About the London Assembly

A watchdog for London

The 25 Assembly Members hold the Mayor to account by examining his decisions and actions to ensure he delivers on his promises to Londoners.

Assembly Members also champion Londoners’ concerns by investigating important issues and pressing for changes to national, mayoral or local policy. Assembly Members are elected at the same time as the Mayor. Eleven represent the whole capital and 14 are elected by constituencies.

Holding the Mayor to account

The Mayor is the most powerful directly-elected politician in the UK, so the Assembly has a key role in holding him to account on behalf of Londoners.  It does this by directly questioning the Mayor and his advisors on his activities, strategies and decisions across all areas of policy including policing and crime, transport, the environment, housing and regeneration.

The Assembly also examines the Mayor's spending and can amend his total budget when two-thirds of the Members agree to do so. The Mayor is required to consult the Assembly on his statutory strategies and respond to comments submitted to him before publishing them for wider consultation.

All Assembly meetings are  public so Londoners can stay informed about the Mayor’s activities, and the Assembly can publically review his performance.

Investigating issues and influencing policy development

As well as examining the Mayor’s actions and decisions, Assembly Members act as champions for Londoners by investigating issues that are important to the capital. Assembly investigations are carried out by cross-party committees often looking at long-term issues facing London, from improving the economy to how to tackle alcohol misuse by young Londoners.