Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

Contact: David Gallie; email: [email protected]; telephone 020 7983 4968.

The Committee is recommended to note the expenses incurred by the Mayor, London Assembly Members and senior staff in the period 1 August 2010 to 31 October 2010.

13.1  The Committee received the report of the Executive Director of Resources.

13.2  During the discussion which followed, the following issues were raised and discussed:

(a)  It was noted that the Mayoral Adviser on Arts and Culture had made a number of claims for taxi expenses and that the reason given for several of these was ‘time constraints’. It was queried whether this was an adequate reason for incurring taxi expenses. In response, the Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff explained that the majority of the taxi expense claims submitted by that Adviser arose from the fact that, as part of her role, she often attended events which ended late in the evening. The Member of the Committee who had raised the issue requested that, where this was the reason for a taxi expense claim, this be clearly stated;

(b)  It was noted that the Mayor had made expense claims for taxi trips to the dentist. It was asked whether these should, in fact, have been treated as personal expenditure. The Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff explained that that particular incident had involved an emergency situation which had arisen during a mayoral engagement and had involved journeys to more than one hospital. He explained that the Mayor had returned to the mayoral engagement following the hospital visit;

(c)  It was noted that the Statutory Deputy Mayor had submitted an expense claim for dry cleaning. It was queried whether GLA policy allowed for claims regarding dry cleaning. The Executive Director of Resources explained that the claims had arisen from the Deputy Mayor’s trip to Singapore and that given the climatic conditions, in the circumstances, he had considered that the claims were reasonable. It was suggested that, with claims of this nature, detailed explanation be provided;

(d)   A Member suggested that where a taxi expense claim related to attendance at a conference or speaking engagement, efforts should be made to ensure that the host organisation paid; and

(e)   A Member queried the GLA’s policy in relation to claiming for car hire on foreign trips. The Executive Director of Resources agreed to provide further information following the meeting.

13.3  Resolved:

That, subject to comments made and recorded above, and the request for further information also set out above, the expenses incurred by the Mayor, London Assembly Members and Senior Staff in the period 1 August 2010 to 31 October 2010 be noted.