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Boris hires Mr Kwit-Fit
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent22.05.08
A private equity millionaire branded "The Prince of Darkness" for his ruthless costcutting has been appointed Boris Johnson's chief of staff.
Tim Parker, one of Britain's most successful businessmen, will be in charge of the day-to-day running of City Hall.
His appointment is a major coup for Mr Johnson, who will benefit from his wide-ranging corporate experience and financial acumen.
One of the new Mayor's key election pledges was to cut waste and bureaucracy.
Mr Parker, 52, is known as a dynamic leader who has turned around a string of flagging companies over his long business career. He transformed the AA, Kwik-Fit, Clarks and Kenwood and gained public sector experience at the Treasury and during his time on the board of the Audit Commission.
However, his appointment will generate concern at the GLA, Transport for London and the Met Police Authority as he is known for axing jobs. He will also become chairman of TfL - and its £6.5billion budget - making him one of London's most powerful figures.
Mr Parker, whose official title will be First Deputy Mayor, will also be chief executive of the GLA Group.
He said: "I've spent my career taking over struggling companies and making them strong. I see wonderful opportunities to transform the infrastructure of London and deliver better services to Londoners.
"Throughout my business career, I have been accountable to exacting shareholders. In my new role, my shareholders will be the taxpayers of London."
Mr Parker will be unpaid apart from a £1 nominal salary and will step down from his business roles to avoid any conflicts of interest.
The Mayor today said: "I'm thrilled he's agreed to take the position and am grateful that he's agreed to do so effectively for free." The appointment will prompt suggestions the Tory party lacks confidence that Mr Johnson can do the job alone. Mr Johnson had previously said he would chair TfL himself after he was advised that with its fare-setting powers the post was best held by the Mayor.
Reader views (8)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Good choice BoJo!
- Mr Jones, Shanghai
Maybe this can be best for the country. Tories love slashing jobs and are big fans of anorexic government. The Conservative way is to set up markets to deal with everything, so I'd expect to see Jubilee Line competing with Circle and discontented tube drivers.
90p bus fares will be a thing of the past.
- Artur, W Yorks
Sounds good to me.
- Richard, France
We are really happy for London and for Mr. Parker,
he really deserves it and has been the strictest & most disciplined man for himself and for others over the past 30 odd years. He will not be a Prince of Darkness but a guarding angel for the greater London and will do more than his best to improve all aspects of this superb city and for the well-being of it’s inhabitants.
Congratulations to the Lord Mayor for his perfect choice.
F. De Haan
- F. De Haan, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
This makes me laugh, or at least it will until something dreadful happens on the tube. Correct my maths if I'm wrong, but hasn't Boris, who is pledging to cut waste, hired five deputy mayors on a total of nearly £400,000, where previously there was only one on about £90,000?
As first deputy mayor, he hires a man who, according to the telegraph, once turned up in his Porsche to sack clarks shoes factory workers.
Parker's CV often consists of being put in charge of companies, slashing jobs and closing them down or selling them on. Is this really a great template for running London? A city - and a public transport service - isn't really there to be run like a business anyway. Public transportation is not there to make a profit. It's there to provide the public service of getting Londoners to work; which has far greater flow-on economic benefits. I suspect, however, we're about to see some nasty financial short-termism in London. oh dear.
- Sarah, London
congrats Tim Parker.
- Pierre Moralis, de haan belgium
Excellent. He will find plenty of overpaid and under-worked "staff" to cut without any impact on services.
- Optimist, London, UK
Could this gentleman also be put in charge of the Olympics please.
- E Phillips, Leatherhead
