MQT answers July 2020

Students in London [1]

Question No: 2020/2302

Andrew Dismore

Middlesex University tell me that many of their students don’t have laptops or a calm home environment in which to study. Do you agree that a package of direct means-tested support for disadvantaged London students is needed, which could include subsidised broadband access for students in households who are not yet connected and large-scale schemes for access to equipment, such as laptops, negotiated with commercial providers, with loan schemes or re-conditioned/second-hand equipment offers?

Students in London [1]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Universities have done an excellent job of moving teaching online as a result of COVID-19, and I know there are many examples of universities across London stepping in to provide laptops, Wi-Fi dongles and other much needed equipment. Many broadband providers also offer student deals with competitive pricing and shorter contracts. Digital exclusion remains a major issue across London and initiatives such as DevicesDotNow have been providing support and equipment to offline households around the country.

From September, the GLA will fund people over the age of 19 with little to no experience in using tech devices and the internet to gain entry and level 1 digital skills. This basic digital skills entitlement will be delivered through London’s Adult Education Budget by local skills providers, supporting Londoners to thrive online. We continue to monitor the levels of digital exclusion in London and develop our approach to better align to areas of need.

Students in London [2]

Question No: 2020/2303

Andrew Dismore

Government is prioritising elite universities through student number controls and measures to create additional places, as well as in research policy development and funding. Do you agree that support is also needed to provide stability to those London based universities who support widening participation and practice-based research, to ensure a healthy recovery which harnesses the potential of disadvantaged learners?

Students in London [2]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Universities across London play a vital role in creating opportunities for Londoners from all backgrounds and it is essential that London’s relative success at widening participation is not diminished as a result of COVID-19, especially as institutions face financial uncertainty. London’s higher education sector will play a key role in our social and economic recovery from COVID-19 and Government interventions should be designed to support the stability of the sector as a whole.

This is also a time of great uncertainty for prospective students. In my letter to the sector on 22 April 2020, I encouraged all institutions to consider how disruption to this year’s assessments will have affected learner outcomes, particularly learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Arguably, now more than ever, it is crucial that contextual data around learners is considered when making decisions on admissions.

Students in London [3]

Question No: 2020/2304

Andrew Dismore

Given the importance of overseas students to London’s economy, do you agree that measures are needed to demonstrate that not only is the UK open to international students, but that it is more open and more welcoming than any other competitor market. Such measures could include, in addition to a major international recruitment campaign, a faster more streamlined visa turnaround time and process.

Students in London [3]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

International students are an important part of our universities, society and economy. That is why London & Partners will be running a major international student attraction campaign in Autumn 2020 / Spring 2021, through the Study London channel and in collaboration with London Higher. The campaign will restate London’s core values as a destination for world-class higher education, while reassuring prospective students that London is safe, open and welcoming.

I am also pleased the Government has confirmed the reintroduction of a two year post-study work visa – the Graduate Immigration Route which will launch in the summer of 2021. I have consistently made the case for this as it is an important part of international student recruitment and will make a real difference to students wishing to study in London.

Desmond House

Question No: 2020/2307

Andrew Dismore

I recently had to write to Metropolitan Housing with East Barnet Councillors after seeing videos posted to twitter (https://twitter.com/DesmondHouseEN4/status/1273377207554060294) about the state of Desmond House, which showed severe leakages inside properties during recent storms. Do you agree that the condition that residents were left in was unacceptable, and will you write to Metropolitan Housing to layout your expectations of basic maintenance?

Desmond House

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

My Housing & Land team meet regularly with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association as part of the Homes for Londoners 16-22 programme.

Building management and safety is a standing item on the agenda for these meetings. I am happy to ask my team to raise the issue of Desmond House with them directly to understand what action has been taken.

State of London Council finances

Question No: 2020/2310

Andrew Dismore

What has each London Borough reported as being its expenditure due to Coronavirus, what additional funding has been provided to each of them to cover the costs of Coronavirus by the Government, and what is each council’s funding gap?

