Andrew Dismore

Speeding during lockdown
Question No: 2020/1575
Andrew Dismore
It is clear that some drivers are taking advantage of less busy roads not just to break the speed limit but to exceed it by a huge margin. How are you and the police dealing with this threat to life?
Speeding during lockdown
The Mayor
Last updated: 27 May, 2020
Taking advantage of quieter roads to speed during lockdown is illegal and dangerous. The Police, TfL and I are all committed to tacking speeding and increasing the deterrent effect of enforcement. The TfL’s speed enforcement action plan lays out key elements of our approach. This includes significantly increasing on-street and safety camera enforcement to provide a more effective deterrent; examining broadening PCSO powers to allow them to enforce certain road traffic offences; and introducing a dedicated speed enforcement team as well as increasing the number of Community Roadwatch and Junior Roadwatch sessions across London.
During lockdown, we remain committed to keeping London’s roads safe. To address the increase in speeding on quieter roads, traffic officers will continue to police the roads 24 hours every day and will use enforcement against those breaking the law. In addition to this, the Road Crimes Team, launched in April, are proactively focused on removing high harm offenders from the road network, including those who flout speed limits.
International flights
Question No: 2020/1576
Andrew Dismore
International flights have been and are still landing on a regular basis at Heathrow and until recently other London airports, with no testing or required quarantine of passengers at the airport or elsewhere, unlike many other European and worldwide countries; do you consider this failure to test arriving passengers to have contributed to the spread of Covid-19; and what do you think should now happen?
Answer for International flights
The Mayor
Last updated: 27 May, 2020
Officers are drafting a response
Broadband in London
Question No: 2020/1577
Andrew Dismore
The extent to which many people have adapted to working from home has thrown into sharp focus the inadequacies of slow broadband speeds in much of the capital and their impact on the ability of many homeworkers to carry out their work; what are you doing to improve this?
Broadband in London
The Mayor
Last updated: 27 May, 2020
During this period, our broadband network has proven itself a crucial utility and has, as your question suggests, exposed those parts of the city where legacy infrastructure is unacceptable. I will continue to use City Hall to press the Government and connectivity providers to connect underserved areas.
Since lockdown began, the GLA’s Connected London team have been monitoring and discussing live issues with providers to ensure Londoners have the connectivity they need to work from home. The team is working directly with operators to ensure they can address faults across London and using its relationships across London’s boroughs to help facilitate essential works and ensure any issues are resolved quickly and effectively.
I have written to leading tech companies asking for donations of devices for voluntary organisations in London struggling to maintain their vital services remotely. My team is also working with providers to request the tech needed to connect these devices.
The GLA’s Education and Youth team has called on the government to extend their digital access scheme, including providing devices and broadband to disadvantaged year 10 students, to encompass all secondary school years.
I have previously announced £11m funding for full fibre projects across London. This includes £10m funding to boost full fibre coverage by connecting public sector sites in areas that suffer from poor connectivity, making these areas more commercially viable. This funding complements £8.5m my team secured from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) fund and £15.4m of London Council’s funding retained from business rates with boroughs bid into. My team is working with London boroughs to ensure the combined £34.9m funding will be used to connect public sector sites that have been identified in underserved areas, in order to stimulate the market and incentivise further private sector investment. £1m of funding will be used to set up dedicated digital connectivity roles in each of the sub regions to support delivery across London.
Public Service funding
Question No: 2020/1578
Andrew Dismore
The impact of Covid-19 is having a major impact on the budgets for public services, including London’s NHS, the London Ambulance Service, the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London, and London borough councils; what is your current estimate of the shortfall for these organisations; and what assurances have you received from the Government that they will help fund these shortfalls to avoid major cuts and austerity in the near future?
Answer for Public Service funding
The Mayor
Last updated: 27 May, 2020
Officers are drafting a response

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