Why red is no longer the colour for Ken London's new mayor is no doubt planning his office carefully. But he must avoid cacti or a drinks machine. The Guardian Like anyone with a new job, Ken Livingstone will be eager to stamp his mark on his office. As London's first elected mayor, this will mean rather more than unpacking a grubby Garfield mug and selecting an amusing screen-saver. As well as finalising who will make up his administration, he needs to work out who will do it, as the office support staff he recruits will have an enormous hidden influence.
Many staff are already in place.
The Greater London Assembly liaison team has set up the infrastructure for the mayor's office over the past year, building in flexibility so that the new incumbent is able to make the changes he feels necessary to enable him to work effectively. The current staff is made up of people with a variety of backgrounds, from both the private and public sector, but many are temporary positions and recruitment has only just begun in earnest. Nevertheless, anyone nursing a burning ambition to become Ken's PA and right-hand person will be disappointed. He has brought his PA with him, which indicates that he appreciates how important it is to have the right person for such a pivotal role. Recruitment for other secretarial posts began in January and is now complete, although GLA's human resources department points out that new organisations are subject to rapid change, especially in the early days, and no one is able to predict what staff might be needed in even the very near future.