Ken's embassies 'damage' UK's image; closes the Caracas office in Venezuela saving £67,000 a year!

A review into Ken's 'embassies' abroad are "damaging the UK's image" overseas. The Greater London Authorities offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai and Brussels were set up by former Mayor Ken Livingstone to promote the city to investors and politicians but a review ordered by current Mayor Boris Johnson found the offices "disorganised and incoherent." Their roles have not been "clearly defined" or "well understood", the review also highlighted. Suggestions were they should be moved to cheaper and smaller premises to cut costs.

Idea was 'fundamentally' correct
Livingstone was in part vindicated by the authors conclusions that the idea of foreign offices abroad was fundamentally sound and should remain. London should have offices in emerging markets, the study found, although there is scope for cutting costs and reducing staffing costs. The mayor's office said London needed to be promoted abroad. Ian Clement, deputy mayor for government relations, said: "It is absolutely essential given the current financial crisis that we do everything within our power to promote the capital in major markets around the world to ensure London emerges strongly from the downturn."

Part of wider review
The study is part of a wider review which looks at how London is promoted abroad by various agencies and was part of his election manifesto. The offices are funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and cost taxpayers more than £1.4m in 2008.

The report said: "The role of the offices is not very clearly defined at present and is not well understood by other stakeholders or third parties. "Furthermore, overseas representation of the UK as a whole is disorganised and incoherent, damaging the UK's image abroad."

Ken's work being undone
The review into the GLA offices is the latest in a series of steps Johnson has taken to undo Livingstone's foreign deals. He closed the Caracas office in Venezuela saving £67,000 a year and scrapped the oil deal struck with Hugo Chavez. A contract for consultancy in Moscow was also ended saving £55,420.