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Press release: Mon 20th Dec 2004
Shocking new figures revealed today by London Assembly Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the environment, Mike Tuffrey, shows that more than 240 million cubic metres of raw sewage were pumped into the Thames in the last four years.
The new figures, revealed in Parliamentary answers, show that between January 2001 and November 2004, 243,439,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage was released into the river. This equates to 243,439,000,000 litres.
Mike Tuffrey today called on Ministers at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reverse their decision to postpone the 'interceptor' tunnel that would prevent the need for raw sewage to be regularly pumped into the Thames. Over the last fifteen years Thames clear up costs have cost more than £1billion.
Mike Tuffrey said:-
"These figures are an absolute disgrace. So much sewage being pumped into the Thames is bad for the environment, bad for human health and bad for the image of both the Thames and London.
"The dumping of raw sewage into the Thames is something that happened in the Victorian era. It certainly should not be happening in the 21st century in one of the most developed capital cities in the world.
"It is incredible that despite all the predictions that global warming would cause more violent storms and heavier downpours, London's sewer system is totally unprepared and unable to cope.
"There must be no more discussion, delay or dithering on building this interceptor tunnel. The longer Ministers drag their feet in making the inevitable decision to build the tunnel, the more this will ultimately cost the taxpayer to build and more raw sewage will be pumped into the Thames."
ENDS
Notes to editor
The quote and table below is taken from Hansard 15 Dec 2004 : Column 1112W
"The Table below sets out the monthly calculated volumes of untreated sewage discharged to the Thames from the five largest pumping stations during wet weather. As no data is available for the other overflows along the Thames Tideway, it is estimated that on average these volumes represent 60 per cent. of the total discharge from London's combined drainage system at these times. "
Month 2001 2002 2003 2004
January 3,471,000 3,009,000 12,954,000 9,281,000
February 9,279,000 4,746,000 3,759,000 3,240,000
March 8,118,000 2,761,000 743,000 44,000
April 2,688,000 2,662,000 395,000 3,665,000
May 2,322,000 2,007,000 543,000 3,268,000
June 1,757,000 3,353,000 950,000 3,047,000
July 1,742,000 1,962,000 1,124,000 1,260,000
August 4,490,000 4,017,000 438,000 4,945,000
September 2,261,000 563,000 577,000 446,000
October 6,312,000 3,961,000 2,600,000 4,290,000
November 2,400,000 12,144,000 11,072,000 304,000
December 1,096,000 11,755,000 6,064,000 n/a
This gives a total for the 5 largest pumping of 173,885,000 cubic metres discharged between Jan '01 - Nov '04. Ministers estimate this makes up 60% of untreated sewage going into the Thames and comes from the 5 largest pumping stations at Beckton, Crossness, Long Reach, Mogden and Riverside. Therefore the total raw sewage discharge for the Thames equals 243,439,000 cubic metres. A cubic metre is equal to 1,000 litres. Therefore 243,439,000,000 litres of raw sewage has been discharged into the Thames since January 2001
On Monday 4th October DEFRA published its final water pricing review and guidance and concluded:-
"2.5. The Government recognised in the Principal Guidance that the Thames Tideway needs further measures to address discharges. In the medium term, improvements to continuous waste water discharges from three sewage treatment works which discharge to the Thames to ensure compliance with statutory requirements under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive are to go ahead. In addition, there will be further schemes to improve water quality in the river and protect fish under the local schemes programme in the RIA (see paragraph 3.20).
2.6. With respect to intermittent discharges from combined sewer overflows to the Thames Tideway, the Principal Guidance noted that work was being carried out by Thames Water and the Environment Agency to inform decisions. While the proposed interceptor tunnel might still emerge as the most appropriate long-term solution, the Government has since decided that, bearing in mind the scale, the costs and the long implementation timescale, further consideration is necessary before decisions are reached. The Government has therefore asked Thames Water and the Environment Agency to undertake further work on the interceptor tunnel proposal and on other measures that might be alternative or additional. This further work is to include smaller-scale measures and those that could bring earlier improvements on intermittent discharges, robustness of the system and emergencies"
Thames Water spent £4million on a study, which revealed that the establishment of the interceptor tunnel would take about ten years to build and cost £1.5billion.
Press release: Thu 2nd Dec 2004
Commenting on the decision by Ministers to allow Thames water to increase their bills by 24% in the next six years from an average of £210 to £261 for water and sewerage, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, Mike Tuffrey, said:-
"Thames Water says it cannot find the cash to stop raw sewage being pumped into the river or to stop leaky pipes, but they have made huge profits, given big dividends to shareholders and paid large salaries to directors. With water bills rocketing well above inflation over the next six years, it is the hard-pressed public who are now being forced to pay for years of neglect.
