Governing London

After 14 years without a mayor, London's elections heralded a new start for the capital. Here we outline the changes in local governance.
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The GLA is effectively a tier of regional government consisting of an elected mayor and the London Assembly. The mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been in office since , having won elections in and Why was the GLA created? When the Greater London council was abolished in , it left a major gap in the capital's political structures.

There was no longer any single, local organisation to take a democratic lead in tackling London-wide issues like housing and regeneration. Before the GLA was created, this void was filled by ministerial decrees, quangos and groups set up by the London boroughs. The new authority brings their disparate functions together, under the control of a directly elected mayor. What role does the mayor play?

Technically, the mayor is not directly responsible for delivering many services at all. His role is as a strategist. He sets targets and plans for the future, and has the power to set budgets and appoint the people he wants to spend them. The Labour government that set up the GLA did not want a repeat of the Thatcher-era confrontation between Mr Livingstone and ministers, so they deliberately gave the mayor very limited powers.

The GLA has a number of functional bodies that put the strategies into action: The Metropolitan police authority, the London fire and emergency planning authority, Transport for London and the London development agency. What about the London assembly? The assembly is a strong body that was designed to scrutinise the mayor's work. Its ultimate sanction is the power to block Mr Livingstone's budget on a two-thirds majority.

In practice, this would require the Tory and Labour groups to vote together. Together they form a strong majority within the assembly.

How does that compare to the role of the boroughs? The capital's councils are still responsible for providing the vast bulk of the public services Londoners use on a day-to-day basis, including education, social services and refuse collection. Despite Mr Livingstone's strategic powers, the boroughs still play an important role in regeneration, transport and planning.

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How are the mayor and the boroughs getting on politically? They have their ups and downs. The relationship crumbled after the boroughs opposed what they saw as an excessive increase in the mayor's council tax precept.

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