State of London Council finances

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Based on the data collated by London Councils and reported to its Leaders Committee on 7 July the total estimated impact of COVID-19 across the capital’s 33 local authorities is at least £1.8 billion. This is based on the returns submitted to the Government in May – and this is understood to have increased to around £1.9 billion in June. This data is not publicly available at an individual authority level at this time.

This £1.8 billion reported lost comprises an estimated £1.1 billion in lost revenues through sales, fees and charges as well as expected shortfalls in council tax and business rates income and just over £700 million in increased expenditure. The additional expenditure includes £200 million on adult social care and £50 million on homelessness and rough sleepers along with a similar amount on children’s services.

Taking account of the £500 million in emergency funding the Government provided for London boroughs which has been confirmed so far, the estimated remaining funding gap remains at around £1.4 billion for 2020-21. Of this, around £600 million relates to the period from March to May 2020 alone.

The Communities Secretary announced some additional support for local authorities on 1 July in terms of covering a proportion of their revenue losses from sales, fees and charges, providing an additional £500 million of funding and also allowing authorities to spread their 2020-21 business rates and council tax deficits over the following three budget years.

However, at the date of writing we still await more details about how these proposals will work in practice and some elements of the additional package will not be confirmed until the Spending Review later this year. It is evident, however, that these new proposals will not be sufficient to cover local government funding shortfalls across London and England and the Government therefore needs to provide further support to avoid significant cuts in front line services and job losses.

Measuring the success of LFB’s transformation

Question No: 2020/2313

Andrew Dismore

When will London Fire Brigade publish a suite of measures to track the impact of its transformation plan?

Measuring the success of LFB’s transformation

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Officers at London Fire Brigade (LFB) are currently considering a number of draft measures to track the progress of the transformation plan against the programme and to understand the impact of the plan’s interventions on LFB outcomes. This work was delayed by the reallocation of resources to help support the response to COVID-19, but is now progressing under the guidance of the newly appointed Director of Transformation. Final agreement and presentation of the measures will go through the normal governance route and should be available by the autumn.

LFB transformation plan updates

Question No: 2020/2314

Andrew Dismore

Will you publish quarterly updates on progress of the programmes in LFB’s transformation plan?

LFB transformation plan updates

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Yes, updates on progress against the transformation plan will feature as a new section in London Fire Brigade’s normal quarterly performance report.

LFB incident command training operator

Question No: 2020/2315

Andrew Dismore

Will all incident commander training be delivered under the Babcock contract, rather than requiring Fire Service College supplements, after this year?

LFB incident command training operator

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

By the end of this financial year it is anticipated that all level 1 and 2 incident command training will be delivered through Babcock via new incident command training courses that have been developed with London Fire Brigade (LFB). These levels of command encompass the vast majority of LFB’s training requirements. LFB and Babcock are also in the process of developing new courses for level 3 and 4 incident command. It is anticipated that these courses will come online early in the next financial year. LFB is therefore currently not intending to use the Fire Service College to supplement incident command training in the 2021/22 training year.

LFB incident command training recommencement

Question No: 2020/2316

Andrew Dismore

What delay to acquisition, refresher and revalidation IC training has been caused by the suspension of most in person training owing to the coronavirus pandemic?

LFB incident command training recommencement

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Incident command acquisition, refresher and revalidation training was suspended between 23 March and 8 June due to the pandemic. Level 1 acquisition training for Sub Officer/Station Officers continued throughout this period as suitable control measures were implemented to minimise risks to delegates. A recovery training plan was implemented from 8 June 2020 to ensure that all incident commanders receive the appropriate training. The forecast delivery dates to meet the HMI action plan and Transformation Plan remain unchanged.

LFB independent audit committee

Question No: 2020/2318

Andrew Dismore

When will the Independent Audit Committee be set up and will its membership and papers be published?

LFB independent audit committee

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Interviews for Audit Committee membership are due to take place at the end of August 2020 and the timetable for the first meeting will be scheduled thereafter. The membership of the committee will be in the public domain and governance arrangements, including the publication of reports, are being considered as part of the preparation of the establishment of the committee.

