Mayor of London Transport Strategy - Consultation Process - How many aware within LB City of London?
Dear City of London Corporation,
It has become apparent that many organisations and members of the public in LB City of London were not aware of the recent consultation into the Draft Mayor of London Transport Strategy.
Please explain the steps that City of London Council took with TfL to make the public aware of consultation into the Draft Mayor of London Transport Strategy.
(1) What publicity was undertaken across LB City of London by TfL and by LB City of London?
(2) What was published that explained the Draft Strategy and the consultation process and how were these made available?
(3) What steps were taken to try to ensure a balanced cross-section of the public was made aware of the process?
(4) Where were leaflets distributed, and how was this decided?
What analysis suggested this would lead to a fair and balanced distribution across the community?
(5) What steps were taken to ensure that hard-to-reach sections of the community, such as those who travel exclusively by private car, were made aware of the consultation process and encouraged to participate in it?
(6) What consultation discussions took place between LB City of London and TfL over how this process would operate?
To what extent was the council consulted over the detail of the consultation, and what views did it express?
(7) Is the council happy with the consultation process?
Was the council happy that the online questionnaire was so flagrantly biased?
Was the council happy that were responders allowed to pick as many as they chose from an uncosted wish-list?
(7) What steps were taken to inform and involve organisations likely to have an interest?
(8) What programme of meetings was organised?
Did City of London Council ask TfL to attend meetings of the council's Neighbourhood Partnerships, and how many did receive reports on the consultation from TfL?
(9) How many meetings took place within LB City of London between TfL and the council as part of the consultation process?
What about with local groups in LB City of London?
(10) What pre-consultation took place with interested parties to ensure that the process was fair and balanced?
(11) Does the council support a MTS consultation on the Draft Mayor of London Transport Strategy that offers so little for the driver - private motorist or professional driver of taxi, minicab, van, lorry or bus?
How important are private drivers in the overall use of transport in City of London?
Has the council expressed concerns over this unfair and unbalanced aspect of the consultation process?
(12) Does the council support a MTS in which the promotion of cycling within the draft MTS does not also include warnings on the dangers of this mode?
Does the council support the proposition that a mass switch to cycling would be beneficial justified, and on what evidence?
(13) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which costings of various suggestions were not put forward, so that the public could see how much tax each would entail?
(14) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which there was no question on the level of subsidy that each mode should receive?
(15) Does the council support a MTS consultation in which no question is asked as to whether the users of a mode should bear all, most, some or whatever proportion of the costs of providing that mode?
(16) What representations has or will the council make regarding the consultation process into the Draft MTS as a result of this enquiry or otherwise?
Yours faithfully,
Ruthlyn Black
The City of London acknowledges receipt of your request.
City of London
[1]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Following your request of 15 January 2010, and our acknowledgement of 18
January, the City of London (CoL) responds as follows.
Your request relates to the consultation process undertaken by the Mayor
of London on his draft Transport Strategy. The CoL has not been involved
in any way in the planning, organization or delivery of this consultation,
which is the Mayor of London's responsibility. The CoL has also not formed
any opinion on the adequacy, effectiveness or desirability of the
consultation undertaken by the Mayor and is not intending to adopt any
opinion or position on these matters.
Please note that the CoL is the Local Authority for the "square mile"
only, ie the historic City of London, and not London as a whole, which is
covered by over 30 boroughs and the Westminster City Council, with the
Greater London Authority having some overarching functions. Please see the
following link to a map on the CoL's website, which shows the area covered
by the CoL:
[1]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/maps/boundary_map.htm.
Should you wish to make a complaint about the way the CoL has handled your
enquiry, please make your complaint in writing to email address:
[email address]. For a link to the CoL's FOI complaints
procedure, please visit the following page:
[2]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback, at the end of which is located the
FOI complaints procedure. If, having used the CoL's FOI Complaints
Procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the Information
Commissioner to investigate. Please contact: Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone:
(01625) 545700. Website: [3]http://www.ico.gov.uk/.
The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and
port health authority. The CoL holds the copyright in this communication.
Its supply does not give a right to re-use in a way that would infringe
that copyright, for example, by making copies, publishing and issuing
copies to the public or to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the
material may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the
purposes of research for non-commercial purposes, private study,
criticism, review and news reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the
copyright owner.
City of London
[4]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Dear COL - EB - Information Officer,
Please confirm whether the CoL made a response to the MTS consultation, and if so provide a copy of that response.
Yours sincerely,
Ruthlyn Black
The City of London acknowledges receipt of your request.
City of London
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
Dear COL - EB - Information Officer,
I am disappointed that after two weeks you have not provided the information now required in this enquiry.
Under the FOI Law, you are required to respond promptly.
You are also under §16 supposed to be helpful.
Your initial response hardly meets that description, nor does this extended delay.
In this case, a week should be ample time to find out whether there was a response, and if so to provide an electronic copy.
Please respond directly, lest a reference to the ICO becomes necessary.
Yours sincerely,
Ruthlyn Black
Dear Ruthlyn Black,
Following your request of 8 February 2010, and our acknowledgement of the
same date, the City of London (CoL) responds as follows.
The CoL did respond to the MTS consultation. We attach a copy of the
response as requested.
<<member approved City Appendix.pdf>>
If you have any queries or concerns about it, please contact us.
Please note that the CoL is the Local Authority for the "square mile"
only, ie the historic City of London, and not London as a whole, which is
covered by over 30 boroughs and the Westminster City Council, with the
Greater London Authority having some overarching functions. Please see the
following link to a map on the CoL's website, which shows the area covered
by the CoL:
[1]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/maps/boundary_map.htm.
Should you wish to make a formal complaint about the way the CoL has
managed your enquiry, please make your complaint in writing to email
address: [email address]. For a link to the CoL's FOI
complaints procedure, please visit the following page:
[2]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Feedback, at the end of which is located the
FOI complaints procedure. If, having used the CoL's FOI Complaints
Procedure, you are still dissatisfied, you may request the Information
Commissioner to investigate. Please contact: Information Commissioner,
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone:
(01625) 545700. Website: [3]http://www.ico.gov.uk/.
The FOIA applies to the CoL as a local authority, police authority and
port health authority. The CoL holds the copyright in this communication,
and the CoL and GLA hold the copyright in the attachment. The supply of
these does not give a right to re-use in a way that would infringe that
copyright, for example, by making copies, publishing and issuing copies to
the public or to any other person. Brief extracts of any of the material
may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of
research for non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and
news reporting, subject to an acknowledgement of the copyright owner.
Department of Planning & Transportation
City of London
T: 020-7332 3787
[4]www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
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