AUDIT COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE PAYMENTS TO BOB KILEY?

5.50.04pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th Jun 2007

Mike Tuffrey, Liberal Democrat Group Leader at the the London Assembly, today successfully moved a motion in the London Assembly calling on the Audit Commission to investigate the payments Transport for London has made to Bob Kiley in light of the lack of transparency surrounding Mr Kiley's consultancy contract.

The call for the investigation follows the summonsing of information from TfL about the contract - which revealed that there is no record of the number of days Mr Kiley has worked or the advice he has given - and questioning of Mayor Ken Livingstone and senior TfL officers by the full Assembly today.

Mike Tuffrey said:

"No reasonable person or farepayer could help but think this contract is a scandalous waste of Londoners' money. The Mayor and Transport for London have been unable to provide this Assembly with either the documented evidence we required from them, or satisfactory answers at the meeting today, to justify exactly what Mr Kiley is doing to earn his truly extraordinary fee.

"For this reason, we have no option but to call on the Audit Commission in the hope it will be able to shed some light on what seems to be a very murky deal indeed.

"In the meantime Transport for London should not hand over another penny. The current contract arrangements are absolutely unsustainable - no further payment should be made to Mr Kiley and Transport for London should renegotiate the contract so any future payments are for work he has actually done."

The amended motion, which was proposed by Mike Tuffrey AM, in full says:

"This Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked.

The Assembly expresses serious concern at the lack of transparency surrounding the consultancy deal between Transport for London and Bob Kiley.

This Assembly believes that, in light of the secrecy surrounding the contract and the failure of the Mayor and senior TfL officers to outline any tangible benefit to Londoners, the exorbitant sums involved in the agreement are not justified.

This Assembly further notes with grave concern that there is no record of the number of days Mr Kiley has worked, the meetings he has attended or even the advice he has given. Mr Kiley himself told the Evening Standard newspaper "If you ask what I actually do to earn my consultancy, I'd have to tell you, in all honesty 'not much'"1

This Assembly therefore calls on the Chair of Transport for London and the Board of Transport for London to stop any pending payments to Mr Kiley and to renegotiate the contract so he is only paid for work actually done.

The Assembly instructs the Chair of the Assembly to ask the Audit Commission to investigate the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of all payments made to Mr Kiley since 1 February 2006 and to make recommendations for corrective action.

The Assembly believes that in future the board of Transport for London should approve all the terms of any such consultancy agreement(s), not the Chair of Transport for London alone, and that these agreements be reported to the London Assembly in advance."