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One of the more public recruitment exercises in recent months has been that for the vacancy of the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson to the post has been warmly welcomed by those in London who worked closely with him during his time as the deputy commissioner. London's borough councils, in particular, appreciate Sir Paul's efforts to reflect the different geography and diversity of places in the capital through his approach to policing. There is no doubt some of London's policing challenges are stiff. Everything, from combating terrorism on behalf of the country as a whole, to tackling the serious youth violence which has been so tragically evident on some of the city's streets over the past couple of years, right through to the most local, neighbourhood policing, is all part and parcel of the role of the Met. The partnership between the Met, its police authority, the mayor and boroughs, as well as the Government, is critical in all of those areas and more. We have joined forces on a community safety partnership for London as a whole, and we have led work to make sure that our approach to serious youth violence properly reflects the local leadership role of councils in community safety and children's services, as well as the policing role of the Met. And we are also examining the ways in which our efforts to develop stronger cross-tier working in the capital, via a city charter, can bring sharper focus to our collaborative work in this area. There is, however, an important challenge which is posed by London local government. We believe stronger local accountability for local policing is a vital part of the vision for the future. We want the Met to retain its current boundaries and its role as a strategic force with wideranging functions. It must also retain its operational independence. But we also think budgets for the most local level of policing could be delegated to the boroughs, to enable them to commission these services in a way which can join them up more effectively with the councils' own enforcement and community safety initiatives. We think borough commanders, while still accountable managerially through the force, could be commissioned by borough councils to deliver on priority local outcomes, and should be given more freedom to do so. And we also think there is a key leadership role for leaders of councils, or those they appoint, to oversee local community safety partnerships, as well as an important role for local councillors in the operation of neighbourhood consultation arrangements. Sir Paul can count on London local government's support in the vital work he is now leading. He can also count on its ideas, designed to help ensure councils are able to play their part in strengthening the bridge between the police and our many, diverse communities.

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