London’s new mayor is no doubt planning his office carefully. But he must avoid cacti or a drinks machine. Hilary Whitney reports.

Like anyone with a new job, Ken Livingstone will be eager to stamp his mark on his office. As London’s first elected mayor, this will mean father more than unpacking a grubby Garfield mug and selecting an amusing screen-saver. As well as finalising who will make up his administration, he needs to work out who will do it, as the office support staff he recruits will have an enormous hidden influence.

Many staff are already in place. The Greater London Assembly liaison team has set up the infrastructure for the mayor’s office over the past year, building in flexibility so that the new incumbent is able to make the changes he feels necessary to enable him to work effectively. The current staff is made up of people with a variety of backgrounds, from both the private and public sector, but many are temporary positions and recruitment has only just begun in earnest.

Nevertheless, anyone nursing a burning ambition to become Ken’s PA and right-hand person will be disappointed. He has brought his PA with him, which indicates that he appreciates how important it is to have the right person for such a pivotal role. Recruitment for other secretarial posts began in January and is now complete, although GLA’s human resources department points out that new organisations are subject to rapid change, especially in the early days, and no one is able to predict what staff might be needed in even the very near future.

The GLA is housed in Romney House, a gloomy 1930s building that has never fulfilled its original purpose as a hotel. But in spring 2002 staff will move to the peculiarly named More London Bridge, adjacent to London Bridge. This largely transparent building will not only give employees a fantastic view, but also allow Londoners to see their elected assembly at work. In keeping with the democratic flavour of the building, there will be a flexible public space known as “London’s Living Room” which can be used for exhibitions, and a roof terrace, open to the public, giving an unparalleled view across London.

So what should Livingstone consider when planning his new office? Kenny D’Cruz of the Feng Shui Partnership suggests that he needs to think carefully about the office environment. Red Ken will need to work with politicians of all colours, so he may not wish to choose scarlet for the walls of his office. He should avoid spiky plants or cacti, says D’Cruz, because these generate attacking energy and if they are in his Helpful People corner (the northwest corner of a room) he might find himself, metaphorically at least, being stabbed in the back. Nor should he put anything to do with water, such as a drinks machine or even a seascape, in the southern part of his office. This is his fame and achievement area which is represented by fire and can thus be doused by water, which wouldn’t do at all.

One of the first things the new mayor did in his new office was to hang on the walls a favourite painting of communist Cuba. Should be find himself with a few more blank walls, Andrew Hutchinson from Art for Offices suggests and anomorphic portrait on glass of Tony Blair. An anomorphic image is one that is in focus when viewed from the side but distorted or out of focus when viewed straight on, and thus Ken could enjoy glancing up and seeing the PM in endlessly different ways, depending on which spot his eyes are focused at the time.

Finally, if his PA wants to ensure a harmonious working relationship, she could do worse than buying some peace lilies. According to Kenny D’Cruz, electrical pollution from anything from computers to telephones generates stress and loss of temper, but a nice bunch of peace lilies should keep everything sweet. Flower power may yet become an influential political force once more.