LFB decarbonisation progress

Question No: 2020/2319

Andrew Dismore

What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had on LFB’s works to achieve a 60% reduction on 1990 emission levels by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2050?

LFB decarbonisation progress

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Preparatory work is underway to deliver London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) carbon strategy actions to achieve the 2025 target. This includes installing LED lighting, photovoltaics, and improving heating controls. There have been minor delays in taking forward some preparatory works due to limitations on access to fire stations due to the risk of COVID-19. This is reviewed regularly and LFB is looking at ways to move this work forward as soon as it is safe to do so. It is too early to identify any impact on the carbon neutral aims for 2050.

Budget cuts at LFB

Question No: 2020/2320

Andrew Dismore

What impact on transformation at LFB will its forecast £25m share of GLA group savings have?

Budget cuts at LFB

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The London Fire Commissioner has been clear that he needs to ensure that he can continue to improve training, equipment and make other changes to the way that London’s fire and rescue service operates. This includes improving fire safety in all buildings, including high rise property, and preparing for major incidents, such as acts of terrorism. It is vital that this work continues, to ensure that the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the findings of the HMI report are properly implemented. I will continue to discuss these matters with the Commissioner as he prepares his response to my budget guidance.

Fire Safety Bill

Question No: 2020/2322

Andrew Dismore

What extra staffing requirement will LFB have to meet the demands of the expanded powers in the Fire Safety Bill?

Fire Safety Bill

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The Fire Safety Bill is described by government as a clarification of the existing law, rather than the creation of new powers. London Fire Brigade (LFB) is evaluating what the clarification of responsible persons duties may bring for its workloads in terms of fire safety audits, requests for advice and statutory consultations. That includes all reasonable options to ensure adequate staffing by fully competent officers in line with national guidance and the competency framework.

However, the evaluation also needs to take into account the Government’s proposals for new regulations to implement the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 recommendations and the forthcoming Building Safety Bill. Consultation documents about these proposals are expected to be published by Government in the near future.

One important principle we will be clear on as we take this forward is that any new responsibilities must be accompanied by additional funding to deliver on them.

30cm tolerance on clad buildings

Question No: 2020/2323

Andrew Dismore

How many a) ACM clad and b) other forms of dangerously clad buildings would be added to the total yet to be remediated in London if the height threshold had a 30cm tolerance flexibility (i.e. buildings 17.97m were counted)?

30cm tolerance on clad buildings

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The GLA does not hold this information. The GLA’s role is to administer the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds in London on behalf of the Government. The Government is responsible for collecting information on buildings of the appropriate height with unsafe ACM. Eligible buildings are then passed to the GLA to progress the application.

Collecting data on buildings of varying heights

Question No: 2020/2324

Andrew Dismore

What preparations is the GLA making for MHCLG’s planned summer 2020 data collection exercise on buildings of 11m to 18m height?

Collecting data on buildings of varying heights

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The current data collection exercise on external wall systems, commissioned by MHCLG and carried out by local authorities, is only undertaken for buildings of 18m or above in height. There is no such exercise for buildings below 18m.

GLA role in £1bn Building Safety Fund

Question No: 2020/2325

Andrew Dismore

What role will the GLA have in administering the new £1bn Building Safety Fund?

GLA role in £1bn Building Safety Fund

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

As with the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund, the Building Safety Fund will be administered by the GLA for eligible buildings in London. All substantive decisions regarding the scope of the fund and approval of applications will be carried out by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

MHCLG is managing the registration process and, through it, will determine whether buildings registered are over 18 metres and have eligible external wall systems. Only those that are eligible may then submit an application for funding. The application process is expected to open at the end of July 2020. The GLA will administer this application process for buildings in London.

