Wonderful world of Ken's freebies

The number of free gifts offered to the Mayor and London Assembly members has soared in the past year, new figures reveal.

Gifts, meals and expenses-paid foreign trips have more than quadrupled since Ken Livingstone and the Assembly were re-elected last summer.

The increase has been attributed to an influx of Christmas gifts, and a rise in entertaining of the Mayor and the 25 members of the cross-party Assembly which hold him to account.

Items range from cases of wine and beer for Mr Livingstone to silk scarves for Assembly chairman Brian Coleman, to a six-day trip to India for Tory Assembly police spokesman Richard Barnes.

Details emerge today with the publication of the Greater London Authority's latest gifts and hospitality register. It shows that from September to March, 121 presents were declared compared with 28 in the previous six months.

Under City Hall rules, the Mayor and members of the Assembly must declare any gift worth over ?25 within 28 days to ensure they are not secretly influenced in their decisions, to prevent corruption, and to ensure transparency at City Hall. The report, from the Assembly's standards committee, shows that Mr Coleman, the Tory representative-for Barnet and Camden, received almost twice as many gifts as Mr Livingstone.

He registered 39 items including four silk scarves from a Japanese delegation; and a carved buffalo statue from a Kenyan parliamentary delegation; and a CD box set.

He also received cufflinks from the Town Crier of London Peter Moore, and was taken to dinner by Computer Cabs. He spent more than any other Assembly member on black taxis in latest figures.

Mr Livingstone also received a scarf - in thanks for his support of the Palestinian cause. Based on the Palestinian flag's colours of red, green, black and white, it was designed by Bella Freud, is worth ?25 and was given by the Hoping Foundation, which stands for Hope and Optimism for Palestinians In the Next Generation.

The Mayor also got a china clock after he promoted the Palestinian trade fair in the capital in his free newspaper, The Londoner.

Other gifts included a hamper from curry magnate Sir Gulam Noon, who the Mayor appointed to the board of Transport for London; Chivas Regal and Talisker whisky; five bottles of wine and two of champagne; and a box of Godiva chocolates. He received vitamins from Vitabiotics founder and multi-millionaire Dr Kartar Lalvani, a plaque of St George, plus a DVD of Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

Angie Bray, Tory congestion charge spokeswoman on the Assembly, donated a ?50 fee for participating in a Mori survey to Battersea Dogs Home.

Lib-Dem Dee Doocey was given two pictures on loan from artist Marla Rosec, while Tory budget chairman Andrew Pelling was treated to lunch in the directors' box at Crystal Palace football club.

A separate report reveals members and the Mayor spent a total of ?7,812.45 on taxis between last April and the end of February. The highest spender was Mr Coleman on ?1,597.10, with Tory group leader Bob Neill second on ?819.70. The Mayor claimed ?684.32. The bill was down 17 per cent year-on-year.