Our scrutiny of the Mayor's budget-setting process - 2012/13

Our Budget and Performance Committee is responsible for scrutinising the Mayor's budget-setting process.

Our work on the 2012/13 Budget

On 9 February, the Assembly passed the Mayor of London’s £14.6 billion final budget for 2012/13. View the transcript and see the press release issued following the meeting

On 25 January, the whole of the Assembly questioned the Mayor about his draft budget for 2012/13. View the transcript.

The Budget and Performance Committee published its response to the Mayor's draft 2012/13 budget on Monday 16 January 2012. The GLA has responded to the Committee's recommendations about the Mayor's draft budget. The GLA has responded further to the Committee's core GLA initial budget proposals and some more recent requests for information. The Government has now written to the GLA about its funding settlement for 2011/12 to 2014/15.

The Committee questioned the Mayor Boris Johnson on 10 January 2012, about fares and future funding for police and economic development in the capital. It also met with his Chief of Staff, as well as representatives of the capital's police, fire and transport organisations on 5 January 2012, to discuss the Mayor's draft budget for 2012/13 which he published on December 21. See the press release issued after the meeting.

Previous work by the Budget and Performance Committee

Members questioned the Mayor's Chief of Staff on 23 November 2011, about the draft GLA budget, which showed City Hall was expecting to be left with £231 million of Olympic land debt, and on 1 November 2011 the Committee questioned examined the policing and security costs of the 2012 Games.

The Committee published its Pre-Budget Report on 18 October 2011, warning that the Mayor faced his toughest financial decisions yet on setting the budget. Read the press release.

• On 14 September 2011 the Committee discussed the financial and performance implications of the GLA taking over LDA and HCA London activities. Briefings from the LDA and the HCA are attached below.
• On 7 July 2011, the Budget and Performance Committee also discussed the Mayor’s budget guidance and shared services. Read the press release.
• On 1 July 2011, the Committee received details of the LDA's grant settlement, which are attached below.
• After agreeing its approach to the scrutiny of the Mayor’s spending plans for 2012-13 on 9 June 2011, the Committee questioned Transport for London about its business plan and the fares decision.
• On 8 June 2011, the whole of the Assembly questioned the Met about the implications of the Metropolitan Police Authority budget for policing in the capital. Assembly Members also asked the Mayor's Chief of Staff about his priorities, key challenges and risks for the coming year.

Work by the Budget Monitoring Sub Committee

The Budget Monitoring Sub-Committee questioned Metropolitan Police representatives on 18 October 2011 about why the service has been operating all year with fewer officers, staff and community support officers than planned.

On 19 July 2011, it asked finance officers from Transport for London, the London Development Agency and the Greater London Authority about the organisations' financial performance in Quarter 4 of 2010-11.

Shared services

The Budget and Performance Committee received copies of responses from the functional bodies to the Mayor on progress in delivering savings from shared services. These can be viewed below.

For more information, contact Tim Steer, Scrutiny Manager - [email protected]