"Serious questions must be asked about why Thames Water has failed to tackle the rebuilding of our leaking and crumbling sewage system, and why despite making big profits, it is the customer who is being asked to pay for the improvements."
Press release: Tue 23rd Nov 2004
Ahead of the London Assembly Budget Committee later today (Tuesday 23rd November), new figures revealed by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats show that the Mayor will lose £295,000 of budgeted revenue following the decision of a major café outlet to terminate their lease on the stall in Trafalgar Square.
The figures, taken from the draft GLA's 2005/06 Budget and Business Plan Submission and Mayoral Approval Forms, shows that the Mayor charged the café outlet £400,000 per year to lease the site. Following the termination of the contract, the new lease fee to an alternative operator will provide only £50,000 per year with an additional percentage income if turnover exceeds £250,000. The loss to the GLA budget is estimated by the Mayor to be around £295,000.
The first year of operation was also blighted by problems and following negotiations, the licence fee for 2003/04 was dropped by 40% owing to 'contract specifications not being fully operational delivery until January 2004'.
Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, Mike Tuffrey, said:-
"The loss of almost three quarters of the potential revenue from a business contract raises serious doubts about the ability of Mr Livingstone to do long term deals with the private sector. The inability of the Mayor to do his sums right has once again led to extra pressures on taxpayers to come up with the difference.
"As he spent so much cash removing the pigeons from Trafalgar Square, the least we could expect is that he can recoup some of that by negotiating a long term deal on facilities. As it is, the Mayor will lose £295,000 of hard cash for next year."
ENDS
Notes to editor
· The draft GLA's 2005/06 Budget and Business Plan Submission will be discussed at Committee on 23rd November 2004. In the 'Adjustments to the Medium Term Financial Plan' told Members that there was a shortfall of £295,000 in the revenue from the café in Trafalgar Square and states:
"Trafalgar Square - £295K
As we reported in MAFs 1612, 1636 and 1831 [enclosed below] the Company which had originally held the lease for this café terminated their contract during 2004/05 and a new tendering exercise had to be undertaken. The income bids which were submitted during this process were significantly lower that that which had previously existed."
· In February 2004, the Mayor reduced the fee for the first 6 months by 40%. In Mayoral Approval Form 1612, he stated:-
"In relation to the contract with Costa for the operation of the café on Trafalgar Square, to agree that the fee for the first six months of the contract reflects a reduction in the contract sum of 40% due to the contract specification not being to full operational delivery until January 2004. The revised licence fee for 2003/04 is £180,000."
· In March 2004, Costa Coffee withdrew from operating the café in Trafalgar Square. Mayoral Approval Form 1636 said:-
"To note that Costa Limited has given notice to withdraw from operating the Café on Trafalgar Square. To approve a process to award a new contract to a company in order to ensure the continuing operation of the Café on Trafalgar Square. The budget for the 2004/05-licence fee is based on the Café being fully operational in accordance with the specification and Costa paying the full amount of the license fee as tendered for the sum of £400,000 per year. It is expected that any new license will be less than that tendered by Costa. If the new license fee is substantially below £400,000 this may impact on the ability to cover ongoing running costs."
· In June 2004, the Mayor admitted that money would have to be moved from other budgets to maintain the lifts and meet the contracts of the cleaners in Trafalgar Square. Mayoral Approval Form 1831 stated:-
"Noted the tender process for the lease of the Café at Trafalgar Square (With the commencement of this process approved by MA1636) and approved the appointment of Rred (Dellrizz Limited) as the successful tenderer for the lease of the Café on Trafalgar Square.
Noted the resultant financial shortfall on the Squares Management budget and approved a carry forward of £190,000 from the 2003/04 into the 2004/05 budget to cover that shortfall for the current financial year.
The lease fee with Rred (Dellrizz Limited) will yield £50,000 per annum with an additional percentage income if turnover exceeds £250,000 (5% over £250,000 and 10% over £500,000).
The café income has always been intended to offset some of the costs of the Trafalgar Square toilet maintenance contract. The annual value of the existing toilet-cleaning contract with OCS is £147,000.
The full costs of toilets, café and lifts are currently estimated to be £264,000.
There will be a substantial impact on the Squares Management budget as the lease fee will not now offset all costs associated with the running of the public toilets. Given the higher than anticipated under- spend in 2003/04 it is proposed to carry forward resources totalling £190,000 into 2004/05 to cover the shortfall arising from the withdrawal of Costa from the café on the Square and the substantially lower income fee from the new Café provider.
