The London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee has summonsed the Mayor to appear before it, to answer further questions around the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion and Transport for London (TfL) fares in his proposed 2023-24 budget.
The Mayor oversees a total budget of £20 billion and is responsible for setting the budget for the Greater London Authority (GLA) and its functional bodies.
It is the first time the Budget and Performance Committee has summonsed a mayor.
Refusing or failing to attend Assembly proceedings as required by a summons notice without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence.
The Budget and Performance Committee leads scrutiny of the Mayor’s budget and is due to publish a report on the Draft Consultation Budget 2023-24 next week.
However, the Mayor is yet to make a series of decisions that will have material impacts on his final budget, such as the anticipated fares increase for TfL services and cameras for the ULEZ expansion.
The Budget and Performance Committee has today used its statutory powers to issue a summons notice requiring the Mayor, in his capacity as Chair of TfL, to attend a meeting to answer questions related to the budget for 2023-24.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, 21 February 2023 at 10am.
Peter Fortune AM, Chairman of the Budget and Performance Committee, said:
“Our scrutiny of the Mayor’s 2023-24 budget has highlighted the serious financial challenges facing the Mayor and the Greater London Authority.
“It is only right that Londoners know exactly how their money is being spent, particularly at a time when households are feeling the cost-of-living squeeze.
“However, there are still many unknowns. The Mayor is yet to make a series of decisions that will have material impacts on his 2023-24 budget, including on fares, council tax, green bonds and the ULEZ.
“The importance of scrutinising the budget cannot be understated and we need to have the full picture while doing so, which is why we wrote to the Mayor to invite him to two additional meetings further along in the budget process.
“As he was unable to commit to this, we felt it was appropriate to take the serious step of summonsing the Mayor to answer further questions once these decisions have been made.”
Notes to editors
- Five votes were cast in favour and no votes were cast against.
- Peter Fortune AM, Chairman the Budget and Performance Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Budget and Performance Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
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