The London Assembly Annual Report 2021/22

The London Assembly releases its Annual Report today. ‘How the London Assembly works for you’, details how the Assembly has highlighted important issues for Londoners during 2021-22.



The Greater London Authority (GLA) was established on July 3rd 2000, following a local referendum. It consists of two political branches: the executive mayoralty and the London Assembly, a 25-member cross party body tasked with holding the Mayor to account.



Key highlights which feature in the report include:

• A Blue Plaque for Princess Diana was unveiled at her flat in Earls Court in September 2021. This unveiling by English Heritage followed the London Assembly campaign asking Londoners to suggest 100 women who should be recognised with a Blue Plaque.
• The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has had a challenging year and the Police and Crime Committee has consistently raised policing issues that matter to Londoners. Dame Cressida Dick (now former) Commissioner of the MPS took the opportunity of a question and answer session with the Committee to announce that an investigation would be launched into parties at Downing Street.
• The GLA Oversight Committee questioned Jennifer Arcuri, other beneficiaries of London & Partners (L&P) activities and senior L&P officers on the governance procedures at the GLA and L&P following allegations that Boris Johnson overruled GLA officials to take Jennifer Arcuri on Mayoral trade missions while he was Mayor of London.
• An investigation into the relocation of City Hall concluded that the Mayor had overstated the level of savings. The GLA Oversight Committee established that staying at old City Hall on a new lease would have saved £24 million compared to the original lease terms. This revises downward the anticipated savings from the relocation from £61 million to £37 million over five years.
• A review into the 2021 GLA Elections recommended to Government that any changes to the Mayor of London and London Assembly voting system should be subject to a London-wide referendum, in the same way as the current system was established in 1999.

Our work holding the Mayor of London to account and investigating the issues that matter to Londoners continues in the upcoming year with an emphasis on four key themes: cost of living, safety, COVID-19 and climate change.



Andrew Boff AM, Chair of the Assembly during 2021/22, said:



“London Assembly Members scrutinise how the Mayor of London is delivering those services that are vital to London, such as transport, policing and the emergency services.

“We've energetically championed causes and issues that matter most to Londoners, like reducing violent crime, building safety, air pollution, access to public toilets, rebuilding the night-time economy and the importance of river crossings.

“It has been immensely rewarding to chair the London Assembly in this challenging year as we recover from the pandemic.”