London's 'embassies' under review

London Mayor Boris Johnson is considering the future of the city's overseas offices as part of a cost-cutting drive.

The offices were a flagship part of former mayor Ken Livingstone's strategy of promoting London as a destination for business investment and tourism.

But Mr Johnson has announced a review of the outposts in Caracas, Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai and Brussels.

During the election, Mr Johnson called them Mr Livingstone's "embassies".

The offices are funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) which also funds a consultant in Moscow.

The total cost of the missions this year was more than £1.4m.

Oil deal scrapped

During his election campaign, Mr Johnson pledged to "curtail" spending on what he called Mr Livingstone's "embassies".

He said: "We will look at the Brussels office and its role in pre-empting potentially harmful European legislation.

"We will consider the role of the Indian and Chinese offices in encouraging inward investment and business opportunities for London.

"We will also look at which functions could be performed by the UK's foreign embassies.

"We will also assess whether other sources of funding, including sponsorship, should be used."

The mayor has already scrapped the controversial deal Mr Livingstone struck with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to provide cheap fuel for London's bus network and work has already begun to wind down the GLA's office in Caracas.

The review of the remaining offices will be led by deputy mayor for government relations Ian Clement, and will be concluded by the autumn.

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