Press Release

Mayor reveals future shape of the Greater London Authority
10-9-2008   471

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has revealed proposals for the future shape of the Greater London Authority and the changes needed to deliver a more efficient, effective organisation.

In line with his manifesto pledge, the Mayor will create a smaller operation that is better focused on his political priorities. There will be significant cost savings and a reduction in the number of posts but these will be delivered sensitively and, it is anticipated, without the need for large numbers of redundancies. £1.8million will be saved in this financial year and by the end of the next financial year, the GLA should be much leaner, with a further £7.5million savings.

The Mayor said: “Over the past eight years, the GLA has achieved a great deal, not least because of the dedication, expertise and quality of its staff. But it has also doubled in size, spiralled in cost and grown incrementally so that it has lost sight of its key priorities. This re-organisation will ensure the GLA is more coherent, focused and will deliver better value for hard-pressed London taxpayers.”

A review of operations over the summer identified a number of issues which need to be addressed - too many reporting layers, unnecessary hierarchy, duplication of functions and an imbalance between the core and periphery activities.

In future, the GLA will be structured in four key areas: Communities; Development & Environment; Finance & Operations; and Corporate Affairs. There will be a separate team exclusively focused on the 2012 Olympics. All of the management team will be charged with finding economies of scale and other savings over the next 18 months.

ENDS

Read the full text of the Mayor's statement given at Mayor's Question Time, 10 September.

Terms and conditions

Accessibility

Privacy 

Freedom of information