Interviewed in a dressing gown!

Well, it was early and it was radio, so I'm not quite sure why I felt I had to get up and be showered before BBC Radio London called. It made me feel better anyway and I sucked a cough sweet for a bit because that annoying little cough, from which we all seem to be suffering, wouldn't go away.

Today I was, rather unexpectedly, the official spokesman of the City of London Corporation commenting on the future of the City YMCA building which will return to the City's possession when it is vacated in September this year. There are 255 bedrooms in the building erected in 1971 to house the City's students and trainees, such as those at secretarial college. Although it was partially refurbished in the 1990s, it needs major works now. The Community and Children's Services Committee, which I chair, will look at the contribution it could bring to the overall provision of housing. I hope it can meet some of our need for social and affordable housing.