The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the
devolved
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
regional
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
governance body of
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
. It consists of two political branches: the executive
Mayoralty
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
(currently led by
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan (; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting from 2005 until 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Khan is on the party's sof ...
) and the 25-member
London Assembly, which serves as a means of
checks and balances
Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typic ...
on the former. Since May 2016, both branches have been under the control of the
London Labour Party
London Labour is the devolved, regional part of the Labour Party in Greater London. It is the largest political party in London, currently holding a majority of the executive mayoralties, a majority of local councils, council seats and parli ...
. The authority was established in 2000, following a
local referendum, and derives most of its powers from the
Greater London Authority Act 1999
The Greater London Authority Act 1999 (c. 29) is the Act of Parliament that established the Greater London Authority, the London Assembly and the Mayor of London.
Background
The Act was brought in after a referendum was held under the Great ...
and the
Greater London Authority Act 2007
The Greater London Authority Act 2007 (c 24) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It gave extra powers to the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London, which had been created by the Greater London Authority Act 1999.
Re ...
.
It is a strategic regional authority, with powers over transport, policing, economic development, and fire and emergency planning. Three functional bodies—
Transport for London, the
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, and the
London Fire Commissioner
The London Fire Commissioner (LFC) is a functional body of the Greater London Authority, with responsibility for the governance of the London Fire Brigade. It is a corporation sole and is the fire authority of Greater London. It replaced the Lond ...
—are responsible for delivery of services in these areas. The planning policies of the Mayor of London are detailed in a statutory
London Plan
The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Greater London area in the United Kingdom that is written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority.
The regional planning document was first pu ...
that is regularly updated and published.
The Greater London Authority is mostly funded by direct government grant and it is also a
precepting authority
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn repla ...
, with some money collected with local
Council Tax
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
. The GLA is unique in the British devolved and local government system, in terms of structure (it uses a
presidential system
A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...
-esque model), elections and selection of powers. The authority was established to replace a range of joint boards and
quango
A quango or QUANGO (less often QuANGO or QANGO) is an organisation to which a government has devolved power, but which is still partly controlled and/or financed by government bodies. The term was originally a shortening of "quasi-NGO", where N ...
s and provided an elected upper tier of local government in Greater London for the first time since the abolition of the
Greater London Council in 1986.
Purpose
The GLA is responsible for the strategic administration of the 1579 km
2 (610 sq. miles) of
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
. It shares local government powers with the councils of 32
London boroughs
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at t ...
and the
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
. It was created to improve the co-ordination between the local authorities in Greater London, and the
Mayor of London
The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
The current m ...
's role is to give London a single person to represent it. The Mayor proposes policy and the GLA's budget, and makes appointments to the capital's strategic executive such as
Transport for London. The primary purpose of the London Assembly is to hold the Mayor of London to account by scrutiny of his or her actions and decisions. The assembly must also accept or amend the mayor's budget on an annual basis. The GLA is based at
City Hall in the
London Borough of Newham, situated next to the redeveloped
Royal Victoria Dock in
Canning Town. The GLA moved to this building from the previous
City Hall, in
Southwark, in January 2022.
The GLA is different from the corporation of the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
with its largely ceremonial lord mayors, which controls only the square mile of the city, London's chief financial centre.
Background
In 1986, the
Greater London Council was abolished by the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
government of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
. Many people have surmised that the decision to abolish the GLC was made because of the existence of a high-spending left-wing
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
administration under
Ken Livingstone, although pressure for the abolition of the GLC had arisen before Livingstone took over, and was largely driven by the belief among the outer
London borough council
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at t ...
s that they could perform the functions of the GLC just as well.
On abolition, the strategic functions of the GLC were transferred to bodies controlled by central government or joint boards nominated by the
London borough council
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at t ...
s. Some of the service delivery functions were transferred down to the councils themselves. For the next 14 years there was no single elected body for the whole of London. The Labour Party never supported the abolition of the GLC and made it a policy to re-establish some form of citywide elected authority.
Creation
The Labour party adopted a policy of a single, directly elected mayor (a policy first suggested by
Tony Banks in 1990), together with an elected assembly watching over the mayor; this model, based on the
mayor–council government
The mayor–council government system is a system of local government that has a mayor who is directly elected by the voters serve as chief executive, and a separately elected legislative city council. It is one of the two most common forms of loc ...
of many American cities, was partly aimed at making sure the new body resembled the erstwhile GLC as little as possible. After the Labour party won the
1997 general election, the policy was outlined in a
white paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...
entitled ''A Mayor and Assembly for London'' (March 1998).