£20,000 of the shortfall will be met from income on Events on the Square."
New figures revealed today by London Assembly environment spokesman, Mike Tuffrey, show that over the last year Ken Livingstone spent almost £28 per pigeon to keep them away from Trafalgar Square.
The figures, exposed in a Mayoral written answer, show that in the financial year 2003/04, £105,000 was spent on a hawk to chase 4,900 pigeons from the Square. A further £30,000 was spent in undertaking a scientific study to make sure that the pigeons were not being harmed.
Mike Tuffrey said:-
"While there is no disputing that the pigeons in Trafalgar Square were both a nuisance and a health hazard, serious questions must be asked about how on earth a hawk costs £105,000 to hire for a year.
"It is a nonsense that so much cash is paid for the use of a bird. For that sort of money perhaps Mr Livingstone could have employed four people for eight hours a day to run around chasing the birds off the square!
"Mr Livingstone's failure to get real value for money means that Londoners will continue to suffer from huge increases in their Council Tax bills."
ENDS
Notes to editors
According to the written answer below, £105,000 was spent in 2003/04 on Trafalgar Square hawk pigeon control. A £30,000 feasibility study was also carried out on the removal of around 4,900 birds. This equates to around £27.55 being spent to remove each bird from the square.
Pigeons: Question No: 1220 / 2004
Mike Tuffrey: How successful have you been in reducing the number of pigeons in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square? Please provide details of any assessments carried out. How much has been spent to date on achieving this goal?
The pigeon reduction programme on Trafalgar Square has been extremely successful. Pigeon numbers have been reduced from up to 5000 in 2000 to as low as 100 in 2004.
Currently it is estimated that there are approximately 150 resident birds on the Square however the numbers rise and fall subject to conditions. There are extensive monitoring records maintained by the GLA based on periodic observations undertaken by the biodiversity team.
The success of the project has also attracted significant international interest with enquires coming from around the world.
In 2003/2004 financial year £106,000 was spent on pigeon control through the use of a hawk on the Square. This has been reduced to £25,000 in 2004/05 financial year. In association with the Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeon Group a scientific study was undertaken to determine the impact of the project on the welfare of the birds, the study concluded that the birds were not being harmed. The cost of the study was £30,000. A controlled feed reduction programme to ensure the welfare of the birds was introduced in conjunction with Save the Trafalgar Square Pigeon Group. This controlled feeding programme will cost approximately £4,000 in the current financial year.
The investment in this activity has enabled Trafalgar Square to host a wide range of activities and events that would not have previously been possible including the Summer in the Square programme attracting thousands of visitors. Trafalgar Square is now also being extensively used for filming, photo shoots and media, the result has been an increase in bookings revenue by over 50% in the current financial year As a result of the programme major cleaning many of the assets on the Square have been not been required and have been undertaken on an operational level. It is also anticipated that such a major clean costing in excess of £250,000 will take place at much less frequent intervals.
Mike Tuffrey, Liberal Democrat London Spokesman on the environment, will today warn the Mayor and Londoners that the equivalent of 819,450 Olympic size swimming pools of water a year could be polluted by discarded mobile phone batteries every year.
Mr Tuffrey will be speaking in the London Assembly's Environment Committee meeting later today (14 July) to push for the correct disposal of hazardous waste in the capital. He will highlight that up to 600,000 litres of water can be polluted by one cadmium mobile phone battery. With Londoners buying more than 1.3 million new mobiles a year, 819,450,000,000 litres of water could be polluted if old mobiles are not properly recycled.
Mr Tuffrey said: "These figures must be a wake up call to the Mayor and Londoners. With mobile phones batteries able to cause this amount of damage it shows that we cannot afford to underestimate the effect of hazardous waste on our environment. Unless urgent action is taken to ensure Londoners can dispose of their old mobile batteries safely we could be left with an environmental ticking time bomb.
"Policy makers have been slow to grasp that the boom in hi-tech gadgets could leave our water supply and soil toxically contaminated. They have done too little and left it too late. It is time the Mayor took a lead on this issue - otherwise Londoners will be left paying the price.
"The Mayor must endorse and promote responsible mobile phone recycling and disposal schemes which reduce the risk of so many mobiles being dangerously dumped.
"Working with Ministers and local Councils, the Mayor must help in the battle to get a reprocessing and recycling plant for hazardous waste for London's harmful waste. If the French can have operations for treating toxic batteries why can't we? Londoners deserve the same."
ENDS
Notes to editor
On 16th July 2004 a new EU regulation will come into force preventing hazardous waste from being dumped in the same sites as non-hazardous waste and requiring all hazardous substances to be pre-treated before disposal.
