Tuesday, September 7, 1999 Published at 10:18 GMT 11:18 UK
Livingstone's Net pledges for London
Ken Livingstone's campaign card is available on his new Website
Londoners will enjoy comprehensive freedom of information on all matters to do with the new Greater London Authority and London mayor, under plans unveiled by mayoral hopeful Ken Livingstone.
Mr Livingstone launched his mayoral campaign on Tuesday with a pledge to be an "open government mayor".
Mr Livingstone promises the far-reaching freedom of information through his new Website, Livingstone for London.
It will include instant access to all planning applications in every London borough, all documents being considered, published or commissioned by the mayor or the Greater London Authority, as well as access to London's main agencies such as the police and health services.
"Everyone will know everything," Mr Livingstone told BBC News Online. "The only things that won't be on the Website are personnel files and actual commercial contracts.
"We want to get to the situation where the entire organisational infrastructure of the GLA can take place on the Internet, and where all Londoners can truly use it that way."
Mr Livingstone wants this direct link with London Underground users to be taken as much account of as the views of transport managers.
To help ensure the Internet becomes a prime way for the mayor to communicate directly with Londoners, Mr Livingstone also proposes:
Mr Livingstone has already registered the Internet domain name london-mayor.com for use by the mayor, who will be elected in May 2000.
The launch of the MP's mayoral campaign signals a switch from the previous focus on the his right to stand, to the policies he would actually pursue as mayor of London.
Up to now, the focus had been on the efforts by Downing Street and New Labour managers to either block the left-winger - who has consistently topped opinion polls on who should be mayor - from entering the race to win Labour's nomination, or to find a more loyalist candidate able to match his popularity.
In his bid to become mayor Mr Livingstone has taken a tip from New Labour's campaigning techniques - he will launch his campaign with a handful of six key policy priorities which will form the centrepiece of his campaign.
The policy priorities will later be distributed across London on a credit card-size "campaign card" - similar to the "pledge card" issued by New Labour for the 1997 general election.
"Well, Labour had five pledges on its card, but there's been so much inflation since then that I've got six policy priorities on mine," Mr Livingstone explained.
The Liberal Democrats have already chosen Susan Kramer as their candidate. The Conservatives will announce their candidate early next month.
Labour, however, is yet to announce exactly how it will select its candidate for mayor.
Party managers have put back the selection timetable to choose the party's mayoral candidate a number of times. It will now not take place until after Labour's annual conference, which opens later this month.
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