Simultaneously with the elections to the London Borough councils, a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
was held on the establishment of the GLA in May 1998, which was approved with 72% of the vote. The
Greater London Authority Act 1999
The Greater London Authority Act 1999 (c. 29) is the Act of Parliament that established the Greater London Authority, the London Assembly and the Mayor of London.
Background
The Act was brought in after a referendum was held under the Great ...
passed through Parliament, receiving
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
in October 1999. In a controversial election campaign, the then prime minister,
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, attempted to block Livingstone's nomination and imposed his own candidate. In reaction, Livingstone stood as an independent candidate, resulting in his expulsion from the Labour Party and in March 2000,
was elected as Mayor of London. Following an interim period in which the mayor and assembly had been elected but had no powers, the GLA was formally established on 3 July 2000.
Headquarters
![City](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/City.hall.london.arp.jpg)
For the first two years of its existence, the Greater London Authority was based at Romney House, 47
Marsham Street
Marsham Street is a street in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is approximately one mile in length and runs south from Great Peter Street near Victoria Street and Parliament Square.
Description
Marsham Street bisects Horseferry ...
in
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
. Meetings of the London Assembly took place at Emmanuel Centre, also on Marsham Street.
Between July 2002 and December 2021, the Greater London Authority was based at a building known as
City Hall in
Southwark, on the banks of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
, close to
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames clos ...
. City Hall was designed by Norman Foster and constructed at a cost of £43 million on a site formerly occupied by
wharves
A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...
serving the
Pool of London. This building did not belong to the GLA but was leased under a 25-year rental agreement from the
Kuwait Investment Authority
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund, managing the state’s reserve and the state’s future generation fund (FGF).
Founded in 1953, the KIA is the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund. As of April 2022, it ...
.
In November 2020, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced plans to vacate City Hall at the end of 2021 and relocate to
The Crystal
City Hall, in the London Borough of Newham in east London, is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority (GLA), the regional government for Greater London. It replaced the previous City Hall, in Southwark in 2022. The building opened ...
in the
Canning Town area of
East London. The Crystal building is owned by the Greater London Authority and is currently under-occupied. City Hall was not owned by the authority itself and the proposed move would save the Greater London Authority £12.6 million a year in rental costs.
The decision was confirmed on 3 November 2020. Newham Borough Council gave permission for a change of use for the building in December 2020. The authority vacated City Hall on 2 December 2021 and the move is due to completed in the first week of January 2022.
The Crystal was renamed "City Hall" in December 2021.
In addition to City Hall, staff of the Greater London Authority are also based at Palestra House on
Blackfriars Road and at the London Fire Brigade headquarters on
Union Street, both in
Southwark.
The predecessors of the Greater London Authority, the
Greater London Council and the
London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
, had their headquarters at
County Hall, upstream on the
South Bank. Although County Hall's old council chamber is still intact, the building is unavailable for use by the GLA because of its conversion into, among other things, a luxury hotel, amusement arcade and aquarium.
Powers and functions
Functional bodies
Areas which the GLA has responsibility for include transport, policing, fire and rescue, development and strategic planning. The GLA does not directly provide any services itself. Instead, its work is carried out by functional bodies which come under the GLA umbrella and work under the policy direction of the mayor and assembly. These functional bodies (defined in section 424 (1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999)are:
*
Transport for London (TfL) – Responsible for managing most aspects of London's transport system, including public transport, main roads, and traffic management, and administering the
London congestion charge.
*
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime – Responsible for overseeing the
Metropolitan Police Service, which provides policing throughout Greater London. Replaced the
Metropolitan Police Authority
The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) (2000–2012) was the local police authority responsible for scrutinising and supporting the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Polic ...
in January 2012 under the provisions of the
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
*The
London Fire Commissioner
The London Fire Commissioner (LFC) is a functional body of the Greater London Authority, with responsibility for the governance of the London Fire Brigade. It is a corporation sole and is the fire authority of Greater London. It replaced the Lond ...
– Administers the
London Fire Brigade and co-ordinates emergency planning. Until April 2017 this was the responsibility of the
London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) was a functional body of the Greater London Authority (GLA), established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose was to run the London Fire Brigade. The 17 membe ...
