Local Government

My priority in local government is to bring resources and local-decision making as close to Londoners as possible.

Both the GLA and London Councils have been lobbying the government for further devolution to London from central government. I believe that too much is controlled by Whitehall these days and decisions taken that affect local communities should be made by those communities.

We have made some significant moves at City Hall towards this recently, and of course with the Coalition Governmen in place, we have, in principle, a Government that is keen to see further devolution from central Government.

We have proposed a devolution package that will:

transfer the Home and Communities Agency London and the London Development Agency functions and resources to the GLA and the establishment of the Olympic Park Legacy Company as a Mayoral Development Corporation;

see greater borough representation on pan-London bodies;

bring more robust transparency and accountability arrangements and strengthen of the Assembly’s power, particularly in relation to the Mayor’s strategies and budget.