The GLA member for Barnet and Camden has accused the Mayor of London of “insulting” members of the public during Mayor’s Question Time yesterday.

During the question time at City Hall, Mayor of London Boris Johnson branded residents opposed to the planned relocation of Avanti House School to The Fairway in Mill Hill and the Broadfields Estate in Edgware as “Nimbys”, who objected to the school simply because it was in their backyard.

Responding to GLA member Andrew Dismore’s questions concerning the school’s relocation, Mr Johnson added he had not read the letter Mr Dismore had sent him raising the objections of thousands of local residents and dismissed them as people who “disliked school children.”

Mr Dismore said: “We now know exactly what Boris Johnson thinks about the people of Edgware and Mill Hill. He has again shown a complete lack of understanding of the problems his Government’s planning policies have created.

“His obsession with free schools has been shown to be a chaotic experiment which provides no local places for local children, but only disruption, inconvenience and traffic jams for local residents, whose views and opinions he has casually tossed aside.”

Chairman of the Broadfields Estate Residents Association Andrew Simons said he thought Mr Johnson’s response to Mr Dismore was influenced by party politics.

He added: “I have one question for Mr Johnson. If he thinks we’re objecting to this school because we’re Nimbys why does every elected politician in the area, as well as local councillors and the leader of Barnet Council himself all agree there is not enough space to build a school that size on this estate?

"Has he been to see the site? If he does he will see we lack the space and the infrastructure to accomodate Avanti House. 

“Nimbys we are not, sensible we are.”