17 DAYS NOTICE FOR LONDON NEW YEAR PLANS 'TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE'

12.01.00am GMT Tue 14th Dec 2004

Commenting ahead of another opportunity for the Mayor to make an announcement about New Year's Eve party plans, London Assembly Liberal Democrats today criticised his inability to organise a New Year party for Londoners in time for people to make their plans.

Liberal Democrat Assembly Member, Dee Doocey, said:-

"Time is running out for the Mayor to give people any chance of planning to celebrate the New Year in London.

"Every New Year we have the same old story of too little too late. With just two and a half weeks to go before 2005, most people will have already decided about what they are doing and where they are spending New Year.

"Almost every other major city in the Western World has managed to plan and arrange for celebrations months in advance, that both their communities and the people watching on TV can enjoy, so why can't London?

"The Mayor must give all of us in the capital far more notice of the plans for the New Year, otherwise London will miss out on extra business and opportunities to sell itself across the world."

ENDS

Notes to editor

· After the re-opening of Trafalgar Square in July 2003, Ken Livingstone pledged that:-

"We are working on something really quite spectacular on this New Year's eve."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3036574.stm

· On the 19th November 2004, the London Assembly Liberal Democrats published their report 'Party Pooper' that looked at the London New Year party experience compared to other cities worldwide. The Executive Summary is enclosed below and a copy of the report is available on request.

Executive Summary

It's just weeks away from New Year's Eve and as cities across the world gear up to celebrate, the Mayor is yet to announce any official celebration in London.

For the fifth year running, the Mayor has failed to stage a celebration for Londoners, despite allocating £1million of taxpayer's money to the festivities.

The Mayor should take responsibility for organising a world-class New Year's event with the following components:

· A free ticketed concert in Trafalgar Square.

· Based on the model of New York (Times Square), the surrounding streets would be filled with revellers in viewing sections bit by bit, as the night progresses.

· Large screens within Trafalgar Square to display fireworks at the London Eye and show Big Ben for the countdown to midnight.

· Tickets to be made available through a draw, advertised in the media and on the GLA website. Entry into the draw opened by 1st September.

· Sponsorship for the event secured early within the process.

· Information about the event to be clearly publicised well in advance.