Labour's Toby Harris sneaked victory in last weekÍs Greater London Assembly election in Brent and Harrow.

Mr Harris's win by fewer than 5,000 votes ahead of the Tory's Bob Blackman with Chris Noyce of the Liberal Democrats not far behind left all three parties claiming success.

Compared with the 1997 General Election results for the boroughÍs constituencies, Labour was down 14 per cent, the Tories up 1.2 per cent and the Liberal Democrats increased their vote by 8.6 per cent.

But with just a third of the electorate turning out and more than 12,000 papers incorrectly filled in, it is clear the ballot did not capture the public imagination and was confusing for many of those who did vote.

Mr Harris admitted that the ñKen factorî was partly to blame for LabourÍs drop and called for a ñhealing processî within the party. As one of the leading members of the GLA, Mr Harris has a major role in LabourÍs future relations with Ken Livingstone.

ñIt will be important to work with the Mayor,î said Mr Harris.

ñAs long as what the Mayor wants to do is good for Londoners we will support him, but if we believe what he is doing is wrong then we will tell him.î

ñThe GLA is not going to be the GLC. It is a very different authority, it is about the provision of strategy and not the provision of services. The responsibilities of the assembly are laid down in statute, as are the mayor's.î

Speaking immediately after he was elected, Mr Harris said he believed the key issues for Brent and Harrow in the GLA are small business, crime and public transport.

ñI have been elected on a very clear manifesto,î he said. ñThe people of Brent and Harrow want to see crime reduced, a good transport system and they want a fair and prosperous city.

ñWhat Brent and Harrow needs is to promote and encourage small businesses. I believe that small and medium size enterprises are the key engines of growth.

ñI also want to see what the assembly can do about street and drug related crime which are of such concern to people.

ñAnd there are a large number of people who commute into central London and, as a regular Tube user, I know the problems and the frustration. We have to make sure that the public transport system is effective.

ñWe have the macro issue of getting the system in London working and the micro issue of what it is like using the system in Brent and Harrow.î

The disappointing turnout was blamed on the long build-up to the election and public confusion about the roles of the mayor and the assembly.

ñPeople were bored,î he said.

ñIt has been a very long campaign and people wanted to know what the authority is going to deliver.

'I hope that in four years' time people will be aware of the roles of the mayor and assembly and the turnout will be considerably higher.î Conservative candidate Bob Blackman said: ñWe have been beaten by the Ken Livingstone factor and in a general election we will recapture the three seats that we lost last time in Brent and Harrow.î

Liberal Democrat Mr Noyce said: ñI wish Toby Harris well because he has got to ensure the mayor delivers for the people of Brent and Harrow.î

Austin Burnett of the London Socialist Alliance said: ñIn just four months a party with no party machinery and no money has been able to show there is an alternative to Tony Blair.'