Sadiq Khan has been accused of "undermining democratic engagement" after he moved a People's Question Time event online.
In a letter from London Assembly member Neil Garratt to the London Mayor, seen by GB News, Khan was accused of "limiting the ability of Londoners to hold you to account".
The last People's Question Time which took place on 29 February, just nine weeks before the mayoral election in May, did not have an in-person audience.
City Hall said it moved the event online as a result of "threatening" behaviour, claiming the safety of participants had been put at risk after the mayor was heckled by audience members.
Sadiq Khan has been accused of "undermining democratic engagement" after he moved a People's Question Time event online
PA
Responding, Garratt said: "We as the Conservative Group and the three other parties in the London Assembly urged you to reconsider in our letter of 11th January 2024. If the event could not take place in Richmond, we strongly urged you to move the event to City Hall, which has full security measures in place.
"We were disappointed that you decided to ignore this cross-party consensus and pursue a virtual meeting instead. It has since transpired, however, that the only formal complaint arising from the previous PQT event was as a result of one of your own team members being accused of swearing at a disabled member of the public.
"Aside from this fracas allegedly caused by your own team, there was not a compelling or rational case for moving the event online."
Garratt said that the PQT events are a "vital function of our democracy", adding: "These events have taken place in person and across London boroughs for more than twenty years."
He claimed that the requirement for participants to register through a third-party platform was an "unnecessary step which may have deterred a significant number of Londoners from engaging with the meeting."
The Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton also claimed that the format of the meeting "resulted in Assembly Members who wished to raise issues finding themselves ‘timed out’ by other Members who insisted on speaking at length."
He added: "Allocating time for Members proportionate to group size, in line with other Assembly meetings, would have been a reasonable compromise to prevent this.
"We would be grateful for your acknowledgement that, on reflection, this event should have been held in person in City Hall, and that your decision has undermined democratic engagement just weeks before an election."
A spokesperson for the Greater London Authority said: “People’s Question Time (PQT) is a key opportunity for Londoners to engage directly with the Mayor and London Assembly members to discuss the issues they care about.
“Events over the last few weeks have starkly illustrated the security risks faced by politicians in the public eye across the country. The GLA has a responsibility ensure all those attending our events can do so safely.
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“Behaviour at last November’s PQT meeting raised serious concerns and prevented some attending from putting their questions to the Mayor. It put the security of members of the public attending as well as those staffing the event at risk.
“The decision was therefore taken to host February’s PQT online, informed by security assessments. This allowed the event to go ahead safely so that Londoners could pose their questions to the Mayor and Assembly Members. Nearly 500 people attended the meeting online, far more than could have been accommodated at an in person event.”
