do not routinely include checks of electrical appliances. However, both the LFB website and the ‘Fire Safety in the Home’ booklet contain specific advice regarding the electrical safety of appliances. The ongoing Total Recalls campaign also continues to raise awareness of electrical appliance safety and the need for a central Government product recall database.
The pilot of the Fire, Safe and Well visits did include elements of electrical appliance safety, including product registration and recall. This provided valuable data which has been shared with the Office of Product Safety and Standards.
Electrical appliance safety (3)
Question No: 2019/14522
Andrew Dismore
What guidance, if any, on interior appliance fittings does the GLA issue to housing developers operating on GLA land?
Electrical appliance safety (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Please see the answer to Mayor’s Question 2019/14520 but note that it is the responsibility of developers to ensure that they comply with statutory fire regulations and Electrical Wiring regulations (18th Edition) and any codes of practices or guidance issued by the HSE, central government and the LFB.
Question No: 2019/14523
Andrew Dismore
How many fires at cannabis farms has LFB attended since 2009/10? Please provide this data by year.
Fires in cannabis farms (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
London Fire Brigade (LFB) does not use a specific data identifier for fires at cannabis farms. Therefore, data about such fires is derived from a free text search for the term ‘cannabis farms’ in its records. The number of fires identified through this format are set out below:
| Financial Year | Number of fires |
| 2009/10 | 18 |
| 2010/11 | 15 |
| 2011/12 | 20 |
| 2012/13 | 26 |
| 2013/14 | 20 |
| 2014/15 | 25 |
| 2015/16 | 18 |
| 2016/17 | 26 |
| 2017/18 | 18 |
| 2018/19 | 14 |
| 2019/20* (as at 9 July 2019) | 8 |
Question No: 2019/14524
Andrew Dismore
What is the average number of appliances and firefighters attending incidents at cannabis farms, in each year since 2009/10?
Fires in cannabis farms (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has no specific data identifier for fires at cannabis farms. Data about such fires is derived from querying free text incident messages. Data about appliances and riders at fires at ‘cannabis farms’ is also set out in the table below.
| Financial Year | Number of fires | Pumping appliances | Other appliances |
| Appliances (average) | Riders (average) | Appliances (average) | Riders (average) |
| 2009/10 | 18 | 4.2 | 18.9 |
| 2010/11 | 15 | 4.0 | 19.1 |
| 2011/12 | 20 | 4.5 | 19.9 |
| 2012/13 | 26 | 4.0 | 17.7 |
| 2013/14 | 20 | 4.2 | 19.0 |
| 2014/15 | 25 | 3.8 | 19.0 |
| 2015/16 | 18 | 4.1 | 19.1 |
| 2016/17 | 26 | 4.0 | 18.1 |
| 2017/18 | 18 | 3.7 | 17.2 |
| 2018/19 | 14 | 5.1 | 22.8 |
| 2019/20 | 8 | 8.4 | 37.0 |
The average number of pumping and other appliances attending (and riders) excludes reliefs.
The average number of pumping appliances and pumping appliance riders in 2019/20 is impacted by the 15-pump fire at a warehouse in Tottenham in May 2019 and the smaller data set, as the figures up to 9th July 2019.
Fires affecting rough sleepers (1)
Question No: 2019/14525
Andrew Dismore
How many rough sleepers in London have a) died and b) required hospitalisation as a result of injuries sustained in fires in each year from 2009/10 to the present? Please provide this data broken down by borough if possible
Fires affecting rough sleepers (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
There is no specific data category in the national Incident Recording System, which London Fire Brigade (LFB) follows, for indicating whether the victim of a fire is a ‘rough sleeper’. The data to answer this question (attached) has been compiled by querying free text held as part of the incident record.
This includes messages from the incident ground where someone sustained an injury or died as a result of a fire that occurred outdoors, or in outdoor structures including garages, warehouses, squats, vans and communal areas of residential blocks. Fires in hostels for homeless people have not been included in this search.
Fires affecting rough sleepers (2)
Question No: 2019/14526
Andrew Dismore
How many fires have there been in London in which a rough sleeper sustained an injury or died as a result of the fire in each year since 2009/10? Please provide this data broken down by borough if possible.
Fires affecting rough sleepers (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Please see the answer outlined in Mayor’s Question 2019/14525.
Fires affecting rough sleepers (3)
Question No: 2019/14527
Andrew Dismore
Of the fires in London since 2009/10 in which a rough sleeper sustained an injury or died as a result, how many were judged by LFB to have been started deliberately? Please provide this data broken down by year and by borough if possible.
Fires affecting rough sleepers (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Please see the answer to Mayor’s Question 2019/14525.
Question No: 2019/14528
Andrew Dismore
Who is the responsible person under the Fire Safety Order for the Millennium Mills site which caught fire on 23 June 2019?
Millennium Mills fire (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The site is managed by the GLA’s property management consultants, Avison Young, and they are responsible for fire safety.
