Cash stakes high in London mayor race

London's first mayor will receive £86,831 in the first year of office, the deputy mayor will get £53,244 and a member of the Greater London Assembly (GLA) will be on £35,436.

These are revised figures, updating those given in a parliamentary answer by deputy prime minister John Prescott. He announced that the government had accepted the all the recommendations of the review body

on senior salaries. The figure will be uprated annually from each April in line with civil service pay.

Anyone holding any of the London posts who is also an MP, MEP or salaried member of the House of Lords will only get one third of the relevant GLA salary. Travel and subsistence payments will be similar to

those for staff at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

London post holders' pension arrangements should be made through the local government scheme, according to the review body and the only person to qualify for severance pay would be the deputy mayor, and only

if she or he loses that role outside an election.

John Prescott has asked the review body to re-examine GLA pay and pensions arrangements at the end of the 2000-2001 financial year when the workloads and responsibilities of the mayor and assembly members

becomes clearer.