(LFEPA).
* The
London Legacy Development Corporation
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is an organisation established in 2012, replacing the Olympic Park Legacy Company. It was formed as a mayoral development corporation under the powers of the Localism Act 2011. The ''mayoral develo ...
and
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
The Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation is a mayoral development corporation established in April 2015 by the Mayor of London.
Organisation
The ''Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation'' was established by the Mayor of Londo ...
, which are Mayoral development corporations. Before April 2012 the
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency (LDA) was from July 2000 until 2012 the regional development agency for the London region in England. A functional body of the Greater London Authority, its purpose was to drive sustainable economic growth within ...
(LDA) was responsible for development across London but was wound up following the
Localism Act 2011
The Localism Act 2011 (c. 20) is an Act of Parliament that changes the powers of local government in England. The aim of the act is to facilitate the devolution of decision-making powers from central government control to individuals and commun ...
. The London Legacy Development Corporation and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation were set up using powers in the Localism Act to create Mayoral development corporations.
In November 2005, the government published a consultation document reviewing the powers of the GLA, making proposals for additional powers, including
waste management
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring ...
, planning, housing, and learning and skills. The result of the consultation and final proposals were published by the
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for housing, communities, local governme ...
on 13 July 2006.
Planning
The GLA is responsible for co-ordinating
land use planning
Land use planning is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. More specifically, the goals ...
in
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
. The mayor produces a strategic plan, the "
London Plan
The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Greater London area in the United Kingdom that is written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority.
The regional planning document was first pu ...
". The individual
London Borough
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...
councils are legally bound to comply with the plan. The mayor has the power to over-ride planning decisions made by the London Boroughs if they are believed to be against the interests of London as a whole.
Energy policy
As of 2006, London generates 42 million tonnes of
carbon emissions per year, 7% of the UK's total. 44% of this comes from housing, 28% from commercial premises, 21% from transport, and 7% from industry.
The Mayor's energy strategy planned to cut carbon emission levels by 20% by 2010 and 60% by 2050 (although achieving the first of these targets is unlikely). Measures taken to achieve this have included the creation of the
London Climate Change Agency
The London Climate Change Agency Limited (LCCA), was a municipal company owned by the London Development Agency (LDA) that worked in partnership with private sector companies (notably EDF Energy) to design, finance, construct, own and operate d ...
, the London Energy Partnership and the founding of the international
Large Cities Climate Leadership Group –
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a group of 97 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world's population and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on fighting climate change a ...
.
The London Sustainable Development Commission has calculated that for housing to meet the 60% target, all new developments would have to be constructed to be carbon-neutral with immediate effect (using
zero energy building
A Zero Energy Building (ZEB), also known as a Net Zero Energy (NZE) building, is a building with net zero energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is equal to the amount of renewable energy c ...
techniques), in addition to cutting energy used in existing housing by 40%.
Political control
After the
2021 elections,
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
has the largest representation on the GLA with the mayor as well as eleven assembly members, followed by nine from the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, three
Greens, and two from the
Liberal Democrats.
Elections
*
2000 London Assembly election
**
2000 London mayoral election
*
2004 London Assembly election
**
2004 London mayoral election
*
2008 London Assembly election
**
2008 London mayoral election
*
2012 London Assembly election
**
2012 London mayoral election
*
2016 London Assembly election
**
2016 London mayoral election
*
2021 London Assembly election
**
2021 London mayoral election
See also
*
History of local government in London
The history of local government in London, England can be broken down into a number of periods.
Gallery
Image:Metropolitan Board of Works logo.jpg, Logo of the Metropolitan Board of Works
Image:Coat of Arms of London County Council.svg, Coat ...
*
Scotland Yard
*
Lord Mayor of the City of London
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
*
City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
*
London boroughs
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at t ...
*
Foreign relations of the Mayor of London
The foreign relations of the Mayor of London are carried out as part of the mayor's responsibility to promote Greater London's global links on behalf of the British capital. In addition to work done as part of the 2012 London Olympics, the Greate ...
Boundary map
References
External links
*
About the GLA– Website detailing the powers of the GLA
House of Commons Library Briefing Note June 2018
Greater London Authority Review, 2005–06– House of Commons Library Standard Note
*
Wikisource – Referendum Results
{{Authority control
Local authorities in London
Government agencies established in 2000
2000 establishments in England
2000 in London
Major precepting authorities in England