Can you describe the role of the Lord Mayor?

The Lord Mayor:There are two aspects to my role. I am head of the Corporation of London, and preside over its governing bodies - the Court of Aldermen and the Court of Common Council. I am chief magistrate of the City of London, Admiral of the Port of London, Chancellor of City University and president or Patron of many other civic and charitable organisations.

I also have a much wider business role - working for Britain, or UK plc, as a whole. I aim to support and promote the world's leading international financial centre, the City of London, both at home and abroad.

The financial services industry has faced some tough times with Enron and the downturn in the markets following September 11. What has the City of London been doing to restore confidence?

The Lord Mayor:We continue to make sure we have the right infrastructure. I don't think we are going to have an Enron type scandal here. But if the US market drops further our market will suffer too. There is a link between the US and the UK. There is huge money invested in the UK by American companies and there is huge money invested in America by UK companies. The problem is that if there's a problem in one area, those companies tend to retrench across the board.

A committee of MPs concluded recently that tall buildings are not the best way of achieving high density offices or housing. Yet Ken Livingstone and the Corporation of London are very much in favour of more tall buildings for London. What is your view on this issue?

The Lord Mayor:I think one has actually to define what you mean by "tall buildings". We're not talking about World Trade Centre type buildings being built in London. Basically we are talking about medium sized buildings. It's a matter of emphasis. Why do we have to have them in the City? We have to have them where they are needed. People want to work closely together, so if you are putting together a deal involving, for example bankers and lawyers, you can quickly go to a meeting in the City. It's much easier when they are located close together.

London's gridlocked streets have been in the headlines recently. How can London maintain its world city status when the average speed of a vehicle is only 3 miles per hour?

The Lord Mayor:I think the traffic problems are a threat. I really do. If you can't get from A to B there is a problem. We have a lot of delegations coming into the City and you can't move them around easily. We have not had this problem in the past. Part of the joy of having a cluster in the City is that one can walk and of course, that's what one does.

But we also have to go down to Canary Wharf on occasion and it takes time. We have the Docklands Light Railway so that's good but it would be good also to have a high speed link between the City and Canary Wharf.

Do you think congestion charging will work?

The Lord Mayor:Well it's going to be tried and we'll find out in time. Anything that's going to stop the gridlocking will be very helpful.

Do you support Crossrail?

The Lord Mayor:Very, very strongly. It's all part of making life easier for people who commute and easing this congestion in our world City. Roughly 300,000 people commute into the City every day. Leeds has a busy mainline terminus with 29,000 people a day using it. Yet Bank and Monument tube stations, which are interlinked and effectively one station, have to cope with 40,000 people a day.

The fact is the system is creaking and we need really to make it possible for people to get into London easily. If we're going to have the roads gridlocked, we need to have a jolly effective public transport system.

It's very bad for any financial centre, if people find it difficult to get to their places of work. At the moment, it's hard work just getting to work - it's stressful - and people aren't going to be as efficient. You've got to try and make it so people want to come here, want to do business here, creating employment for UK plc.

Do you think the PPP for the Tube will help make the transport system more efficient?

The Lord Mayor:I don't mind whether it's PPP or whether it's funded by another system. PPP is what's on offer and that's what we have to use. Crossrail in my view is absolutely vital. Not just for the City but for the whole of London.

Alastair Darling recently published a set of proposals on increasing air capacity in the South East. Is this the correct way forward for London?

The Lord Mayor:I think it is absolutely vital that we have the transport available where the population centres are and where the businesses are situated. Nobody enjoys having aeroplanes flying over their heads. We all suffer from "NIMBY" - Not in my backyard - but the fact is, we need a growing economy as well. Good international links are vital if we're going to remain competitive.

Tourism is very important. It is a huge contributor to London's economy and that's why the government was so concerned when we had all the problems in rural areas such as Foot and Mouth and Mad Cow disease. It sent out a very unpleasant message internationally that the UK was unhealthy.

Ken Livingstone claimed recently that he feels safer in New York and backs zero tolerance policing as the way forward. Isn't this sending out the wrong message and will this hit international confidence in London?

The Lord Mayor:Well he's responsible for the London-wide police outside the Square Mile and I would hope that we're at least as safe as New York. Obviously we would like to be the safest city in the world. It's good for business and it's good for people to live in. If he is saying that New York is wonderfully safe then that's what we have to aim for.

The City of London sits alongside the poorest parts of London and areas which are in real need of regeneration. What is the City of London doing about this?

The Lord Mayor:We are working hard on that. We are involved in a number of programmes - some where the Corporation of London leads - and others where we form part of a partnership. We are encouraging employees in companies in the cities to mentor, to offer their skills and to work with schools.

We also have an awards scheme to encourage this sort of thing and it really is inspiring. A huge number of people are giving up their time voluntarily. Companies are also giving money to try and develop areas close to the City. It is vital that we do offer assistance to areas of deprivation and where the standards are not improving.

A good example is the school that Merrill Lynch has targeted which is no longer sub standard and won an award for the most improved school in the country recently. So a lot of work is being done on a sustained basis.

We are also encouraging smaller companies to get involved. There are some very well developed programmes in existence which I am very encouraged about. We are also trying to sell this concept abroad. Other countries should be doing the same thing.

Companies need to empathise - get into contact with and help serve the communities in which they operate. It's important to break down any "them and us" feeling and that the locals can see that companies can work for them and for their benefit it reduces a lot of concerns regarding globalisation.

The City also sits alongside a lot of areas where it is difficult for first time buyers to buy a home. Can anything be done about this?

The Lord Mayor:Why are houses so expensive? Because there is a shortage of supply. I think we have to use brownfield sites and concentrate the new building there. For example, I think that in retrospect the decision to do away with nurses' homes near hospitals was a big mistake.

If your transport system isn't good, and if you're concerned about travelling late at night, which is a particular problem for workers doing shift work at difficult hours, housing is needed close to people's places of work. We need to work very hard at rectifying this misallocation.

Following the failure of Picketts Lock and the fiasco over rebuilding Wembley, can you see London as a credible bid for the Olympic Games in 2012?

The Lord Mayor:Well yes, I can, but we just need to get our act together. The planning process is terribly extended, and we must not get lost in an expensive and lengthy process that leads nowhere. Instead we need to look at what Korea achieved for the World Cup, or what Cardiff has done, and get on and do it!