Assessing the damage of the limits on social sector applications to the Building Safety Fund

Question No: 2020/2326

Andrew Dismore

In response to my question 2020/1999, you said: “registered providers and councils may have to divert resources away from building the new genuinely affordable homes that London desperately needs towards the cost of remediating unsafe buildings. Additionally, social landlords will have fewer resources available for general repairs and maintenance on existing homes and may increase rents”. So that we may judge the consequences of the Government’s decision to limit the support for social sector providers from the Building Safety Fund, will you begin surveying the GLA’s social sector housing partners to track the extent of these negative outcomes?

Assessing the damage of the limits on social sector applications to the Building Safety Fund

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The Government has not made the Building Safety Fund accessible to all social sector buildings and I continue to lobby against this. The Government’s decision will limit some social landlords’ abilities to remediate unsafe cladding in line with the pace required by Government, without diverting resources from other workstreams. My team meets with social sector partners regularly and will continue to discuss issues related to building safety with them.

Completion of non-ACM dangerous cladding survey

Question No: 2020/2327

Andrew Dismore

In response to my question 2020/1992, you said the data collection exercise for 11m+ buildings with non-ACM dangerous cladding will not finish until summer 2020. Please will you write to me once that exercise is complete to notify me of the publication of the results?

Completion of non-ACM dangerous cladding survey

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

I would like to clarify that the MHCLG’s data collection exercise on non-ACM external wall systems is only undertaken for buildings above 18m in height. I will inform your office if and when the results, for buildings over 18m, are published by the Government.

Competition and Markets Authority oversight of state aid rules

Question No: 2020/2328

Andrew Dismore

In response to my question 2020/1994, you said that five leaseholders had received a reduced share of the cladding remediation fund owing to state aid restrictions. Given the relatively low level of potential breaches found so far, will you write to the CMA and ask them to consider lifting the considerable bureaucratic burden of administrating state aid forms once they take over management of the process in December 2020?

Competition and Markets Authority oversight of state aid rules

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The GLA’s role in the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is purely administrative. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government is responsible for setting the design of and policies for the programme.

Hoteliers refusing to accept ACM must go

Question No: 2020/2329

Andrew Dismore

The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted that some hotel operators dispute their ACM clad buildings need remediating. How many hotel operators in London does this apply to?

Hoteliers refusing to accept ACM must go

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The Greater London Authority administers both the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (SSCRF) and the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (PSCRF). Hotels are not eligible for either fund. Information on hotels refusing to remediate is held by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Joint Inspection Team activity

Question No: 2020/2330

Andrew Dismore

How many buildings in London has the Joint Inspection Team a) visited and b) supported visits for?

Joint Inspection Team activity

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

As of beginning of July 2020, the Joint Inspection Team has carried out five full inspections in buildings over 18m with unsafe ACM cladding in London.

Underspend in cladding remediation funds

Question No: 2020/2331

Andrew Dismore

The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted the social sector and private sector cladding remediation funds will underspend by the time all remediation is complete. Does this forecast apply to the share of the funds allocated to London, and if so how much is the projected underspend (or overspend)?

Underspend in cladding remediation funds

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

There is no formal allocation of funds to London – allocation is carried out on a project by project basis. It should be noted that, until all buildings are remediated, total spending within the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds will not be finalised. Cladding remediation is complex, with the full scope of works not always known until works begin onsite. Allocations for SSCRF were also based estimates – any variation in costs will only be reconciled at the completion payment.

Build to let buildings

Question No: 2020/2332

Andrew Dismore

The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted build to let buildings have no recourse to the remediation funds and this is stalling works. How many build to let buildings are affected by this in London, how many dwellings do they contain, and what efforts is the GLA taking to enforce remediation?

Build to let buildings

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Data on the number of buildings with unsafe ACM that are outside of the scope of the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is not available to the GLA and is held by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Primary responsibility for enforcement sits with local authorities, supported by the Joint Inspection Team.

Heat resilience (1)

Question No: 2020/2333

Andrew Dismore

Will your post-coronavirus recovery work provide new funding to make existing buildings, particularly domestic dwellings, more heat resilient?