Question No: 2019/14529
Andrew Dismore
LFB reported that the Millennium Mills building had caught fire four times previously, most recently 12 months ago. What fire safety advice, if any, did LFB provide to the responsible person after each of these fires?
Millennium Mills fire (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The building has been disused for over 30 years and cannot be occupied in its current state. London Fire Brigade (LFB) have previously discussed with the managing agents about the security arrangements at the site. Following the latest discussions, security at the site has been increased to prevent further fires.
Buildings below 18m with flammable cladding
Question No: 2019/14530
Andrew Dismore
Is LFB or any other GLA body taking steps to ascertain the number of buildings, like Samuel Garside House, that are below 18m high but have aluminium composite material cladding, or other forms of cladding that are judged to be unsafe on tall buildings?
Buildings below 18m with flammable cladding
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Neither LFB nor the GLA would have the capacity to investigate all buildings in London that might have potentially unsafe cladding.
It is the responsibility of national Government to make sure the responsible person for each building is given the correct guidance on making sure their building is safe, and that councils are given the powers and resources they need to take appropriate enforcement action.
Support from external organisations on the Samuel Garside House fire
Question No: 2019/14531
Andrew Dismore
What support has LFB received from the Building Research Establishment and the Independent Expert Panel on the investigation into the fire at Samuel Garside House?
Support from external organisations on the Samuel Garside House fire
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) did not directly assist London Fire Brigade (LFB) with the investigation at Samuel Garside House. The IEP’s role is to advise Government, rather than to assist fire services with investigations. LFB did facilitate BRE attending the incident to gather data for MHCLG’s building safety programme, but BRE were not commissioned to be there in to support either the police or fire service. LFB deployed specialist fire safety and fire investigation officers to the fire. Officers were supported by the Brigade’s Scientific Advisors, who took samples for laboratory testing.
Lakanal House coroner’s recommendations
Question No: 2019/14532
Andrew Dismore
What correspondence was had between LFB, other GLA bodies, and London Boroughs regarding the coroner’s recommendations following the Lakanal House fire?
Lakanal House coroner’s recommendations
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Following the Coroner’s recommendations, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) initiated a high-rise fire safety forum, hosted by LFB and attended by partners including London Councils, the National Social Housing Fire Strategy Group, the Association of Residential Letting Agents and a number of other associations. LFB also ran a campaign targeted at housing providers and those living in purpose-built blocks of flats, which used a variety of means to promote important safety messages. Letters were sent to all London Boroughs and Housing Associations, and ‘know the plan’ guides were sent to local councillors.
The Brigade also engaged with DCLG to request clarification on a number of Regulatory Fire Safety matters.
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (1)
Question No: 2019/14533
Andrew Dismore
How many social sector buildings have had funding allocated from the cladding remediation fund administered by the GLA and what is the total value of this allocation?
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The GLA manages the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund in London on the Government’s behalf. The Government approves funding applications, and a total of approximately £206m funding has been committed and has begun to be spent on 72 buildings in London.
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (2)
Question No: 2019/14534
Andrew Dismore
Of the social sector buildings that have been allocated cladding remediation funding via the GLA, how many are in each borough?
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government is responsible for collecting data on buildings affected by ACM cladding, and the information they collect is published in building safety data releases, the latest of which is available on the link below. Specific information on exact number of buildings in each borough, or how many have received cladding remediation funding, is not published to avoid the risk that buildings can be identified.
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (3)
Question No: 2019/14535
Andrew Dismore
How many dwellings are contained in the buildings to which the GLA has allocated funding for the remediation of ACM cladding in the social sector?
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (3)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
On behalf of the Government, the GLA has allocated funding from the Social Sector Cladding Remediation fund to 72 buildings, which contain a total of approximately 5,500 dwellings.
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (4)
Question No: 2019/14536
Andrew Dismore
What is the total number of social sector buildings in London with ACM cladding that have yet to be allocated funding from the remediation fund?
Public sector remediation of ACM cladding (4)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has committed to fund the remediation of all social sector residential buildings with ACM cladding of 18m or over. MHCLG is yet to approve four buildings in London. My team is working with building owners to get these applications approved as quickly as possible.
Inspection of interim fire safety measures (1)
Question No: 2019/14537
Andrew Dismore
In your response to question 2019/12198, you said that LFB firefighters are conducting ad-hoc checks on interim fire safety measures. How many such checks have LFB conducted in each year since the Grenfell Tower fire, and what has been the number of person-hours taken up?
Inspection of interim fire safety measures (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Ad hoc checks of buildings with interim arrangements have been in place since December 2017. The number of buildings to which these checks have been applied has varied slightly over that time as buildings have been remediated and new premises have been added. The person hours taken up at these visits will have varied greatly for a number of reasons, including differences in the primary reason firefighters were visiting the premises and the complexity of the property and it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the hours spent on these visits. There have been in excess of 2,400 revisits to these premises since December 2017. 1,768 visits took place in 2018 and 616 visits have taken place so far in 2019.
