Following the shocking defeat of her motion to make public all formally scheduled Assembly Member meetings with campaigners and lobbyists, Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell said:
"I simply cannot understand how anyone, particularly elected members, could oppose transparency.
“We work for Londoners - they have the right to know who has our ear. By voting against my proposal, the Assembly risks undermining its credibility when the Mayor already does this.
“While I am troubled that so many of my colleagues refused to share information about who they are meeting with our constituents, I will continue to push for these disclosures so this Assembly retains the trust Londoners place in us.”
Notes to editors
The full text of Caroline Russell AM’s proposed transparency motion can be found below:
“This Assembly is a democratic body that serves Londoners by scrutinising and holding the Mayor and Mayoral advisers to account on the city’s behalf.
This Assembly notes that Members are elected to champion a huge range of people and causes from across the city’s communities. Members are therefore regularly engaged by stakeholders advocating for particular causes.
This Assembly believes that the Londoners who place their trust in it have a right to know who is engaging with their representatives.
This Assembly also notes various office holders, including the London Mayor and Deputy Mayors, already publish records on formal meetings they attend. This is an important means of scrutiny and accountability for the public and demonstrates the healthiness of our democratic institution.
In line with the practice of the Mayor, this Assembly calls on every Assembly Member to publish a record of the formally scheduled external meetings they undertake in this capacity on a regular basis. The record would only include formally scheduled meetings, detailing who members are meeting, when, and the topic of the meeting, and not informal discussions.
As with the Mayor's diaries, the publications will not include entries that are already public such as committee meetings or plenaries, nor entries that contain information which the organisation would not be required to disclose under the Freedom of Information Act or other relevant legal obligations; for example, personal diary entries, details of party political meetings, or information that might endanger the health and safety of AMs or others.
This Assembly calls on the Chair and Group Leaders to consider how this measure is best added to the Assembly’s appropriate policy documentation.”