During 2017-18, the London Assembly;
- Summonsed the former Mayor, Boris Johnson MP, back to City Hall to answer questions about the cancelled Garden Bridge project.
- Challenged the Mayor to draw up a gun crime strategy after offences rose by 44% in just three years to 2017.
- Unanimously agreed a motion to support the introduction of a Domestic Abusers’ Register.
- Challenged the Mayor on his proposals to tackle health inequalities in London.
- Successfully influenced the Mayor’s policy and statutory environmental strategy in relation to bottled water in London.
Just some of the London Assembly achievements during 2017-18 which feature in its Annual Report published today.
The report, ‘How the London Assembly works for you’, details the ways in which the Assembly looked at the actions of the Mayor and examined the finances and performance of the Greater London Authority (GLA) group of organisations.
Jennette Arnold AM, Chair of the Assembly during 2017/18, said:
“During the past year, we saw terrible attacks on the people of London at Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. We mourn the loss of those who died and send our sympathies to their friends and families. We also extend our sympathies to the people of Manchester who also suffered horribly.
“The other tragedy which blighted last year was the Grenfell fire which claimed the lives of so many and the causes of which are under investigation.
“Despite the tragedies, London has come together to stand for our common values of fairness and tolerance.
“For the Assembly itself it has been a year of firsts. Not only was the Assembly’s work in holding the current Mayor’s actions and policies to account widely reported and influential, for the first time a previous Mayor, Boris Johnson, MP, was called in to answer questions about the financial mess brought about by the ill-fated Garden Bridge Project.
“We also scrutinised the Mayor’s policies relating to a host of issues that impact the everyday lives of Londoners including their health, safety, travel, and importantly their money.
“Also, for the first time, this Annual Report is published online in an interactive format, with lots of video to illustrate our work and even emojis!”
Notes to editors
- The London Assembly Annual Report 2017/18 - ‘How the London Assembly works for you’ can be read here.
- The interactive version of the Annual Report can be seen here.
- The London Assembly is elected at the same time as the Mayor of London. There are 25 members in total: 12 Labour, eight GLA Conservatives, two Green Party, two UKIP and one Liberal Democrat Member
- The GLA Group includes: Transport for London (TfL), the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).
- The Assembly is required by law to produce the report.
- London Assembly website
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Howard Wheeler on 020 7983 5769. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.