'It’s a big vote of confidence in me'

1:57pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

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THE new Deputy Mayor of London has been talking about his new roll as Boris Johnson's right-hand man.

Richard Barnes, the London Assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon, was appointed to the position last week by the newly elected Mayor of London.

It means that if anything happens to Mayor Johnson, Mr Barnes would take over the running of the capital.

As a result, the pair are not even allowed to travel in the same plane together in case of an accident.

Mr Barnes said: "I really wash't expecting to be given the job, but I'm absolutely delighted to accept it.

"It's a big vote of confidence in me, and I will be working very closely with Mr Johnson to try and make things better."

In his new roll Mr Barnes will be responsible for community cohesion and regeneration.

Mr Barnes said: "It spans all communities from the disabled, to ethnic minorities and religious groups, and my job is to change attitudes in the city, as I do not believe anyone should be excluded.

"What I will be looking at is how we can help them to help themselves, and I really want to get to know these groups and understand them, like I have done in my own constituency.

"I will also be looking for companies to help support us, as what we want is to get London to be one city."

He also promised the new administration would pay attention to the outer London boroughs, something he had criticised former Mayor Ken Livingstone for in the election campaign.

Mr Barnes said: "London is 32 boroughs, and part of the solution to things like the transport congestion is to encourage businesses to open up in the suburbs, so people don't have to travel to the city everyday.

"We have got a disaffected community in Barking and Dagenham who think their only option is to turn to the far right who we have to address. We have learned you ignore outer London at your peril and do so to the long-term detriment of London.

"Youth crime challenges in Ealing are as great as they are in the city, and the impact is just as strong."