'Ken cronies' row

Ken Livingstone risked a new row over "cronyism" today as he appointed six of his closest aides to top jobs at salaries of £111,000.

Fresh from his re-election, the Mayor of London defied his critics by acting unilaterally and without advertising the posts.

In a move that is guaranteed to provoke accusations that a "Kenocracy" now runs the Greater London Authority, six of his personal advisers were appointed as "directors" at City Hall.

All were estimated to be previously on salaries at less than £75,000 but will now earn £111,000 each. The total cost will be £666,000.

The six are: Neale Coleman, who becomes director of business planning and regeneration; John Ross, director of economic and business policy; John Duffy, director of environment; Lee Jasper, director of equalities and policing; Murziline Parchment, director of major projects and service delivery; and Redmond O'Neill, director of transport and public affairs. Mr O'Neill also becomes the Mayor's deputy chief of staff.

Mr Livingstone decided to use his powers of appointment under the Greater London Authority Act instead of consulting a special appointments panel dominated by his political opponents on the London Assembly.

He believes the size of his

mandate in the mayoral election-with a comfortable 10 per cent victory margin over Tory Steve Norris, gives him the right to act on his own.

The Tories and Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly are sure to attack Mr Livingstone's move. Despite the Mayor's personal victory, Labour was resoundingly beaten in the Assembly poll and lost two seats.

But in a gesture to his Conservative critics, Mr Livingstone appointed Eric Ollerenshaw, the former Tory group leader, to the board of the London Development Agency.

Mr Ollerenshaw lost his seat in this month's elections because the quirks of proportional representation meant his party was penalised for doing well.

Mr Livingstone said: "On 10 June London's voters affirmed support for the direction of the policies that I have been implementing for the last four years and their desire for those to be continued and developed."

He said he was appointing the policy directors because they had been essential to delivering improvements for London in his first four-year term.

The Mayor is also advertising for a director of media and marketing, a head of the European office and a chief of staff. Since these are either new or

vacant posts they have to be advertised.

His chief of staff in the previous term, Simon Fletcher, resigned that post at the start of the election to become Mr Livingstone's campaign director. Joy Johnson, his current director of communications, is favourite to win the new job of director of media and marketing.

The Mayor's advisers came under fire in his first term when an anonymous email circulating in the Assembly accused some of them of "abysmal grasp of basic management techniques" and of bullying officers.

But whether it is success in getting the Government to back an Olympic bid, achieving a 50 per cent target of making all new homes affordable or getting more police, Mr Livingstone thinks his staff have delivered on key issues.