My year of successes, by Mayor

Ken Livingstone today claimed that his first year since re-election had seen London provided with more buses and police.

His annual report says there are now 8,500 buses on the streets, with 1.7 billion bus journeys taken each year which had resulted in less congestion.

There are now more than 30,000 police. The total rises to 33,000 once community support officers are included.

Mr Livingstone said the Greater London Authority was having a "positive impact" on the city and was reversing " decades of neglect".

But the proportion of an average band D council tax bill that goes to the Mayor to help pay for these services has more than doubled since he first took office in 2000, from ?123 to ?254.

He faced strong criticism from the Liberal Democrats, who described him as a "lame duck Mayor" and pointed to broken promises not to raise bus and Tube fares above inflation, a 10 per cent jump in violent crime and recycling rates among the lowest in the country. Group leader Lord Tope said: "Ken Livingstone has run out of ideas."