Heat resilience (1)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

I have been clear that London’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be a green recovery. The London Recovery Board will take an overview of the city’s recovery, including his Green New Deal. The principles of the Green New Deal include tackling climate change, creating green jobs, supporting a just transition and addressing inequalities are embedded within this board and will influence all activity we undertake as part of our recovery, including improving the resilience of London’s buildings.

These issues are already being addressed to some extent through existing programmes. My Retrofit Accelerator programme is reducing energy use and cutting carbon emissions through retrofitting buildings. It also covers reducing indoor overheating in both domestic and non-residential buildings. I will shortly be publishing guidance on adapting schools to climate change and guidance on how to assess and manage overheating risk in care homes.

New strengthened policies in my new London Plan’ will also contribute to reducing risk of overheating in new buildings in future.

Heat resilience (2)

Question No: 2020/2334

Andrew Dismore

Will your post-coronavirus recovery work provide new funding to make existing streets, public spaces and public buildings more heat resilient?

Heat resilience (2)

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The Mayor has been clear that London’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic must be a green recovery. He has set up and co-chairs the London Recovery Board which will take an overview of the city’s recovery, including his Green New Deal. The principles of the Green New Deal include tackling climate change, creating green jobs, supporting a just transition and addressing inequalities are embedded within this board and will influence all activity we undertake as part of our recovery, including improving the resilience of London’s buildings.

My Greener City Fund is already providing funding for projects taking place this year that will deliver climate adaption in public spaces, including planting thousands of street trees, and neighbourhood greening led by communities. The aspiration of my ‘Cool Spaces project’, which includes working with boroughs, will identify sites of open outdoor areas and green spaces across London’s boroughs where Londoners can take refuge during hot weather. This will also complement the advice by Public Health England on what Londoners can do during a heat wave. My Retrofit Accelerator programme (see Mayor’s Question 2020/2333) includes building retrofit measures which address indoor overheating in non-residential buildings

New strengthened policies in my new London Plan will also contribute to reducing overheating risk in new buildings and reducing intensification of UHI effect. Policies encourage greening, using for example green walls and green and blue roofs to mitigate overheating.

Review of statues, street names, and other memorials

Question No: 2020/2336

Andrew Dismore

When will you commence recruitment of the panel charged with the review of statues, street names, and other memorials; how many people do you intend to recruit; what will be the recruitment process; where will the recruitment be advertised; when do you expect the panel to commence work; and when do you expect it to complete its work?

Review of statues, street names, and other memorials

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

My Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, and Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard are currently developing and consulting on the terms of reference for the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.

We will recruit up to 15 independent members of the Commission, working in partnership with councils, communities and stakeholders across the capital. Recruitment for Commissioners will be advertised widely, and outreach will be undertaken in conjunction with our partners and key stakeholders to ensure the widest reach.

It is expected that the Commission will first meet in Autumn 2020 at which point its precise scope and work programme will be set out.

ACM cladding and building insurance

Question No: 2020/2337

Andrew Dismore

Residents in Paddington Walk are affected by the ACM cladding crisis which has meant their building insurance has been critically compromised. The management company has struggled to secure terms to renew the policy, and they risk having no cover or see premiums raised by a truly shocking 1000% which puts even more strain on their overburdened finances due to the cost of interim fire safety measures and is a huge cause of anxiety. What can you do to persuade the Government of the scale and urgency of finding a solution for these residents and others affected by insurance difficulties?

ACM cladding and building insurance

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Though this problem is felt acutely in London, it can only be solved by nationwide action from central Government. My team has raised concerns about the insurance industry, both for industry professionals and for buildings, with Government in the past. My Deputy Mayor has been meeting with affected leaseholder groups and they have once again raised concerns on this. As such, my team will redouble efforts to ensure the Government are taking concerted action on this issue.

Coronavirus and planning

Question No: 2020/2338

Andrew Dismore

Do you expect planning rules and guidance to start including social distancing measures and pandemic prevention measures as part of the planning process? If so, in what way?

