Boris booed at Public Question Time

News

Boris booed at Public Question Time

Monday, 16 November 2009

Boris Johnson

By Jenny Clover

MAYOR Boris Johnson’s opening speech was met with boos and jeers when he came to face to face with the public.

More than 1,400 people were at the Brixton Academy in Stockwell Road, Brixton, for a Public Question Time with the London Mayor and London Assembly members on Monday.

The disapproving noise from the crowd at the start of the event led Boris to appeal for the audience to be “good-humoured”.

The booing died down following the speech, but restarted when certain flashpoint issues were raised.

The Mayor went on to answer questions on a wide range of topics including climate change, drug dealing in Brixton and gun crime.

Campaigners from a music centre in Offley Road, Kennington, which is owned by the London Development Agency, angrily questioned the Mayor about its impending closure.

He was also quizzed by campaigners battling to save the South London Line.

More than 200 people turned out in support of the train line, which runs from Victoria to London Bridge.

Mr Johnson also used the meeting to defend recent fare rises which will see bus passengers facing charge hikes of up to 20 per cent.

He said: “If we want to have the improvement we need in our transport system, then I’m afraid there’s absolutely no way we can do it without paying for it.”

When the audience was asked to vote about whether more could be done to tackle drug dealing, one man threw his hand-held voting device at the stage – narrowly missing Boris and host Val Shawcross, who is London Assembly member for Southwark and Lambeth – before storming out.

The Mayor waded into the debate about the £1.5billion regeneration of Elephant & Castle, which has yet to get off the ground because of Southwark council’s failure to sign a deal with developer Lend Lease.

He said: “It’s a fantastic project and we are doing everything we can to help it go ahead.

“The trouble is we have got a credit crunch and the developers – Lend Lease I think it is – are simply in a dire position.

“We are actively trying to broker a deal between Southwark council and Lend Lease and if we possibly can, we will.”

He also reiterated his support for an amnesty on illegal immigrants after taking a question from a woman he dubbed a “BNP candidate” for her worries about them getting ahead of her on a council housing waiting list.

Email: jenny.clover@slp.co.uk