MD3319 Coat of Arms for the GLA

1.1.    On 21 November 2024, the Chair of the London Assembly wrote a letter to the Mayor of London, confirming the Assembly’s continued support for the proposal to transfer the former Greater London Council’s (GLC’s) Coat of Arms to the GLA. The letter (available here) stated:
•    the London Assembly would pay, from its component budget, the one-off fee to transfer the Coat of Arms 
•    Assembly Secretariat officers would act as the key liaison with the College of Arms to progress this matter. 
1.2.    This proposal was first formally put forward at the London Assembly’s Plenary meeting on 6 February 2020, where it unanimously agreed the following motion: 
“This Assembly notes that this year is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Greater London Authority.
“This Assembly further notes that the following year the Greater London Authority will have existed longer than the Greater London Council.
“To commemorate this anniversary, this Assembly calls on the Chair of the Assembly and the Mayor to write jointly to the College of Arms to apply to have the Greater London Council’s Coat of Arms transferred to the Greater London Authority.”
1.3.    The Mayor responded to the motion, via a letter to the Chair of the London Assembly, on 1 May 2020 as follows:
“I note the unanimous support of London Assembly Members for a Coat of Arms for the Greater London Authority. I am happy to support your proposition in principle but suggest this is reconfirmed this month. I would be interested to know if the London Assembly would be prepared to cover some of the costs of associated with this application and the extent to which London Assembly officers could be involved in the work. Perhaps you could let me know your thoughts on this.”
1.4.    A Coat of Arms is a unique symbol representing an individual, family, dynasty, state, or organisation. Its use is regulated by the College of Arms. It is proposed that the transfer of the former GLC’s Coat of Arms to the GLA would be conducive to the GLA’s functions, exercisable by the Mayor and the London Assembly. 
1.5.    Key functions of the Mayor include taking Mayoral decisions to further the GLA’s principal purposes of promoting economic and social development and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. Key functions of the London Assembly include scrutinising the Mayor’s activities, holding him to account and investigating matters of importance to Greater London. Public awareness of, and trust and confidence in, the GLA is key to the effective discharge of these functions. Many of these functions also depend upon public participation. Securing the transfer of the former GLC’s Coat of Arms is considered to be conducive to these matters and therefore the exercise of these functions because it should help further entrench the identity of the GLA within London, and amongst the public, and also help to build the fabric of City Hall as a civic space for London with strong roots and connections to London’s proud devolved history. 
1.6.    To apply for the transfer, a petition would need to be submitted to His Majesty The King, seeking the grant of the Royal Licence for the transfer. The petition would be drafted by an officer of arms, and would require the Mayor’s signature. The Executive Director of the Assembly Secretariat would lead on the preparation and submission of the petition, and all associated matters, under the General Delegation and in consultation with the Assistant Director of External Affairs.
1.7.    There is a one-off fee of £5,035, payable to the College of Arms. This fee does not cover the provision of heraldic artwork, or the production of any physical Coat of Arms for display. Any further spend would require separate approval from the relevant decision-maker. 
 

2.1.    The transfer of the GLC’s Coat of Arms and Badge to the GLA, by Royal Licence.

3.1.    The GLA as a public authority must comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in section 149 (1) of the Equality Act 2010. This provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
•    advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
•    foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3.2.    The obligation in section 149(1) is placed upon the Mayor, as decision maker. The duty must be complied with when a decision is being considered. The duty is non-delegable and must be exercised with an open mind.
3.3.    There are no equalities implications arising from a decision to authorise the submission of a petition to His Majesty the King for the transfer of the former GLC’s Coat of Arms to the GLA. 
 

4.1.    No significant risks have been identified at this stage. 
4.2.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare from any officer in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    The expenditure of £5,035 will be met from the London Assembly’s component budget for 2024-25, specifically from the Director’s Budget. Formal approval for that expenditure will be sought via the appropriate London Assembly processes.
5.2.    Any further potential expenditure in future years arising from the GLA’s use of the Coat of Arms will be considered in the context of the GLA budget for those years.
 

6.1.    The GLA comprises the office of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, as set out at section 2 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (“GLA Act”).
6.2.    The GLA Act gives functions to the Mayor and the London Assembly, which undertake them separately or in some instances jointly on behalf of the GLA. Key functions of the Mayor include exercising the GLA’s general power under section 30 of the GLA Act to further its principal purposes of promoting economic and social development and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. Key functions of the London Assembly include its scrutiny and investigative functions under section 59 of the GLA Act. 
6.3.    Under its subsidiary powers in section 34(1), the GLA (acting by the Mayor, the Assembly or both jointly) may do anything (including the acquisition or disposal of any property or rights) that is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA, including the Mayor’s exercise of the general power under section 30 of the GLA Act and the Assembly’s exercise of its functions under section 59 of the GLA Act. It is identified above that it is considered securing the transfer of the former GLC’s Coat of Arms to the GLA would be conducive to the exercise of these functions. On this basis, it is within the scope of section 34 of the GLA Act to do this. The acts of preparing and submitting the petition that is required to achieve this are included within that exercise of the section 34 power.
 

7.1.    Transfer of a Coat of Arms can take approximately six months, as advised by the College of Arms.