Coronavirus and planning

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

My draft London Plan already provides a flexible framework that can work effectively in many different circumstances. The policies are forward thinking, and are able to address many of the priorities emerging as a result of the pandemic, including a number of prevention measures as well as measures to support a green recovery – for example encouraging more walking and cycling, the protection and enhancement of green open space, responding to the climate emergency, the delivery of good quality homes, ensuring minimum space standards, the promotion of town centre strategies and the use of design codes.

Guidance can be changed more rapidly to respond to specific circumstances to provide advice and leadership for London as a whole, although it is unlikely that it will contain specific details on issues such as social distancing, as the advice around this is continuing to evolve. I will keep the situation under review, particularly in light of the Government’s announcements about changes to permitted development rights and planning reforms, which have the potential to impact adversely on our high streets and employment areas as well as the ability to secure funding to provide the infrastructure needed for new development.

Encouraging recycling [1]

Question No: 2020/2339

Andrew Dismore

Do you agree with me that encouraging more recycling is a vital component of London’s environmental and waste management challenges? Recently, I came across a case of a residents association in East Finchley which is being charged £1000 to swap two waste bins for two recycling bins. Do you agree that this is a disincentive to recycle, and that Barnet Council should amend their policies to remove such a charge?

Encouraging recycling [1]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

Reducing waste and increasing recycling is a key part of my London Environment Strategy (LES). I have set a target of 50 per cent of household waste recycled by 2025. One of the interventions described in the LES to achieve this is for all properties to receive a collection of, at a minimum, the six main dry recycling materials, i.e. glass, cans, paper, card, plastic bottles and mixed rigid plastics.

The charging for containers for waste and recycling remains at the discretion of individual boroughs and some choose to charge as a mechanism to help cover the costs they incur. The charge for communal bins is higher than for bins for individual properties as they are larger.

Requests for new or additional containers in Barnet are chargeable, however the cost of household recycling bins is lower than the cost of refuse bins to incentivise recycling. Requests made for changes from one type of container to another in Barnet are considered on their own merits but I would expect that the borough would act to incentivise recycling wherever possible.

I estimate that London requires a minimum of £100m of investment in local recycling services to reach my targets and have requested this money from the Chancellor and the Secretary of State. They have not provided London with this money, but I will continue engaging with the Government to make sure that London gets its fair share of funding for investment in local authority services to drive up recycling performance.

Encouraging recycling [2]

Question No: 2020/2340

Andrew Dismore

Is Barnet Council’s policy of charging residents who wish to swap waste bins for recycling bins compliant with your waste plan? If you agree with me that it is not in the spirit of the plan, will you write to Barnet Council and ask them to remove this charge?

Encouraging recycling [2]

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

The charging for containers for waste and recycling remains at the discretion of individual boroughs and some choose to charge as a mechanism to help cover the costs they incur.

Requests for new or additional containers in Barnet are chargeable, however the cost of household recycling bins is lower than the cost of refuse bins to incentivise recycling. Requests made for changes from one type of container to another in Barnet are considered on their own merits but I would expect that the borough would act to incentivise recycling wherever possible.

I estimate that London requires a minimum of £100m of investment in local recycling services to reach my targets and have requested this money from the Chancellor and the Secretary of State. They have not provided London with this money, but I will continue engaging with the Government to make sure that London gets its fair share of funding for investment in local authority services to drive up recycling performance.

Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/2339.

Borough lockdowns

Question No: 2020/2341

Andrew Dismore

If the Government bring in specific borough lockdowns to deal with areas of high infections, how will this be effectively enforced, especially along borough borders?

Borough lockdowns

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

I wrote to the Government on 29 June to seek urgent clarification of the powers at our disposal in London. We need clarification on devolved powers that are available to enforce local measures and the ability to locally diverge from central legislation, additional resources that would be made available to support managing local outbreaks and the flexibility of the furlough and job support schemes to support local responses.