Inspection of interim fire safety measures (2)
Question No: 2019/14538
Andrew Dismore
In your response to question 2019/12198, you said that “LFB has procedures in place to respond to fire safety concerns raised by residents in any premises”. How many safety concerns have been raised by residents in buildings with interim fire safety measures have been lodged with LFB in each year since the Grenfell Tower fire? Please break this data down by borough.
Inspection of interim fire safety measures (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
London Fire Brigade (LFB) routinely receive a range of general enquiries and concerns from residents through a variety of means. These interactions are not routinely captured for recording purposes. However, serious safety concerns are captured as Alleged Fire Risks (AFRs). There has been one AFR raised from a resident in a block with interim fire safety measures in place since June 2017, and that was in Hounslow.
Question No: 2019/14539
Andrew Dismore
How many tall residential buildings constructed on GLA land have had sprinklers or other automated fire suppression systems fitted?
Answer for Sprinklers on GLA land
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
Question No: 2019/14540
Andrew Dismore
Is the Joint Inspection Team announced in June 2018 operating yet?
Joint Inspection Team
The Mayor
Last updated: 22 July, 2019
I am frustrated that the Government has so far failed to get the Joint Inspection Team up and running, more than a year after it was announced. However, my team has been informed that the Joint Inspection work will start shortly.
Question No: 2019/14541
Andrew Dismore
When are further details of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund due to be announced?
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Back in 2017, I wrote to Ministers jointly with London Councils to call on Government to continue to devolve this proposed replacement to EU programmes that benefit the UK; with funding of at least the same quantum.
The Government’s promised 2018 UK Shared Prosperity Fund consultation paper is now nearly a year overdue. In June the Government again committed in its response to the parliamentary Homes, Communities and Local Government Select Committee enquiry on Brexit and local government to “consult widely on the Fund” but said that final decisions would be made following the ‘Spending Review’.
But that review may now itself be delayed due to either continued Brexit uncertainty and/or the actions of the new Prime Minister.
Question No: 2019/14542
Andrew Dismore
What impact would no-deal Brexit have on London’s food supply chain?
Brexit and food (1)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
The impact of any disruption is difficult to determine, depending on factors including industry reaction and policy, UK and EU member state policy and, importantly, public behaviour. Just-in-time food supply chains are complex and have evolved over decades with access to free trade agreements across Europe.
I asked the London Resilience Forum (LRF) to look at the short-term implications of no-deal on food supply and distribution, alongside other critical areas. They have explored this with the London Food Board, including retail and hospitality sector representatives, and are working to understand how Government will maintain continuity of food supply.
The LRF has raised its concerns with Government about the unacceptable risks on food supply for vulnerable Londoners.
The first priority of the new Prime Minister must be to put an immediate end to the chaos and confusion of Brexit. That means revoking Article 50 and giving the public the final say.
Question No: 2019/14543
Andrew Dismore
What could be the impact on London, of the conclusions from a recent report from the Alternative Arrangements Commission, which suggests that one solution could be for Britain and Ireland to form a single zone for food standards?
Brexit and food (2)
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers have not studied whether this latest idea intended to minimise the impact of Brexit on the Irish border would be viable in practice or especially relevant to London. However, it has been clear throughout the Brexit negotiation process that the most straightforward solution to the Irish border question – and the best economic outcome in the event of Brexit – would be for the United Kingdom to retain membership of the European single market and customs union.
The authors of this interim report are clear all parties would need to agree to their “alternative arrangements” proposal. However, Leo Varadkar the Irish Taoiseach has already made clear that the Republic of Ireland would be unable to back alternative proposals to the backstop that have not already been demonstrated as workable and there is not enough time left to do this before the end-of-October deadline.
Question No: 2019/14544
Andrew Dismore
Could you provide an update on road safety measures at Falloden Way, specifically regarding work to make the pedestrian crossings at Midholm safer?
A1 safety measures
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Following a meeting between Transport for London (TfL) and yourself in October 2018, TfL met with the London Borough of Barnet to discuss road safety concerns, and subsequently commissioned a comprehensive safety study along A1 Falloden Way. TfL has since commissioned a number of traffic surveys, including pedestrian counts, across Falloden Way near Midholm, with a view to identifying suitable safety measures. TfL will share the options developed with you before the end of this year.
Northern line works at East Finchley
Question No: 2019/14545
Andrew Dismore
Loud works were undertaken between 3 and 4 am on July 4th on the Northern Line around East Finchley Station, causing severe disturbance to neighbours. What was the nature of the work, was it planned, and why was no notification sent to local residents? Could such work not be carried out earlier in the night to provide local residents some respite?
Answer for Northern line works at East Finchley
The Mayor
Last updated: 23 July, 2019
Officers are drafting a response
