Fancy becoming the Mayor?

Do you think you could do a better job than Ken Livingstone?

If you have ever fancied your chances of becoming Mayor of London, now is the time to do something about it.

London Elects, the body which will oversee the June 10 elections, today publishes details of how would-be candidates can put themselves forward - and what Londoners must do to cast their votes.

This year's elections are the most complex ever held in Britain.

Residents are voting not only for a new mayor but also for members of the London Assembly and European Paliament - with five ballot papers to fill in.

Mayoral hopefuls will need a healthy bank balance to run their campaigns, however.

Apart from publicity costs, a £10,000 deposit has to be paid and it is returnable only to candidates who are the first choice of at least five per cent of London's 5.2million voters.

But before they can be considered, candidates must first collect 330 signatures from people on the electoral roll who are willing to back them - that's ten from each of the 33 boroughs. Canvassers might have to doorstep residents because the names must be collected on official forms - and the new electoral registers will not be published before the middle of April, not long before nominations close on May 13.

'If you are seriously considering standing for mayor, you should be thinking about this process now,' said a London Elects spokesman.

London Elects will publish electionpacks for would-be candidates but not before the spring. They are not ready yet because, before the polls can go ahead, Parliament must pass new laws to say they can.

London Elects knows voting is a turn-off for most Londoners.

Only a third of residents took part in the poll won by Ken Livingstone four years ago and fewer than 25 per cent took part in the last European elections. For further details, visit www.londonelects.org.uk