According to reports the cadmium (one of the chemicals classified as hazardous waste) from one mobile phone battery is enough to pollute 600,000 litres of water.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2603589.stm
The European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive will also come into force within the next year, which emphasises the responsibility of producers in disposal, encourages reuse and aims to influence the materials that are used in production of the goods and the techniques for reprocessing them. This directive introduces targets for separate collection, recovery and reprocessing through recycling.
According to the 2001 census there were 7,172,091 people in London with 5,463,000 over 16 years old.
Three out of four Londoners own a mobile phone that means roughly 4,097,250 have mobile phones in London.
With a replacement mobile being bought on average once every 18 months that means that one in three mobile phones will be replaced each year or 1,365,750 in London.
That means that discarded mobile phone batteries could potentially pollute 819,450,000,000 litres of water.
An Olympic size swimming pool holds around 1 mega litre (one million litres of water) that means that 819,450 Olympic swimming pools worth of water could be polluted if batteries are discarded and not recycled.
Fonebak is a scheme set up by five mobile service providers and Shields environmental group for the safe return and recycling of mobile phones. Eurosource Ltd is another organisation that specialises in assisting the collection and recycling of unwanted mobile phones so they do not end up in Landfill. Mr Tuffrey will call upon the Mayor and Members to endorse such schemes, with more customer options for returning unwanted handsets, to help highlight the environmental advantages of recycling mobile phones.
http://www.fonebak.com/main.html
http://www.esel.co.uk/docs/mobiles.htm
Societe Nouvelle d'Affinage des Metaux (SNAM) is a French company managing a specialist recycling procedure for cadmium. Citron and Valdi/Tredi are other French plants that treat nickel cadmium batteries.
Liberal Democrat London Assembly member Mike Tuffrey will challenge Mayor Ken Livingstone on his obstruction to a large renovation plan project for Streatham's Ice Rink and community facilities at Mayor's Question Time next week.
Mr Tuffrey will next Thursday (15th July) voice concerns that the delays the Mayor is imposing could risk permanent closure of the ice rink as well as depriving south Londoners of the benefits of an improved leisure complex.
Mike Tuffrey said: "Ken Livingstone';s refusal to allow this project to proceed could result in the permanent closure of the ice rink and prevent a new and vastly improved leisure complex from being built. Depriving residents of such an important local facelift could have dire implications for the community and local economy, which is in desperate need of regeneration.
"Lambeth Borough Council has worked co-operatively with the applicant to secure a plan which will completely overhaul Streatham providing not only a new ice rink and swimming pool, but also housing, a sports hall, fitness centre, supermarket and new bus facilities.
"However the Mayor seems to be refusing to work constructively on this issue. It is time he realised that he should be looking for reasons to approve the project and seeking ways to secure the extra funding required, rather than refusing the scheme outright. His obstruction is placing the future of the much-loved Streatham Ice Rink in jeopardy."
London's advantage above other European cities in attracting overseas investment could be eroded by red tape, increasing costs and poor transport services in the capital, says the London Assembly today.
The capital's unique selling points must be marketed more aggressively overseas if it is to stay ahead of the game. Investment from overseas not only underpins London's economic stability, but also helps create an environment for business growth, improvements in technology and jobs for local people.
A report1 by the London Assembly Economic and Social Development Committee says the decline in the overall UK share of the business market and increased global competition have significant implications for London's economy.
During the investigation, the Committee heard that organisations such as the London Development Agency (LDA) are paying sufficient attention to promoting the capital's financial sector and business services. But there appears to be less effort in developing and exploiting the business benefits of higher education institutions and universities.
The LDA and London First, which encourage foreign businesses to set-up in the capital, should commission research to maximise education opportunities with overseas investors, says the report.
Another critical factor is the overall level of taxation. European tax rates, particularly for large businesses, have been decreasing and in some countries are lower than the UK. The competitive advantage the UK previously enjoyed, in respect of tax, no longer applies.
If the benefits of overseas investments are to be spread across London, more efforts are needed to bring together the services of business groups, such as the London First Centre, LDA and Business Link. The Committee is concerned that not enough emphasis is being placed on attracting and sustaining business at a local level. Assembly Members want the numerous support services to be more clearly signposted and easy to obtain.
Poor communication between the public and private sector in many boroughs is also making it difficult for private companies to turn business proposals into actual projects.
Mike Tuffrey AM, Chair of the Committee, said: "On the face of it inward investment is a good news story for London. But there is no room for complacency. The same level of support and effort that has been put into developing London as a tourism capital must also be put into promoting London as a key attraction for worldwide businesses." Ends
Notes to editors: 1. The report, 'Inward Investment in London', is available on the following website: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/publications.jsp
London must have more power and keep a greater share of its tax revenues if the target to build 30,000 homes a year in the capital is to be achieved.
