New London authority to be testing ground for new ventures in auditing

Although the decision as to how and who will audit the £3bn authority will not be taken until January, Foster has signalled the Commission will use the opportunity to trial new ways of auditing in the public sector.

He said: 'Most important is that we safeguard the transition. But this is supposed to be an experimental start to arrangements so we can experiment.'This is particularly so, he added, because the commission will be auditing best value, itself a 'new concept'.

It remains unclear what kind of measures will be used but Foster is pushing the idea they will be 'new not radical'.

Speaking at a GLA conference on Monday, Foster launched a consultation document on the Commission's role as London's public spending watchdog and admitted that other cities with mayors, like New York, might be examined for ideas.He also said firms with experience in the public sector would stand a chance of picking up more work for the GLA.

With controversy surrounding the mayoral race, and fresh attention focusing on Steven Norris's decision to stand for the Tory nomination, the conference marked the beginning of serious discussion about how the new authority will work.

Four bodies will make up the authority including the GLA, Transport for London, the London Development Agency and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, all of which will have to submit their first best value performance plan by March 2000.

Foster pledged the Commission to helping ensure 'improved public services' in London.The Commission would aim to 'support' the new public bodies but would also 'challenge'.

He said: 'We will be asking fundamental questions - is it the right service? Is it the service the public wants and could it be done in a different way?'Consultation by the Commission will address central questions such as how it should select topics for study and how it should judge the success of its own work.