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Boris starts review of embassies... from a boat in Turkey
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent28.05.08
City Hall's "foreign embassies" face closure after Boris Johnson launched a review into whether they offer value for money today.
The Mayor announced plans to look at whether six international offices set up by Ken Livingstone were doing their job of promoting London abroad.
He said during the election campaign he would shut them down but later toned down his opposition after City figures expressed concern.
Mr Johnson's critics claimed the offices - in Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai, Caracas and Brussels - were vital for investment in the capital.
Deputy mayor for government relations Ian Clement, who is today visiting the GLA office in Brussels, will lead the review and report back this autumn.
The offices would cost £1.4 million to run this year, including staffing, administration, office space and supplies. The GLA also employs a consultant in Moscow at a cost of £35,000 a year.
Mr Johnson, who is on holiday in Turkey, said: "We have started the process of considering which of the Greater London Authority's international offices perform a useful strategic function and deliver value for money.
"We will look at the Brussels office and its role in pre-empting potentially harmful European legislation. We will consider the role of the Indian and Chinese offices in encouraging inward investment and business opportunitiesfor London. We are eager to get on and review the international offices' role in increasing foreign investment and employment, delivering value for money and ensuring London takes full advantage of emerging international markets."
The review will look at whether Britain's embassies could take over the offices' work and whether other sources of funding, including sponsorship, could be used.
Mr Clement added: "This process will take a serious look at whether taxpayers' money is being spent wisely and in the interests of Londoners. It is right that we scrutinise millions of pounds' expenditure on these international offices and continually look at how we can ensure London remains one of the world's leading business centres."
The move follows the Mayor's scrapping of an oil deal with Venezuela which paid for half-price bus and tram travel for low-income Londoners.
Mr Johnson, who has Turkish relatives, and his family are on a sailing holiday off the Dalaman coast, where he is said to be keeping up to date with City Hall through twice daily briefings.
Reader views (19)
I don't think the press should be following Boris and his family on their private holiday. Most families take holidays at half-term, and it is very clear that Boris has been working flat-out for Londoners since getting in, the results of which are beginning to show. Give the guy a break!
- Jenny, London
Boris has been working flat out for the last 9 months to get elected. This has meant waking up very early in the morning and going to bed very late at night and hardly seeing his family.
Don't criticise him for having a one week holiday during his kid's half term.
- Richard, London, UK
Why shouldn't Boris go on holiday...who is this rather unpleasant sounding individual, Dr Susan Porter ...what broken promises and lies is she on about!
Must be a KEN sympathiser,methinks
- Jean Matthews, London England
I'm just glad Dr Susan Porter is not my doctor. She sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant person.
- Howard, Essex
Boris, enjoy your holiday, when you get back refreshed, make sure you give your enemies plenty to be getting on with. You have 4 years to really, really get their backs up.
Isn't democracy a wonderful thing?
- Stephen, London, England
One message to the moaners...get a life! The man is entitled to a break with his family,considering it's half term.
- John Bush, London,E147LE
In response to Mark of Bournemouth:
Taking a holiday with your kids should be encouraged, not criticised. Work life balance in this country is already unhealthy and we should support leaders who set good examples, regardless of politics or how important you "think" a job may be.
- Rowan, London
Yeah, give Boris a break!
People are too quick to judge - we will all see if he manages to pull it off, and we will see if he fails, but pre-empting failure is not going to do anyone any favours.
In this age of celebrity being king, people have many reason's to want him to fail. And they are all selfish, unjustified ones, so let's sit back and see what happens, you never know, it might be a productive ride, as well as a funny one.
- Kevin, Swindon
Careful Boris, the lefty moaners have got their knives out for you! This man has just successfully prosecuted an intense campaign for the London Mayorship, Parliament is in recess, his kids are off school for half-term so he takes a holiday with his family. Is it the fact that he is on a yacht that hurts their socialist sensibilities or do they just begrudge any Tory who takes a well earned break? I assume that dearest Kenneth never had a holiday with his family. As for Dr Porter slagging his policies as "disastrous", they haven't been fully implemented yet so how do you know or are you just making ill-informed, knee-jerk assumptions?
Take a break Boris and come back refreshed with all guns blazing, implement your policies, overturn the wasteful socialist agenda, root out the legacy of corruption and nepotism at City Hall and show the moaning reds your mettle.
- Invicta, Chatham, Kent
Oh Dear, the blunders have started. He should not have gone off on a holiday so soon into his new position - and more importantly he and his advisers should have known that.
- Mark, Bournemouth England
Give the guy a break! Everyone deserves a summer holiday! It's not as if he's abandoned his work while he's away either.
As for the discontinuation of the oil deal with Chavez, I say Bravo. We shouldn't be making shady deals with south American socialist despots!
- Eduardo, Tooting, London
Good to see the Socialists are still here banging the drum and being anti anything Nu Labour!
- James Woolf, London
Enjoy your holiday Boris, you deserve it after getting elected!
- Patrick, London UK
Have Gavin and Dr Susan never started a job with previously booked holiday arrangements? 'Chips on shoulders' doesn't even begin to describe their negativity. I think Boris is starting to expose the waste, sneaky manipulation and cynicism of Ken Livingstone and I certainly don't begrudge him a holiday especially when he is in constant touch with his office.
- David Johnson, London
Just because he's on holiday it doesn't mean he isn't working; twice daily briefings means that he will still be keeping up to date. Everyone is entitled to go on holiday now and again.
- Edward Bellamy, London, UK
Be reasonable - everyone is entitled to a holiday. I'd rather he took a holiday now (after presumably some pretty hard work in the run up to the election) and came back fresh faced to tackle London's problems. Why does everything have to be so political - it's not like he's sitting there doing nothing, as this article shows.
- Nicola, London
I see the sad, bitter and twisted Livingstone surrogates are out in force.
You lost the election,the gravy train is screeching to a halt, accept it and crawl back under the stones from whence you have come !
- O.E, London, England
Why is he on holiday after promising to work (his many other financial interests permitting) "flat out" for Londoners. He is showing his true colours.
- Gavin Harris, London, UK
The mayor of London goes on holiday just after being elected? Didn't he know when the election was? A campaign founded upon broken promises and lies, then Johnson swans of on a jolly and sticks two fingers up at Londoners from his yacht, leaving his press team to release his disastrous decisions on bus fares and bus lanes. Can you think what your boss would say, two weeks after starting in your position: "I'm off on holiday, see ya!". What a joke this man is!
- Dr Susan Porter, London