A report today by the London Assembly says there is no need for retaining tight controls on strategic housing by central Government. Assembly Members call for the GLA Act to be amended to devolve powers and allocate more resources for homes in London.
The Assembly's Economic and Social Development Committee is concerned that the huge gap between London's need for reasonably priced homes and available properties cannot be closed unless there is concerted action during a number of years. There is an annual demand for more than 25,000 affordable dwellings but only six to seven thousand are being built each year.
A significant step change in house building is needed in London and its surrounding regions, says the report. There are nearly 63,000 homeless families living in temporary accommodation across the capital, which is 50 percent higher than the homelessness peak in 1992. London also has the largest number of overcrowded homes in the country.
The Committee warns that the limited housing stock could adversely affect London's economic and social development and ultimately wealth creation in the capital. Research has shown that 60,000 key workers could leave the city during the next 10 years.
Assembly Members recommend that the Mayor, London Development Agency and Association of London Government petition central Government for additional funds to meet the high levels of demand for affordable homes. Key housing stakeholders should continue to be actively involved in revising the London Housing Strategy andA0developing a coordinated approach to the housing crisis.
Mike Tuffrey AM, Chair of the Committee, said: "It is unacceptable that there is no London-wide body with statutory housing powers. Many Londoners feel trapped in overcrowded or sub-standard housing. But devolving responsibility would make it easier to invest a greater share of the capital's wealth in suitable dwellings.
"Despite some welcome improvements during the past year, there is still a huge difference between the levels of housing supply and demand. More funding and effort are crucial to plug the gap and ensure that affordable properties are available to those who are priced out of the private housing market."
Ends
Notes to Editors: 1. The report, 'No room for complacency…A report on strategic housing responsibilities in London', will be available on the following website: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/index.jsp
2. London Housing Federation, 'Tipping the Balance' - May 2003
The Government and Local Authorities must provide better support for London's not-for-profit organisations engaged in economic activity, the London Assembly has heard.
This help would boost efforts by community businesses to create jobs and help local people to improve their neighbourhoods. The sector is being held back because of fragmented business support services and inadequate financial and legal advice. But thousands of social enterprises, such co-operatives, credit unions, trusts and housing associations, make an important contribution to the capital's economy and local communities.
The Assembly's Economic and Social Development Committee held a public meeting yesterday at Free Form Arts Trust in London Fields to investigate why London's community businesses are not as successful as those in other cities in Britain, Europe and America. The Committee hopes that recommendations from the inquiry will help these organisations to develop and ensure that their work is better understood.
At the meeting, Assembly Members spoke to the London Development Agency, Coin Street Community Builders, Social Enterprise London, London Rebuilding Society, Free Form Arts Trust and Social Enterprise Coalition. The Day Chocolate Company, one of London's leading social enterprises based in Southwark also gave evidence. Members were told that a pan-London business support strategy is needed to help develop and sustain the social enterprise sector.
Mike Tuffrey AM, Chair of the Committee, said: "Social enterprises benefit London's economy. But political leadership, funding and expert advice are lacking. The capital will lose out unless these businesses are better supported. We heard that America is a generation ahead of the UK in supporting social enterprises, thanks in part to public sector support."
The disrespect shown towards the capital's regional government by a senior mayoral advisor was today criticised by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats.
Lee Jasper was due to appear before the London Assembly's culture, sport and tourism committee to discuss plans for the Notting Hill Carnival but failed to attend.
"Lee Jasper's failure to appear before the committee shows contempt for Londoners and their elected representatives," said Mike Tuffrey, Lib Dem member.
Mike Tuffrey had intended to question the Mayor's carnival advisor on why a GLA report on the event's future had yet to be published despite an original publication date of 2001. He also wanted to ask about stewarding arrangements and how three quarters of a million pounds of taxpayers money is being spent.
"It is important that the committee is able to scrutinise the arrangements for the Notting Hill Carnival to ensure a successful and safe event," he added.
"However we cannot do this properly if officers fail to turn up. Mr Jasper is a GLA officer whose salary is paid for by taxpayers, and it is our job to hold him to account on behalf of Londoners.
"This is not the first time a mayoral advisor has failed to attend an Assembly committee meeting. Tourism advisor Emma St Giles also reneged on promises to appear before this committee. Only when she faced possible legal action did she finally attend. On another occasion, the Mayor refused to supply vital information about the New Year's Eve celebrations until legally compelled. Such situations cannot become regular events."