Since she formally took up the post in September 2003, Ms Harwerth has attended monthly board meetings for all three Infracos and other meetings about asset management and safety. She told us that the challenges the parties face in making these deals work mirror those in other deals that involve the bringing together of different organisations, in particular:
■ the need to bridge traditionally commercial and non-commercial cultures;
■ the need to set the right tone in the early years of the contracts, for instance in the approach to the management of old assets;
■ the need to co-ordinate effectively at interfaces where several parties are involved;
Ms Harwerth also told us that in order to provide effective oversight she would need reliable information from all parties and to better understand LUL's expectations about Infraco work programmes.