A range of action is underway in London to ensure we are well prepared to respond to local outbreaks with the aim of controlling the spread and preventing further outbreaks. To inform local borough responses, each local authority has now published its Local Outbreak Control Plan and these are being tested through peer review. These plans set out a number of scenarios, and recognise that people’s movements are not limited to borough boundaries.

At a regional level, an outbreak simulation exercise was undertaken on 9 July and the learning from this exercise will further inform regional and borough level responses to large and smaller outbreaks.

Face coverings on tube

Question No: 2020/2342

Andrew Dismore

You have rightly required tube users to wear face coverings; however, many passengers are not obeying this instruction, especially in ticket halls and on platforms, as well as in carriages. Will you improve your messaging in posters and by public address, to make clear that the face coverings rule applies throughout, specifically referring to ticket halls and platforms, not just carriages; and what steps will you take to beef up enforcement?

Face coverings on tube

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) have been clear that everyone should be wearing a face covering on public transport unless they are exempt. TfL is running an extensive communications campaign telling customers that they must wear a face covering. This has focused on informing customers that they must wear a covering for their entire journey and that it must cover their nose and mouth. This has included a major advertising campaign, posters at all stations, PA announcements, social media and emails to TfL’s customer database. My office is promoting these messages daily via social media, reminding them of the importance of wearing face coverings on public transport and in situations where social distancing can’t be maintained.

The police and TfL’s enforcement officers are deployed to priority locations across the bus and Tube network to encourage compliance, refusing entry to the network and asking people to leave if they are not wearing a face covering. Enforcement officers have the powers to issue fines with the possibility of prosecution if people don’t wear face coverings and they will use them, if necessary. This is expected to be a last resort as enforcement officers deploy other tactics to drive up compliance first and as Londoners will want to do the right thing and keep themselves and others safe.

90 per cent of passengers during the morning peak are complying with the requirement. As of 14 July, over 20,000 customers have been stopped and 61 Fixed penalty notices have been issued by TfL officers to those refusing to comply with face covering requirements.

Hampstead Heath Ponds

Question No: 2020/2344

Andrew Dismore

In 2005 The City of London, who run Hampstead Heath introduced a ‘self-policed’ charging system at the bathing ponds which had hitherto always been free to use in much the same way as beaches are available for swimming. In the fifteen years that ‘voluntary’ payment has been required, many swimmers have either not been aware of the charges or assumed that they weren’t taken seriously by the City, who failed to communicate the charges clearly and proved unsuccessful at collecting them.

In January of this year the City announced a consultation on managing the ponds, which was responded to by the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association, the Highgate Men’s Pond Association, the Mixed Pond Association and the United Swimmers’ Association. At the end of the review the Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee decided to enforce payment and double charges, disregarding not only the representations, but also the recommendations of its own Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee (a statutory committee) which backed encouraging a ‘culture of compliance’ and making payment easier.

Will you write to the City of London and ask them to reconsider their plans, and to comply with the recommendations of their consultative committee?

Hampstead Heath Ponds

The Mayor

Last updated: 20 July, 2020

I have no direct responsibility for the management of any outdoor swimming venues in London, including the ponds at Hampstead Heath. This lies with the owners and managers of these sites, in consultation with users and local residents, to determine their safe operation. I would expect them to fully consider the implications of any new management measures on users and ensure they do not disadvantage any sectors of society who would want to use these facilities

I understand the City of London have put these new arrangements in place to ensure the site can operate safely given the increased popularity of outdoor swimming. I also understand they have agreed that a support fund will be developed to support swimmers who may require further financial assistance beyond an agreed package of concessions already in place.

Through my programmes I have supported projects to provide Londoners with more opportunities for outdoor recreation, including open water swimming. Last year my Green Capital grants helped fund the transformation of Beckenham Place Park, which includes an outdoor swimming lake; and the National Park City Festival included London’s first multi-site outdoor swimming and paddle sports event. This event provided Londoners with opportunities to try paddle boarding and outdoor swimming at venues such as Walthamstow Wetlands and the Royal Docks.

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