Press Release

Assembly demands clarity over Mayor's advisers
4-6-2008   278

The manner and nature of the appointment of Mayor Boris Johnson’s City Hall advisers have been called into question at a London Assembly meeting.

The Business Management and Administration Committee (BMAC) has demanded answers to a series of questions about the role, responsibilities and rewards of mayoral staff, including:

· The cost and length of appointment of each of the 15 ‘transition team consultants’ contracted to support the Mayor.
· The legality of the procedures used to appoint permanent mayoral advisers
· The decision making responsibilities of the mayor’s permanently appointed advisers
· The role of mayoral advisers in directly managing non-political staff
· How mayoral advisers will operate within the structure of the Greater London Authority
· The precise nature and responsibilities, including any staff management role, of the GLA Group Chief Executive

Chair of BMAC Darren Johnson AM said:

“The Mayor’s manifesto promised to ‘end the culture of cronyism at City Hall’ by introducing more professional, transparent government. But one month into his administration, both clarity and transparency are sadly lacking when it comes to information about the appointment of people the Mayor is entrusting with significant responsibility for running London.  We are determined to lift the fog of confusion surrounding the appointment of the Mayor’s closest advisers.”

Notes to Editors

1. Section 67 (1) of the GLA Act 1999 provides for the Mayor to appoint two persons as his political advisors and not more than ten other members of staff.
2. A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/webcasts.jsp
3. A full agenda for the meeting is available at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/bmac/2008/june4/agenda.jsp
4. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.

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