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The London Assembly

What is the London Assembly?
The London Assembly is a watchdog for London. Its 25 members review the Mayor’s proposals and policies, and examine the decisions and activities of the Mayor.

All 25 Assembly Members are elected by voters in London, at the same time as they vote for the Mayor. Fourteen members are elected by constituencies while 11 are Londonwide members elected from party lists. The electoral system is designed to ensure the Assembly reflects the diversity of Londoners' political views.

On 1 May 2008 nearly two and a half million Londoners voted to elect eleven Conservative members, eight Labour members, three Liberal Democrat members, two Green Party members and one member of the British National Party.

What does the London Assembly do?

  • acts as Londoners’ watchdog at City Hall, bringing transparency to London government
  • Investigates issues that matter to Londoners, identifying ways to improve life in London
  • champions the interests of Londoners
  • provides members to serve on the Metropolitan Police Authority, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and the London Development Agency
  • provides the statutory Deputy Mayor, who is chosen by the Mayor.

How does the London Assembly keep a check on the Mayor?
The Assembly can:

  • investigate and prepare reports about the actions and decisions of the Mayor or any GLA member of staff and any other matter the Assembly considers to be of importance to Greater London
  • require the attendance of the Mayor, senior staff of the Authority and GLA functional bodies, and bodies or persons in a contractual relationship with, or in receipt of grant from the Authority and documents held by such persons
  • summons documents and information from within the GLA group, including financial information from the functional bodies
  • examine the Mayor’s performance and the performance of the GLA functional bodies
  • make proposals to the Mayor for the improvement of life in London,
  • amend the Mayor’s proposed budget by a two-thirds majority

The Mayor must:

  • attend ten Mayor’s Question Time meetings per year and answer Assembly Members’ questions
  • present a report to the Assembly in advance of each Mayor’s Question Time outlining his decisions and the reasons for those decisions.
  • respond to formal proposals made to him by the Assembly
  • consult the Assembly before undertaking public consultations on his draft strategies, and the Mayor must have regard to the Assembly’s comments
  • consult the Assembly on his budget proposals for the GLA and about the GLA capital spending plan
  • appoint an Assembly Member as Deputy Mayor
How is the London Assembly accountable to Londoners?
  • the London Assembly is elected every four years, at the same time as the Mayor
  • The Assembly is required to conduct its business in public in accordance with Local Government Act requirements
  • Assembly plenary sessions and committee meetings are open to the public or they can be watched live on this website
  • All records of meetings and papers submitted to the Assembly are made available to the public on this web site – see the Assembly meetings page
  • the findings and recommendations of all Assembly investigations are published on this website and available from the GLA on request
  • the Mayor and Assembly attend a twice yearly People's Question Time meeting at which the public are able to put questions to the Mayor and Assembly. The meetings are held in different locations around London and are open to all, but can be popular and so you may need to apply to the GLA for a ticket to secure a place

Are London Assembly members paid?
Yes - view salary information for the current financial year.

London Assembly members
Full list of London Assembly members

More detailed information is available on how the Mayor, London Assembly and GLA group bodies are held to account:

How the Mayor, London Assembly and GLA group bodies are held to account PDF
How the Mayor, London Assembly and GLA group bodies are held to account RTF

  
 

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